School Choice International, a division of The School Choice Group is the world’s largest education consulting and school placement firm with over 140 on-the-ground consultants (including Special Education Consultants) in more than 75 locations worldwide. School Choice International provides a broad array of education solutions to employees and organizations transferring to the United States.
We understand that relocating with children can present a unique set of challenges affecting all aspects of a child’s life. All School Choice clients benefit from our team of educational experts, who are backed by a world of resources, expertise, research and quality control. We can assist your family with all aspects of your school search to ensure the best experience possible. Our services include:
- Finding the right school for your child’s needs
- Assistance in navigating the placement process. We offer a variety of solutions from a single consultation, to step-by-step management of the school placement application. As well as, the school admissions process.
- Plans and packages to meet any specified need or budget
- Provide knowledge of the American education system
Top Questions About Schools in the USA
The first thing we do is toss out the notion of “top 10” or “best” schools. “Best” for whom? We start with the child and try to understand him or her. What are the child’s academic strengths and weaknesses? How do they learn? What values are important to the family? What sort of an environment would suit the child? Only then can we look at the schools in the area and start the process of determining the match. We debrief when families come back from a visit, and often set up school visits that allow a family to compare and contrast. For example, they may have their hearts set on a big school, so we have them look at a smaller one so they can be sure of their preference.
Because we emphasize fit and working with the admissions teams, we have wonderful relationships and a good reputation with schools all over the world. They trust that when School Choice says “we have a family that you will want to meet” we are not just doing a sales job, but rather genuinely believe that there could be a match that would benefit both family and school. Of course, it also makes a lot of sense to take advantage of admissions tours, parent coffees, and other events when they are offered during the admissions season.
We have had the pleasure of working with a wonderful variety of families, so it is tough to say. If forced to generalize, we would say that our clients are senior-level executives at leading companies, professional athletes and entertainers, and some notable politicians from both sides of the Atlantic. What they all have in common is a desire to look past the superficial aspects of schooling and education and really get to the right answer.
The people who come to us know that we are not just going to tell them what they want to hear. Sometimes it is tough to be completely honest and tell a family that their child doesn’t have the grades to get into the school of their dreams, or that their child might have an undiagnosed special education need. So, for us, the right clients are the ones who are ready to speak and hear the truth. Ultimately, of course, that is the only real way to deal with a child’s education.
