I was at the Ann Arbor Open School Open House this weekend. There was lots of interest--which is good! But I was struck by how many families of middle elementary kids were there, whose parents are unhappy with their current school. They are looking for an alternative. Unfortunately, the chance of getting in to AAOS on the waiting list in those middle years (2nd-5th grade) is pretty low if you didn't sign up for the waiting list during kindergarten. It would be nice if there was another magnet school in the district (another post).
But parents, don't despair just yet. There are some alternatives--I mean, if you want to stick to the public schools and not go to a charter or private school. For the past several years, some of the AAPS elementary schools have opened their doors to kids who are out of their boundaries but still live in the AAPS district. Several parents that I know, have gotten satisfaction from enrolling in a different neighborhood school.
Hey, I would point you to the location on the AAPS web site that explains the process. Unfortunately, I couldn't find it. Almost anytime I am looking for something, I find the AAPS web site disappoints. Send me the link if you find it, and I will post it.
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There are so many more people that would like to go to AAO than it can accomodate. I wonder why the district doesn't consider a second Open School magnet on the east side of town. I bet it would pull people back from the charters and private schools and fill a great need.
ReplyDeleteThere is also the Early College Alliance (http://earlycollegealliance.org) through Eastern Michigan. The downside is that it is currently only available to kids in the Milan, Lincoln, Whitmore Lake & Ypsilanti Districts. If someone from another district was really interested, they could probably enroll in one of those schools through "Schools of Choice" and attend ECA
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