What do parents think?

I get asked from time to time, "What do parents think about the school closures and open enrollment?"

Of course the most correct answer is that parents think a million different things. But I can probably simplify and categorize the primary things that I hear about into a few different nuggets. Let me just say up front that two caveats apply: First, these characterizations come from the parents that I personally talk to, not all parents in Pasadena; second, I can by no means do a perfect job of separating my own biases from my list, though this represents a good faith effort on my part to do so.

1. I think that it concerns parents, but mostly because of the uncertainty that is resulting. Basically, "What is going to happen now?"

2. I think it concerns them that these closures mean something is wrong, but by and large they see this concern in the context of declining enrollment, and that seems reasonable to them.

3. At another level, most of the parents I have spoken to are not terribly concerned b/c many of these parents were looking at some of the other bigger schools that are offering specific programs.

At the end of the day, these school closures themselves do not concern the parents I talk to, but the uncertainty that they create do.