How to Check Accreditations - reprint from Private School Review, June 2016
There are two ways to check whether a school is accredited or not. Most schools will proudly list their accreditation on their web sites and other publicity materials. The second way of confirming information about a school's accreditation status is to visit one of the accrediting organization sites listed at the end of this article.
How to Find the Right School
The New England Association of Schools and Colleges offers some excellent suggestions on how to find the right school for your child. The accreditation process gives parents confidence that they are making the right choices for their children's education. A private school education requires a substantial financial investment over a period of up to thirteen years assuming your child goes to private school from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade. A private school education should ideally be a continuous good experience from the early childhood years right on through high school.
Another point to consider is that the National Association of Independent Schools requires that its member schools be accredited by one of the regional accreditation organizations listed below.
Schools which belong to the following associations frequently seek regional accreditation. These schools hold a dual accreditation, one with the specialist association and the other with the regional association. This offers parents an additional measure of comfort because they know that the school meets the spcialist standards, for example, of the Waldorf Schools, as well as the standards of the regional accrediting association.
- The Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI)
- The Association of Waldorf Schools of North America (AWSNA)
- Catholic Dioceses
The Benefits of Accreditation
"Accreditation fosters stakeholder involvement and commitment by providing opportunities for greater involvement in charting the direction and future of the school. Accreditation offers a mechanism to involve constituent groups in creating a vision of the future, not just allowing it to happen." [Source: Commissions on Elementary and Secondary Schools: Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools]
Obviously in a short piece like this one I am skimming the surface of the subject. However, to me the above statement says what I as a parent want to hear, namely that my involvement as a stakeholder is wanted and appreciated. Indeed it is vital to the accreditation process. That is one of the fundamental reasons why I would send my child to a private school. My voice will be heard. We won't just be another number. When your child attends private school you become a partner in the education process. The school, you and your child are partners - stakeholders - in her schooling.
by striatic
Accreditation then is important to us parents. Accreditation gives us the assurance that an independent, objective peer review of the school has been performed in the past, indeed, in many cases, probably quite a few times. Accreditation reassures us parents that the school has a plan in place to achieve its vision and attain its objectives.
Accreditation is one more box we parents should be able to check as we review schools which we feel might be a good fit for our requirements.
List of Accreditation Organizations for Private Schools
Middle States Commission on Colleges and Schools
Commissions on Elementary and Secondary Schools
New England Association of Schools and Colleges
Commission on Independent Schools
North Central Association of Colleges and Schools
Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement (CASI)
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
Council on Accreditation and School Improvement
Western Association of Schools and Colleges