What Makes a Good School?

School choice has become one of the most agonizing issues of parenthood; while schools boast of unsurpassed facilities, genius teachers, and stellar academic achievement, parents wonder whether the marketing hype is actually true. Drawing on the authors' experiences and knowledge—one as a school principal and both as parents and advocates—this account compares public, Catholic, private, selective, and comprehensive schools and examines how well each responds to the recurring crises in the lives of Australian children. Offering clear-eyed advice to policymakers as well as parents, this book argues that schools must be a good fit for the students, the parents, and for the nation.