Why Won't My Realtor Tell Me About the "Good Schools?"
School quality is top of mind for many families with children when they are buying a home. Inevitably, and usually innocently, clients will ask me to advise them toward a home in a neighborhood with “good schools.” Unfortunately, there are no easy answers to that question.
Follow Fair Housing Law
Let’s start with the basics. Realtors are legally and ethically bound to uphold fair housing laws. Nationally, that means opposing discrimination in housing based on race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status sexual orientation, gender identity, and national origin. Many localities add even more protected classes of citizens, such as immigration status and source of income.
So what does that have to do with schools? Intentionally or not, “good schools” is often used as coded language for “white schools.” It’s no coincidence that school spending and performance often correlate with the ethnic makeup of a school. American neighborhoods and school systems were intentionally designed this way, both before and after the Civil Rights Movement, by government, banks, and individuals.
So when a Realtor, such as one in this recent Newsday exposé about agents who violate fair housing law, tells a client to check out a neighborhood by cruising the school bus route in the morning, he’s covertly suggesting the client judge the quality of the neighborhood simply by the appearance of the people standing outside, quickly running afoul of the law.
Practicing While Qualified
Realtors who give advice on schools also run the risk of practicing outside the boundaries of their license and qualifications. A Realtor has no formal training as an educator or school evaluator, so giving an opinion on school quality would be based only on personal opinion, and you certainly don’t want to base such an expensive purchase on one person’s unqualified opinion! Just as we are not able to give tax, legal, or engineering advice, we are also not able to recommend schools.
You Know Your Child
School choice should be left to the people who know and understand the student best - the parents, guardians, and educators in the child’s life. In this region, we have a variety of schools to fit a variety of needs. The Anne Arundel County public school system alone has STEM schools, Performing and Visual Arts schools, International Baccalaureate programs, and Charter schools. There is no quick answer about the right school for your child, but residents of this area are fortunate to have a lot of options!
Resources
Consider using the resources below to check out schools. And remember, take the reviews and statistics with a grain of salt. Some of them are nothing more than fan club reviews that schools have campaigned parents to post. Just as your child is more than just a collection of test scores, so are school communities. Each has a personality, and there is a good fit for every student.
County School System Website, such as Anne Arundel County Public Schools.
Local Newspaper, such as The Capital Gazette.