Most schools have a mission statement on their website. This is a good first place to determine whether a school’s educational philosophy is aligned with yours. The instructional environment for some schools is formal, while for others it is informal. Some schools are more demanding of their students than others (i.e., amount of homework assigned, competition). Schools also strive in varying degrees for diversity among students, parental involvement, community involvement and support for struggling students. Your middle school teacher may be a good source to help you identify the schools with the educational philosophy in which your children will thrive.