Last week I went with a friend to a screening of the movie Race to Nowhere. I thought we were settled in our choice of our local school for our 5-year-old, but now I am having serious doubts. I don't want her to grow up in a pressure cooker that slowly erodes the joy of learning. I want her to be challenged, in a serious way, that encourages her to *think* and not just memorize by rote only to have the information be forgotten the next week as I remember vividly doing in school. Does such a school exist? That fosters serious and deep learning, without an overload of homework and testing? And do we even have hope of getting in at such a late date? We are not rich, but now I am willing to consider alternatives and make our budget stretch just a little further if need be. Hopeful

I assume your daughter is enrolled for September. Have you spoken with the principal of the school regarding homework requirements? Will they let you talk to one or more of the kindergarten teachers about your concerns? They may have seen the film as well, and although they might be limited in what changes they can make due to district policies, they all have their own style of teaching and expectations. Learn how to work with your child's teacher.

Not every school is the pressure cooker as depicted in the film, especially at the elementary level. I think the filmmaker included her young son as the extreme example. In my own children I realized that even though their teachers may have been relaxed about the homework, *I* wasn't always, and the film provided good examples of how parents can reduce the pressure and help children realize the best ways to measure success.

I do think the real concern is high school - and you have many years ahead of you to ensure your child has a better quality of education.

Follow the guidelines that were at the end of the film and on the website how to Take Action. http://www.racetonowhere.com/get-involved

That's where the real change will come for ALL. Mom of Two

That said, if I were you I would send my child to public kindergarten, see how it goes, and keep my options open. I share your concerns about ''teaching to the test'' but I wouldn't worry that your daughter will sour on learning forever based on one year of public school. If you switch out of public school after a year or two, you will know from direct experience, rather than a movie, that it didn't suit your daughter's needs. In the meantime, you will save buckets of money on tuition and be able to do a thorough private school search without feeling rushed.

My son is finishing up kindergarten in public school. I have had a few cringe-worthy moments where I feel that the curriculum is too demanding, and I wish they had more time to play. But, overall, we have been very happy. His teacher is wonderful, the community is friendly and diverse, and my son is happy and learning a lot.

Best of luck to you. Free works for me

As an administrator and parent of a 7th grader, I can tell you that our goal is for every student to be successful and that doens't mean they all need to have straight A's. Our curriculum is designed to have students work in pace groups (these are fluid) until the skill has been mastered.

The Elementary School is year-round with a continuous progress education model and we do NOT assign homework until Upper Elementary. Even then the homework is somehting that the student can do independently. Our Middle School operates on an extended year with block scheduling. Students are not stressed out with hours of homework. They can actually enjoy outside activities such as scout meetings and sports practices without worrying that they are behind with their homework.

I too saw the film last week. Although much of it was hard to watch, I am very thankful that my daughter is being educated in a school that does pay attention to homework load and is more focused on making sure students love to learn. In fact, Beacon is mentioned in Sara Bennett's book ''The Case Against Homework''. Sara was one of the experts interviewed for the film.

Please call me in the Admissions Office at 510-437-2311 if you would like to learn more about Beacon Day School. abaroni@beaconday.org

I have to say, now that he's had a bit of it all, he enjoys school as much as ever, he's learning a lot, and he's had bright, imaginative and thoughtful teachers. At least in his school, the test prep hasn't taken as much time as I feared it would. Not in teaching nor testing time. The past week or two, his class has done a few sample tests, but that's clearly more to prepare them for the format than it is an attempt to "teach to the test". The year has already already prepared them for the information they are expected to know.

The homework issues were at their worst in the beginning, in first and second grade, but it wasn't that the homework was hard or time-consuming. Quite the opposite, in fact. It was the fact that it had to be done which angered him and it took a long time because of his reluctance to do it. This year, in third grade, he's much more accepting of it as a part of his daily responsibilities, and for the most part, he does it quickly and it's over. It's still not that much, nor is it very hard. I get to see what he's doing in class and how well he understands, and he really seems to enjoy sharing with me the things he's so proud of knowing. And little by little, he is learning strong work habits.

Would I prefer he not have homework or state testing? I guess it would have been nice to hold off on the homework until 3rd or 4th. Maybe he'd have had a better homework attitude by 3rd grade even without any of it to do in 1st or 2nd, I don't know. But maybe I'd be having 3rd grade homework battles instead. I know that it doesn't teach him anything new, but is certainly has reinforced what he's learned in class. He's a great student, in part because he has learned to take it seriously. And the tests are no big deal to him. I work in his class a fair amount, and it's been hard to see much negative impact.

For us, it just hasn't been as big a deal as we had feared.

We chose Prospect Sierra, a fantastic independent school in El Cerrito and we could not be happier. Our now 1st grader is thriving and becoming not only a confident learner but a thoughtful and mindful person. Prospect Sierra focuses on the whole child. Kids are engaged in activities from a school garden, to service learning in the community to CSA boxes. The art studio and the science lab that all graders go to weekly are places where the passion of the teachers are shared with the kids and the creativity and imagination of the kids just blossom.

My son plays in the elementary school orchestra, plays capture the flag at lunch and plays with his friends after school. He loves doing his homework because he gets to write stories and illustrate them. He is definitely encouraged to think and be an active participant in the learning process. My younger child will hopefully start kindergarten in a year and he can't wait. He sees how much fun his older brother is having and how great it is to be able to read, to write and to do math. To him, learning these skills is just part of the fun. I would definitely contact the school if you are interested in touring the campus and checking out their program. As I said, we also were concerned about the financial impact private school would make on our family and the school has been able to ease those worries with its financial aid program.

Basically, we think Prospect Sierra is the whole package and we couldn't be happier about our decision. Best of luck with yours and please don't hesitate to contact me if you have any questions. Kelly

By middle school my kids had become so cynical about testing that one of them told me he just marked answers randomly because "it doesn't affect my grades." One kid barely scraped through high school, another kid dropped out at 17, as did many of his friends. Yes, they had friends who successfully navigated public school, but too many of them didn't. You would be surprised by all the 20-somethings in Berkeley who never finished high school. My opinion is that the school system is broken. We are scraping together the $$$ for provate school for the youngest.

Parents, grandparents, uncles, aunts, and anyone who cares about education needs to get informed on this issue and we need to change things. Oh, and there's also the older documentary, First to Worst which tells the story of California's public funding demise. Diane Ravitch's book covers the US at large. Want a Sensible Educational Policy and the Funds to Make it Happen