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"You can tell a lot about a school by its front office."

I was talking to a woman who worked for 16 years in the front office of her local elementary school.

"Are the staff friendly and welcoming to parents or other visitors?"

As one who has visited hundreds of school in the last 20 years, I would agree. A chaotic front office usually portends other more systemic problems at a school.

This veteran front office secretary, I'll call her Betty, also said she tried to ingrain in her own staff their important role at the school. "The front office staff is the front line, the first impression," was her mantra.

Certainly, if you've been out visiting kindergartens or preschools for your child, you have run across the different cultures of various front offices. I've seen everything from rude to indifferent to scarily obsequious (in a private school).

And public schools can learn a lot from the privates in this area. Private schools understand that the parent is the client, that they have other options in today's climate of school choice. A bad experience in a school's front office could make or break whether a parent decides to send their child to that school or not.

But, the front office should not be the ONLY deciding factor.

Parents always need to visit a classroom before making a final decision.