Second Opinion

Faced with navigating the bureaucratic maze surrounding public schools, more parents are taking along a guide.

By Alexandra R. Moses

Her legs curled beneath her on the leather sofa, fingers fidgeting, 14-year-old Amanda Welborn is talking about her problems with math. She’s already taken pre-algebra twice, and her teachers have recommended she take the class again this fall, when she’ll be a freshman at a high school in Montgomery County, Maryland.

“I just can’t remember, like, anything,” she says softly. But it’s not her school counselor Amanda’s talking to—she’s sitting in private education consultant Patti Murphy’s living room. The teen tells Murphy she has trouble concentrating and wants more one-on-one attention at school. “I can’t really pay attention when they’re talking to everybody else,” she complains. “I kind of space out in the middle of class.”

Amanda’s mother, Gayle Welborn, says she went to Murphy because she believes there is more to Amanda’s problem than math skills and she doesn’t think her daughter’s school has been responsive enough. “Amanda is thinking she’s stupid,” says Welborn, who also fears that her daughter could turn to self-destructive behavior if...