When Does the School Year Start for Your Children?
This is the season of parents getting ready to send their children to private day schools, boarding schools, and neighborhood public schools. In a time when the political leaders seem to be at opposite ends of the spectrum about what kind of educational experience is best for the children of America, it is important for parents to really understand the local options that are available to them. In many parts of the country, for instance, the public schools appear to be in a downward spiral. With little to no money for textbooks, facilities, and teacher salaries, the public schools in some parts of the country are simply not an option for many families. In other parts of the country, however, public schools are actually as strong, if not stronger, than the private day school options.
If you are a parent who is making a decision about where your children will go to school, it is essential that you thoroughly research the options that are available to you. From elementary schools to middle school to high schools, the offerings in your area may be very different from your friends and relatives who live across the country. Fortunately, there are a number of ways that you can evaluate the educational opportunities that you have.
Educational Choices Are Some of the Most Important Parenting Decisions
Parenting is full of many challenges, but few of them are as important as the educational decisions that you will make. Deciding on a school is, in fact, a decision that will impact the rest of your student’s life. And while many people live in parts of the country where the neighborhood school is the easy and perfect decisions, there are some places in the country where it may be a wiser decision to consider the private school options that are available.
The advantages of attending private schools in some parts of the country are that your child can have a more qualified staff of teachers. In areas of the country, for instance, where public school teachers have not received a raise in a decade there are many of the best teachers who have left the classroom. Knowing that your child will have a trained, qualified, and experienced teacher is essential. In fact, most studies show that aside from family background and income, there are few things that determine the success of a classroom more than the teacher. Having an educator who is committed and passionate to his or her work means that your child will be getting a great experience every day. Some of the latest research indicates that as many as 95% of non-parochial private high school graduates continue on to four year postsecondary institutions compared with 49% of public school graduates.
The latest research about day schools, boarding schools, and other options indicate that as many as 2.63 million students were enrolled in private elementary schools in the U.S. in 2016. If you are not satisfied with the public schools in your area, the private school platform might work for your family as well.