My Boarding School Blog
If your family has decided to migrate to the land of the free to pursue greener pastures most often than not one of the first things you will need to prepare for is where your children will go to school and how to integrate them in the US educational structure. If you have no background knowledge about how to do it here is a brief background on the things you ought to know.
In the US a child enters school at 6 years old. The child completes primary education or commonly called elementary education when they reached 5th grade. The child then goes to secondary school or sometimes called high school. Some states divide secondary school into two levels: junior high school and middle school or high school. It begins in the 6th grade to 8th grade for junior high school and 9th grade to 12th grade for high school.
Middle school or Junior high school consists of class schedules from different teachers in a day. The classes consist of 4 to 5 academic classes namely: Language, Science, Mathematics, History and Social Studies. In some states there is an additional elective or supplementary academic class or foreign language. In High School, students are given more freedom to choose their core academic classes.
You can choose from a public or private school to enroll your child. There are slight differences in the approach in discipline between the two. In a private school rules are clearly communicated to everyone and a contract binds a student to follow these rules and regulations violating these rules include consequences or disciplinary actions. While in a public school, the disciplinary process usually takes time and is generally a complicated process which the student can easily pass through without any disciplinary actions. The main advantage of the strict discipline implemented by private schools is that the students are taught how to act accordingly thus facilitating learning. Violence and peer pressure are avoided and the child can focus on learning and studying which is the main goal in sending your kids to school.
Enrollment rates in primary and secondary schools have remained steady from 1985 to 2008. The increase of 2 percent in 14 to 17 years olds is driven by increases in the number of children in the said age group. The number increased for 5 to 6 years old by 17 percent and for 17 to 13 years old by 21 percent while a 14 percent increase between ages 14 to 17 years old. (National Center for Education Statistics)
After finishing high school a student is given a high school diploma which is a pre requisite for admission to a college or university. Foreign students who have finished the equivalent of high school education in their country can enroll in a college of university with their high school diploma with the corresponding course curriculum. Undergraduate studies are available in colleges in university. Courses offered may last for 2 years for Associate degrees or 4 years for bachelor’s degree. All students need to have a major by their second year in a 4 year course. After completing an undergraduate study you have the option to continue further studies and obtain a Master’s degree to specialize in a specific field of study. You can also pursue a Doctorate degree or called Phd, which is usually taken 3 to 6 years depending on the field of study chosen, before graduating in Doctorate study one has to complete his thesis, an intensive research paper on a chosen topic.
read comments (0)12 20th, 2007 Boarding School Blues
The storied boarding schools of the East are as well-mannered, wealthy and academically rigorous as they ever were. Indeed, many are broadening their curriculums and ridding themselves of anachronistic customs. But they are not so exclusive or sought after as in the past. In selecting students for the fall term, some of the nation’s oldest and most prestigious preparatory schools have found applications decreasing. Hence the schools cannot be as selective in choosing their students as they used to be.
Things have come to such a pass that a qualified student can still get into some boarding schools in time for the September term. Williston, Tilton and Pomfret, for instance, still have vacancies. Phillips Exeter, while it has no openings, has experienced a decline in applicants during the past few years —and applications are also off at such elite girls’ schools as Emma Willard, the Masters School and Ethel Walker.
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