How to Earn College Credit in High School
Earning college credit during high school is a great opportunity. The added coursework can be an exciting challenge and helps prepare students for college-level academics. And from a financial perspective, if successful, your student’s efforts can even help to reduce the total cost of post-secondary education. So, how can you…
Electives Matter: How to Help Your Child Choose the Right Ones
Whether home-schooled or in a public or private school, elective courses enrich your children’s education—and are an important part of their preparation for life. Helping your student choose the right electives enables them to focus on their academic goals. Moreover, you are helping them open their minds to new…
Stress-Free Career Planning: A Guide for High Schoolers
The future may seem far away if you’re a freshman or sophomore in high school, but the truth is, it’s never too soon to start planning for your future career. High school is the perfect time to start thinking about the future. But before you begin gathering applications or scheduling…
Pennsylvania ranks eighth in the nation for total per student funding. But are Pennsylvania taxpayers getting their money’s worth?
The Keystone State spends nearly $4,000 more per pupil than the national average—totaling nearly $20,000 for the 2020–21 school year. And school districts have additional access to large stockpiles of taxpayer-funded reserve funds. So, is all that funding paying off? Maybe not. Unfortunately, research finds that increased education funding does…
Pennsylvania Charter Schools: A History
During the 2020–21 school year, 169,000 Pennsylvania students attended one of the state’s 163 brick-and-mortar or 14 cyber charter schools. Research shows that charter schools—and the competition they provide—play an important role in increasing student achievement, even in traditional district schools. So, what are these free public schools that…
Teaching Outside the Box
Does your student’s teacher teach outside the box? Everyone wants their child to learn—but the “how” is definitive. Children boxed in a sterile classroom for hours on a day does little for their imagination. And, unless your student’s instructors teach outside the box, countless core curriculum mandates often leave teachers…
How to Help Your Child on Their Path to Becoming an Educator
Most adults—when they look back on their school years—recall the one or maybe two teachers that made the difference in their lives. Whether giving that caring hug at the right moment or recognizing a unique skill, good teachers know how to see their students and encourage their growth—they make a…
Understanding School Budgets
Have you ever wondered why your school has funds for a new gymnasium floor but not for advanced chemistry lab materials? Or perhaps your school has forgone hiring a new math teacher after one retired, even though the students need one. These funding decisions—and countless others—are determined by your school’s…
Preparing for your student’s summer starts now
It’s certainly chilly outside and snow continues to be in the forecast. So, it may seem a bit early to be thinking about your student’s summer plans and the following school year, right? Not a chance. Preparing for your student’s summer and following school year will take some planning—especially if…
Plan to help your student achieve their goals
You’ve been helping your child reach milestones and set goals for themselves since the time they were born. First, you encouraged them to roll over. Then, you helped them to walk. You taught them how to ride a bike, read a book, and maybe even served as a volunteer coach…
Three Ways to Make High School the Perfect Time for Career Planning
Choosing a career path at the “ripe” age of 17 or 18 can be anxiety-inducing for many high schoolers, maybe even yours. Yet, the truth is—it’s the perfect time for students to discover what they are passionate about and where their skills and interests lie. The where to begin— The…
Reading your way through Christmas break
It would be easy for your student to glide through Christmas break simply playing with new toys and games, watching their favorite movies and shows, or visiting family—and there’s certainly a place for all of those fun activities over the holidays. But to help enrich your child’s school break, encourage…
Tuition isn’t always enough. Here’s how you can help your school raise funds
Think your child’s private school runs on tuition payments alone? Think again. Private schools and the students they serve have an abundance of needs that would often go unmet without additional sources of revenue. So how, as a parent, can you help ensure that your child’s private school has enough…