Parents and school discipline: who’s in charge?
Disciplining your kids is hard enough. But what should parents do when the discipline comes from a teacher or the school administration? Having a game plan addressing school discipline helps you and your children either to avoid it in the first place, or at the very least, get through it…
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…
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…
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…
If you want to raise test scores, students must plan for success
A lot of common suggestions for raising test scores focus on test preparation, getting a good night’s sleep before an exam, and eating a good breakfast before heading for the test. And while these are great and important suggestions, the key to raising test scores starts long before the exam…
Parental Involvement at PA Private Schools
If you’re one of the many Pennsylvania families newly-attending or considering a private school for your children’s education, you may be wondering how, as a parent, you can get involved. And while there are plenty of ways for parents to get practically involved in their child’s school, the very best…
Finding the Right College for Your Homeschool Student
Homeschoolers don’t have guidance counselors—but that’s ok Without a traditional guidance counselor to walk you through it, starting a college search as a homeschooler or cyber school student may seem daunting. But remember, embarking on your own college search is just as easy as learning on your own. By doing…
Heading to your local school board meeting? Start here
Do a quick online search for “tips for attending school board meetings,” and you’ll get quite a few hits. But before you jump in front of a mic or send off that email, let’s run through the basics of school boards so you know what you’re getting into. The…
Parents: It's Your Right to Know What Your Children are Being Taught
Kim is a mom from the Warwick School District. She and Warwick Parents for Change, a group of about 400 members, are fighting for parents’ voices to be heard on the school boards. Kim became especially passionate about curriculum after she discovered that students from kindergarten to 9th grade are…
How to Choose a Private School
Academic rigor. Religious or moral education. Smaller class sizes. Unique extracurriculars. Families choose private schools for a variety of reasons. There are over 3,000 private schools in Pennsylvania, and the options are anything but monolithic. This guide is an overview of the types of private schools available in Pennsylvania and…
Types of Pennsylvania Private Schools
Private schools vary in terms of structure, curriculum, and teaching methods. The Pennsylvania Department of Education provides a database of all registered private schools in the state here. Classical schools Following the educational model of the ancient Greek and Romans, classical schools structure curriculum following the three stages of…
Comparing Private Schools
Your priorities for a private school will depend on what you value most in your child’s educational experience. After deciding what type of private school would best fit the needs of your child (for example, classical or secular), you can narrow down the options by doing your own research. Research…