DVDs About Private Schools

If you had to choose when to send your child to private school, would you send her to private school for the primary grades or high school? It's a tough call. The expense alone is a significant consideration for many parents. Another consideration is the market where you live. Do you have several private school options to choose from? Using the search tool on Private School Review, I asked it to list schools within 25 miles of my zip code in Raleigh. There were 119 schools to choose from. Not all would meet my requirements, but at least I had some material to work with. Investigate your local private school options and see how those schools meet your requirements.

Could you send your child to primary school through 12th grade in the same school? Or would you have to consider individual schools for the immediate, middle, and high school grades? Would it make sense to send your child to public school for primary grades and then consider private school for high school?

Frankly, I always feel that the high school years are where things can go off the rails. I wanted my children in a well-disciplined, severe learning environment. That's what I got when I sent my two daughters to boarding school. They both attended private pre-schools. One attended a private primary school, and the other went to an excellent, tiny K-6 elementary school, which happened to be right across the street from our home in our northwest

Most Canadians are crazy about their national sport. They begin playing at a very young age. Hockey rinks can be found in just about every hamlet. The Canadian climate fosters the sport with long, rather cold winters. Most private schools in Canada offer hockey at the intramural and varsity level. The coaching tends to be of a pretty high standard.

But what about south of the border? The expansion of the National Hockey League into southern and western states has created a whole new following. Thousands of young people suddenly want to be professional hockey players. They love the fast pace and excitement of Canada's national sport. So, if your son or daughter (yes, many coed and girls schools mount girls' hockey teams) is clamoring to go to a 'hockey' school, you can't do much better than some of the schools on the list below. These fine American private schools enjoy a great reputation for excellent hockey teams and superb academics. Who knows! Maybe your kid will end up on an NHL team.

The Albany Academies

From Head Coach Brett Riley:

A sound attitude and advanced level of skill are pre requisites for a position on the varsity team, as is the realization that a varsity sport may require a six day a week commitment. This commitment may extend into vacation periods for sports seasons. The dedication and commitment needed to conduct a successful

Religion is important to you. You want your children to be educated in a school where your religion matters. You want them to grow up practising their religion on a daily basis, not just once a week in a church or schule. Of course, exactly how intense that religious education is going to be is entirely up to you. That is the genius of America. Religious freedom is real and alive. As a result there are religious schools to suit just about every inclination.

The Various Denominations

The Roman Catholic Church has made religious education the centerpiece of its evangelistic efforts for centuries. As a result, you have over 7,500 schools to choose from in that church alone. There are just as many Jewish schools for you to choose from. Both religions have numerous varieties and subsets of schools available. Most schools in the Roman Catholic church are run by the local dioceses and parishes. But several religious orders such as the Jesuits and Franciscans operate networks of schools across the country. There are also schools run by several sects of the Orthodox Church. Most of the Roman Catholic and Jewish schools will demand observance of their religious customs and teachings. In other words, religion is not optional in these schools.

The Protestant schools include the Christian schools, the Lutherans, Baptists, Presbyterians and Episcopalians and more. These branches of the church offer thousands of schools.

The

Private schools learned a long time ago that small is good. Why? Because parents wanted more personal attention for their children than they could get in most large public schools. They didn't want their children to be a number. They didn't want their children to be anonymous. So in small schools teachers and all the other staff members would know students by name.

The Institute for Local Self-Reliance offers more reasons in support of small schools: "One of the most effective ways to improve student achievement and curb school violence is to reduce the size of the nation's schools. Hundreds of studies have found that students who attend small schools outperform those in large schools on every academic measure, from grades to test scores. They are less likely to drop out and more likely to attend college. Small schools also build strong communities. Parents and neighbors are more likely to be actively involved in the school. The students benefit from community support and the school, in turn, fosters connections among neighbors and encourages civic participation."

This TEDx talk describes using innovative teaching methods in the K-12 classroom.

Low Student-to-teacher Ratio

Most prep schools or schools offering Grades 9 through 12 have a student population of about 300-400 students. Some schools are even smaller. As well, most PK-6 elementary schools tend to be small. Of course, you will find larger and smaller