Teen Boarding School Help

Beginning in 1960 as experimental schools, vocational/trade schools or continuation studies in local communities, alternative schools now represent a significant component of the educational landscape in the US. By the year 2000, alternative schools accommodated millions of students in both the public and private sector. For example, in Minnesota the number of students attending alternative education has grown from 4,000 students in 1990 to over 112,000 in 2000. In Arizona, there are around 359 alternative boarding high schools that serve around 50,000 students—which is 6% of the states’ 800,000 total student population.

With so many choices in both public and private sector, how would parents know which one is the most appropriate school that will meet the needs of their teenager?

Even though so much of the educational system has changed, the characteristics of alternative schools when they emerged in the late 1960s remained mostly the same. If you are hunting for a good school, these principles will make good appraisal points as any:

• Small school size – one of the aims of alternative schools is make learning highly personalize by designing small class sizes. The average enrollment for alternative schools is approximately 250 students, 10 students in each class and a teacher-student ratio of 1:7. If you believe your child needs a highly personalize teaching, this should be the information that you should first check.
  
• Safe learning environment – it is commonly documented that due to the low school population and better attention given to everyone in the class, alternative boarding high schools feature a remarkable lack of bullying, aggression, and disruptive behavior compared to traditional schools. One way to verify this is to talk with other parents who have children attending the school and see if their son or daughter have heard or experienced student bullying. Another way is checking school archives or news and see if there have been any reports of bullying or aggression.
• Customized curriculum – what separates alternative high schools to traditional ones is the capacity to offer a highly-focused curriculum and personalized instruction with value-added enhancements. There are so many types of alternative schools, so you have to factor in your son or daughter’s needs, your budget (alternative high schools are expensive!), and what the school of your choice has to offer.

Questions you should ask of an Alerternative Highschool

1. Is the school properly accredited?

In the United States, there are six major accreditors that have accredited in their respective region most elementary schools, middle schools, junior high schools and high schools, including public and private institutions that are educational in nature. These are the:

• Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools,
• New England Association of Schools and Colleges
• North Central Association of Colleges and Schools
• Northwest Accreditation Commission
• Western Association of Schools and Colleges
• Southern Association of Colleges and Schools

Make sure that your choice is accredited by any of these six accrediting commissions, as some major colleges and universities reject credits earned from schools under unrecognized accreditation organizations.

2. Is the school within your range?

Alternative boarding schools are expensive, that’s because they tend to offer a lot more compared to traditional schools. The average tuition for an alternative education in the U.S. is $40,000, which generally covers the basic curriculum as well as the board and lodging cost, but excludes additional expenses such as registration fees, extra-curricular fees, uniform, etc.

However, in most states, there are financial aid programs available to families having difficulties in paying tuition. There are tuition loan programs that will allow payments to be made over a predetermined length of time. On some states, student assistance programs are available for students based on need or merit or a combination of both. Some grants even waive basic curriculum and board and lodging fees based solely on student merit.

3. Are the teachers and instructors certified and experienced?

Good schools are sometimes known by its faculty. That being said, make sure that the school you chose has good teachers. Or at least, choose one that has all the staff certified and experienced. It is critical that schools have the knowledge, capability and resources to do the job. Core content areas should only be taught by qualified teachers.

4. Is the school licensed to award a diploma?

Not every school can award a diploma. Make sure that the school you chose can award at least a standard diploma, though a college prep diploma is a big plus.