By Karin Pendley Koser
Deciding how their children will be educated is a major concern for most Atlanta parents, sometimes starting as early as pregnancy, when some place their children on daycare waiting lists before they’re even born. Some parents purchase their homes in communities known for their excellent public schools, while others hope for the best in their existing neighborhoods.
By Michelle Bourg
You check in on your kids, and it’s a typical scene: Your oldest is buried in a book and oblivious to “Sesame Street” blasting from the TV as your middle child recites along. Meanwhile, your youngest has taken the game controller apart. All children have their own ways of processing information, or what educational theorists commonly call learning styles. By getting a sense of how your child learns best— their learning style—you can help them study and learn more effectively and achieve and build on success at school.
By Anna Bentley
For many high school students, deciding on a possible career can be a daunting decision. The options seem almost endless, and it can be hard to successfully translate interests into viable career options. Luckily, Georgia’s public and independent schools are dedicated to helping students wade the sometimes-murky waters of career preparation. By implementing special programs, offering enriching co-curricular activities and developing personal connections with students, Georgia’s schools are committed to getting students on the path to a bright future.
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought challenges—and changes—to many parts of our daily lives over the past several months, from working in offices to grocery shopping to dining out. One of those areas facing the most significant challenges has undoubtedly been education.
There are many elements that contribute to a student’s educational success, including finding the right school, building a strong relationship with your child’s teachers and even encouraging a child’s participation in extracurricular activities. But one of the most important components of a thriving educational career is the establishment of good study habits. Educational achievement hinges on parental involvement that evolves to fit the child’s needs, from the first day of first grade to high school graduation and beyond.
Attending college has long been a cornerstone of the American dream, and the majority of students hope to do so. But the path to getting there is a winding and long one: educators and college admissions officers recommend that planning for college begin when a child reaches sixth grade. For modern families, the three keys to navigating the path to college successfully are being proactive, organization and communication.
As the old saying goes, “Nothing is constant except change.” All change requires some adjustment, and a move is right up at the top of the list. This can be difficult for adults, let alone for children, who thrive on routine and have fewer coping skills. From preschool to college, starting or changing schools is a dramatic— potentially traumatic—milestone. School is where children establish an identity and relationships outside the family; changing schools means establishing them all over again. When you combine this with a move, the stress levels can increase exponentially.
However, there are simple strategies you can follow to ease your family’s transition to both a new home and a new school.
As technology evolves, it continues to change the ways that people interact with one another—and the ways in which they exchange and absorb information. That’s particularly true in today’s classrooms, where teachers incorporate technological advances to create interactive learning environments that parents are likely to find very different from their own school experiences.
Standardized tests are a fact of life for children in both public and independent schools. A standardized test is one that is administered and graded in a consistent manner, usually given to students across an entire school or school system or even nationally, as opposed to one created by a teacher for a specific class.
For parents looking for educational options for their children, one of the best developments in education is the availability of a wider range of school choices than ever before. At the same time, this abundance of choice can be the source of stress when searching for a school, as parents work to weigh a greater number of alternatives objectively.