The transitions to middle and high school can be daunting for both children and parents. And the stress of those transitions is only compounded when you’re relocating to a new city. New middle and high school students enter larger schools and have to learn to cope with more peers, new social hierarchies, new teachers and unfamiliar subjects. And they also have to deal with becoming the youngest students in the school—again.
After accepting a position as head of school at Atlanta Girls School last spring, Ayanna Hill-Gill found herself on the opposite side of the educational visit. This time, she was the one visiting local institutions to find the right fit for her own two children. And the questions she asked were the same ones she’d heard so many times as head of the Purnell School in New Jersey.
“Coming from out of town, we wanted to make sure the curriculum was what my kids were accustomed to, so there would be a smooth transition,” she says.
Whether you’re investigating an independent school for your child or helping your teenager explore college options, one of your biggest challenges is likely figuring out how to pay for it.
With tuition steadily rising at colleges and independent K-12 schools across the country, more families need help paying for education. Fortunately, there are plenty of financial aid options, including scholarships and grants, that can help pay for your child’s college or K-12 education.
For many parents, the weeknight doesn’t end until the homework is over. Then it’s on to making sure everything is ready to go in the morning, from backpacks to sneakers. But being the involved parent of a school-aged child means more than just drilling vocabulary words and getting your kids to class on time. It requires a commitment to partnering with teachers and the school to make sure that everyone is on the same page. when they discuss their expectations for the year and solicit volunteers to help out in the classroom.”
For thousands of students across the metro Atlanta area, the school day doesn’t end with the final bell. In fact, that’s when the fun begins. Sports, drama club, the French conversation group—all of these and more get going once the traditional school day is over.
When parents begin considering how to prepare their children for college, one of the first topics to arise is usually whether a public or independent school will provide a better foundation. A recent College Board Group Profile Report showed that metro Atlanta independent schools boasted average SAT scores nearly 200 points higher than those of the highest-achieving local public schools, although there’s no conclusive data that independent school students have a leg up when it comes to college acceptance. And the metro Atlanta area is home to many great public schools, including charter and magnet schools, which do an excellent job of preparing students for college.
How do you find the school that best meets your child’s needs when you don’t know what options are available, and may not know the exact nature of your child’s difficulties?
Fortunately, the Atlanta area is rich in schools dedicated to helping such children. Many of these schools focus on children with specific disabilities such as autism, dyslexia, attention deficit disorder (ADD) or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), while some more traditional schools offer help for children with learning issues in addition to their general curriculum.
Every child learns differently. As a result, some students need more help than others, and may even require assistance outside of the classroom. Whether your child has trouble grasping a particular subject or just needs a hand organizing his or her study habits, help is available. From one-on-one tutors to learning centers, the Atlanta area offers resources that can help identify your child’s particular challenges and customize their instruction to fit his or her needs.
For many parents, a good education means much more than academics. While reading, math and science are all important, such values as kindness, respect and empathy for others are just as important, if not more so. Fortunately, most Atlanta-area public and independent schools incorporate some form of “character education” in their curricula, guiding children to become caring, involved members of society.
In today’s technology-driven world, the definition of what a school is, or can be, is quickly changing. School systems and independent schools are offering new options in addition to the traditional brick-and-mortar school setting. These programs provide an education no less demanding than conventional classrooms for students who travel a great deal, are homeschooled, or are simply looking to supplement or speed up their current coursework.