It does without saying that our public schools are in desperate need of both qualified teachers and teacher resources. Many public schools in the country lack funding to provide the basic necessities, such as central heating and air, working desks, laboratory equipment, computer monitors, smart boards, and so much more.
Even with all those resources missing, it seems as though there’s a much greater missing component: the qualified teacher. With our grades on international placements for English and Math struggling, our teachers are asked to pick up the slack by demanding more out of their students with discipline, teaching, and preparation for standardized testing.
And yet there are still many teachers that remain in schools due to seniority rather than effective teaching practices. And it can be difficult to ascertain the quality of these teachers when evaluations come around, as many teachers have a tendency to inflate grades so that their teaching acumen will be “validated.”
More and more parents are, therefore, attempting to move their children from public schools, which are crumbling, to private schools or ever boarding schools. Private schools demand more finances from parents, costing thousands of dollars each year, not including uniforms and technology demands. In turn, they offer college prep and an opportunity to be taught in a controlled environment.
There are over 300 boarding schools within the United States.
There were nearly 34,000 private schools in 2013-2014, serving 4.6 million students in the United States.
Both boarding schools have become more accessible in recent years due to financial backing from the schools and other institutions. For instance, over the past ten years, there has been an increase in K-12 private school loans, which has made school more accessible.
Boarding school has many benefits not seen in standard private and public schooling. The children are removed from a chaotic environment where they might be getting into trouble. Away from their trouble making friends, they have the opportunity to learn new behavioral patterns under a structured setting at a boarding school.
The boarding school is a relatively safe environment and has exemplary staff and faculty. A recent survey by the Association of Boarding Schools shows the powerful effect the environment of boarding schools has on academics. Here is a recent list of statistics from that survey:
- 75% of boarding school students said their school was supportive, compared to just 50% from public school students
- 95% of boarding school students say their academic experience is satisfying, compared to 86% of public school
- 75% of boarding school students say their peers are motivated, compared to 49% of public school students
- 78% of boarding school students say they felt prepared for college, compared to just 21% of public school students
While boarding schools require a hefty financial investment from families, it seems that the academics and environment far outpace those qualities when they are found in public schools. It is likely the staff and faculty at the boarding schools are better equipped to deal with our changing learning environment and the demands placed on students for their college preparation.
There are many resources for how to get into prep school and how to prepare for boarding school. A quick guide to searching for these resources means using your family and friends as sources of information, as well as searching online for schools, such as ‘middle school boarding schools’ or ‘prep schools in Florida.’
One quick was to ascertain whether you can pay for prep school is a search for prep school scholarships. Prep school scholarships are offered to students who demonstrate a high level of excellence in either academic study or athletic performance. There are many websites dedicated to sharing about prep school scholarships, including:
- Scholarships.com
- Boardingschoolreview.com
- Questbridge.org
- Scholarshipschools.org
Among many others. Finding the right scholarship for your child can help ease the way to paying for prep school. Prep schools scholarships exist to benefit students and their parents.
It goes without saying that public school funding has struggled to keep pace with the needs of the modern day American student. There are many subjects not being taught that need to be taught, including an emphasis on science, technology, engineering, and math, which form the acronym (and programs) called STEM.
Boarding, private, and prep school (and prep school scholarships) offer more resources for your child’s future.