Why Choose a Boarding School in Florida?

Although independent schools are not required and receive no government funding to accommodate and provide related services to students with specialized educational needs, many excellent independent schools routinely and enthusiastically enroll children who require these accommodations. When considering your child’s education, do not count out private schools, anticipating they will be uncooperative or dismissive of your child’s needs.

Not all students with an identified disability or disabilities require high levels of intervention in the academic setting. In fact, many students can persevere and experience success despite the learning obstacles presented by their disability or disabilities.

Parents should always remember that they are their student’s #1 advocates, replaced in this role only by their students as they begin to learn and understand their exceptionalities and educational needs. Parents should not feel as though an independent school education is something they cannot pursue for their child simply because of a disability.

Standardized Testing: Its Importance and Value in Admission

The demands of the admission process for independent schooling can vary greatly from school to school. Still, it is safe to assume your student must sit for at least one form of standardized testing as part of any school’s application process. In recent years, standardized testing has come under scrutiny. With increased emphasis on the weight it carries when measuring student academic achievement and in academic decision-making, educators and parents alike have questioned the need and value of such high-stakes testing. While it is my professional opinion that no

Advice for Athletes Applying to Independent Boarding Schools

For student-athletes, the dream of competing at a high level while pursuing academic excellence can be a reality at independent boarding schools. However, the admissions process for these schools can be competitive, and athletes need to showcase their skills, achievements, and dedication to both academics and sports.

You are considering attending an independent private boarding school as a student-athlete. Perhaps you’ve even been encouraged to apply to one or more schools because of your athletic ability. While your family and the admission staff at the schools will help you through the process of applying, remember that you still have your work cut out for you.

You must complete the steps required of all applicants in a timely manner. You should express genuine interest in the school’s athletic program. And most importantly, it is your job to learn as much as you can about each school to be sure that it would be a good fit for you, not only in terms of athletics but overall.

Here are some tips for you and your family as you apply to independent schools and consider your options.

The Admissions Timeline

Ideally, you’ll begin researching and visiting schools in the fall, or about a year before you plan to enroll. While applications are most commonly due in January, it takes time before then to complete any standardized tests and submit the required transcripts and recommendations.

Make sure you and your family have in hand

From time to time publications ask us why parents would consider sending their children to boarding school as opposed to leaving them in public school. What follows are my answers to some questions which were recently posed to me. I hope that you find my answers helpful as you weigh the pros and cons of sending your child to boarding school.

1. Why should you consider sending your child to a boarding school, instead of to one of the many private day schools and charter schools in the area?

In a perfect world, most of us parents would decide to send our children to schools that meet all or most of our requirements and needs. When you are fortunate enough to live in an area that has good public schools, then it makes sense to comparison shop carefully. Tune out any prejudices you may have about any kind of school, and try as much as possible to compare apples to apples.

For example, if your child has special needs, you need to look carefully at the quality of instruction that she will receive in order to continue enjoying learning. Boarding schools that offer programs for students with special needs tend to do a good job simply because they offer plenty of individual instruction from experienced credentialled teachers. The other advantage they have is that most, if not all of their students have some special need of one kind or another. Boarding schools that specialize in

Spotlight on Sports

I have assembled this spotlight on sports in boarding schools so that parents and prospective students can explore the incredible variety of athletics that boarding schools offer.

• As I have pointed out many times, participating in sports is not optional in boarding school.
• Athletics are one part of a comprehensive program most boarding schools adopt to educate the whole child in mind, body and spirit.

What do you do if your child is not athletically inclined?

• Don't worry. Boarding schools are accustomed to students with just about every background you can think of.
• Your child will surprise you after a few weeks at school by exclaiming, "Mommy! I love sprinting!"

If you live within driving distance of her school, even better.

• You can attend games. We used to enjoy driving up to the old girls' campus of Kent School on Skiff Mountain to watch our daughter play field hockey.
• The toughest issue with boarding school athletics that your child will encounter is which ones to select.

Crew

Sixty-nine schools offer crew. Most schools assume that their students have never rowed before. As a result, they offer a solid grounding in the sport combined with all the ergonomic requirements.

Groton School, Groton, MA
"Since Groton’s founding in 1884, rowing has been a prominent sport. Girls began to row as soon as the school became coed in 1976. Groton rows in 4 person shells with a coxswain to steer the boat