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The Western Boarding Schools’ Difference
There are almost 40 boarding schools west of the Mississippi River.

There are almost 40 boarding schools west of the Mississippi River. If you drive west from this great river, the landscape and climate slowly change, and, likewise, a perhaps previously unexplored region of boarding schools will begin to unfold before you. Like the Louis and Clark expedition many years ago, this voyage of discovery will be an astonishingly educational experience.

Start anywhere west of the Mississippi, from Manitoba down to Texas; head west across the Great Plains and even past California and British Columbia all the way to Hawaii. On this voyage, you will find the many boarding schools represented by the Western Boarding Schools Association. These boarding schools can rival anything found in the East, and we often offer more! For example, did you know that Hawaii Prep has 80% of the world’s ecosystems and a LEED Platinum Energy Lab? Or that one can safely predict that many of the ice hockey medalists at the Sochi Olympic Games will have attended high school at Shattuck-St. Mary’s in Minnesota? Or that you can simultaneously watch condors fly overhead while on your way to surfing each day at Cate School in Carpentaria, California? Or can we integrate marine biology and oceanography into our curriculum at my school, Brentwood College School, because we are situated directly on the Pacific Ocean?

Academically, our Western boarding schools stack up with the

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The Essential Characteristics of a Boy-Friendly Learning Environment

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The Essential Characteristics of a Boy-Friendly Learning Environment
In the United States and throughout the world, it is well-documented that even though boys score as well as girls on standardized tests, they are less likely to receive good grades, take advanced courses,and attend college. Learn how boys schools can help address these concerns.

Since the educational reform movements of the 1970s, significant efforts have been made to promote girls’ improvement within the education system. Unfortunately, instead of creating an equal learning environment, classroom teaching styles heavily favored female students at the cost of the success of their male cohorts. Now, boys are an average of 1.5 years behind girls in reading ability, a gap that persists through college and even upon entering the workforce. Extensive research is being conducted to identify characteristics of positive learning environments for boys and methods for introducing those findings into schools across America.

Active Classroom Environment

The environment a teacher establishes in the classroom is a significant contributor to how effectively students learn. Traditional classroom environments, in which all children are expected to sit quietly while following along with the teacher, presume that all children learn similarly. Those with trouble with the format may fall behind despite their learning capacity. Additionally, this isn’t necessarily a structured environment nor an engaging one that will foster a passion for learning.

This video offers some reasons why your son should attend an all-boys school.

To engage all students, teachers should instead employ an active learning environment. This type of setting stimulates self-motivated learning within a flexible yet disciplined atmosphere. By teaching students learning strategies (a written record of assignments, note-taking strategies, time management techniques, and study methods), educators teach students how to learn or “the

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Is Your School on Brand?

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Is Your School on Brand?
We offer actionable advice for boarding schools, especially those without a dedicated marketing team, on how to define and promote their unique brand.

Boarding schools must never forget that they are businesses. Private schools must continually attract new students to stay in business. Public schools have a steady supply of students. That supply is more or less guaranteed by the fact that public schools must take every child living within their jurisdiction. Private schools do not have a built-in supply of new students. They have to go out and find those students the old-fashioned way by selling the school and its attributes to every family they can.

In several ways, boarding schools are a stricter product to sell than private day schools. As much as a boarding school makes great sense regarding its complete package, many parents find it difficult to send their children to a residential school in 9th or 10th grade. Parents may be aware of several boarding schools that family and friends attended. On the other hand, most parents do not know much about individual boarding school programs.

I have written this article about boarding schools that do not have a full-time marketing department in mind. These schools have talented admissions and administrative staff who must wear many hats, often all at once. So, I hope that my suggestions and advice will help them stay on brand. You see, a boarding school has to market its story and make its case to a customer base of families with children in 6th through 9th grades. Reaching these families is the key to complete enrollment in the years ahead. It

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Need Some More Reasons To Consider Boarding School?

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Need Some More Reasons To Consider Boarding School?
"I'm wasting my time thinking about boarding school." No, you're not. Here's why.

I am writing this short article with your son or daughter in mind. Send them the link, print it out, and leave it out where they might just find it and maybe even read it. I have drawn heavily on my own children's comments and opinions about going off to boarding school.

To you who are thinking about boarding school

You may think it is a waste of time even thinking about going away to boarding school. Your parents seem to like the idea. But you are not so sure. I suggest that you start with these reasons why boarding school may be a more viable option than you ever thought it could be.

There is a boarding school for you.

Boarding schools are not like other schools. You get to pick and choose the school you want to attend. Yes, you'll have to make new friends. They will be brand new friends who will accept you just as you are. Right now. You see, boarding schools don't have cliques like you will find in public schools. You don't have to worry about being accepted socially. Once the school admits you, you are accepted socially. That's just the way a boarding school community works. Tolerance and diversity rule. Everybody pretty much dresses the same in boarding school, so nobody is going to tease you about what you are wearing. Bullying? Bullying will get you in major trouble, probably even expelled.

This video from The

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Admissions Matters: Common Questions

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Admissions Matters: Common Questions
This article addresses common questions about boarding school admissions, including advice on admissions essays, test preparation, school visits, and last-minute applications. It also provides guidance for international students applying to boarding schools in the United States.

We parents are always full of questions about boarding schools. We are aware of residential schools, but we are not familiar with how they operate. We also want to learn how to apply to boarding school and whether we are eligible for financial aid.

Here, then, are my thoughts on some of the more common questions I receive.

Should I read my child's admissions essay?

Like a good attorney would answer, "It depends." I am a firm believer in not writing your child's admissions essay. Reading it is another matter. By the way, the admissions essay is the exercise that appears as part of the application. Typically, you will see instructions requiring the candidate to write answers in her hand. The essay must also be her original work.

Take time to explain to your child that what she writes and how she presents her ideas make a powerful impression on the school's admissions staff. Unlike a test or examination, there are no time limits when she writes her essay. She can even do a rough draft if she likes and then make a fair copy, as the English say. That way, the content not only represents her best effort, but the presentation shows her at her best. She wouldn't turn up for the interview wearing grungy clothes, would she? Therefore, she shouldn't submit an essay on a formal application that looks untidy. That, to me, makes no sense.

Should I buy SSAT/ISEE practice test materials for my child?

While standardized

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