Boarding Schools

If you happen to be a recent college graduate amid an economy recovering from a financial turmoil, where would you choose to live in order to launch a career, look for a partner or both?
Forecasting which cities will emerge as post-recession hot spot for today's teens is quite easy to argue about, however, virtually impossible to predict empirically. Whether you like to stay in a hip and casual city as Austin or in a fast-paced cosmopolitan setting like New York City is just a matter of personal preference. A recent survey asked six experts which 10 cities will probably emerge as the hippest hubs for professionals in their 20s when the U.S. economy awakens from its slumber. The panelists were economists, geographers, demographers and authors on urban matters. They picked their cities according to certain criteria which they believe as most important, from lifestyle to economic diversity.
Here's a peek at the surveys top five cities:
First Place (Tie): Washington, D.C.
The 2008 election brought forth a youthful expedition to the nation's capital and most of the panelists said that the trend won't end soon. To some teens, Barack Obama is America's coolest boss. Moreover, government hiring is expected to grow exponentially and jobs in aerospace lobbying, defense contracting and professional services are also popular among young people.
First Place (Tie): Seattle
To many, none could rival Seattle's blend of a diverse high-tech sector, cultural life, access to jagged natural landscape as well as a strong university appeal. Seattle is known as a region of corporate innovators, from Starbucks to Amazon.com., the city is definitely "a high-tech and lifestyle haven," Seattle's high-tech sector which employs 226,300 workers, is just a bit smaller than Silicon Valley's and unemployment remains relatively low at 7.7%.
Third Place: New York
Dazed from the financial crisis, the largest city in the U.S. seems as an unlikely choice. However, the chief reason behind New York's daunting unemployment rate of 10.3% is that job seekers continue to flock to the city. But experts say that this only means that New York's allegorical status as a place to test one's mettle against the best and the brightest remains intact. Residential growth in communities outside Manhattan, such as Brooklyn, is making the city more affordable, and some panelists predict housing prices would fall further.

Fourth Place: Portland, Oregon
Portland is seen as a symbol of West Coast happiness and continues to draw migrants despite the recession. The city is an urban-growth boundary which nurtures a strong metropolitan culture while maintaining suburban sprawl, providing ease of access to nearby forests and mountains. Portland has stretched its mass transit and brags of massive active wear and electronics companies, a number of wind- and solar-energy enterprises, and plenty of green-building projects.
Fifth Place: Austin, Texas
Among the scores of American cities, Austin is one of a few that offers affordable housing and promising career opportunities as well as a welcoming, youthful culture. Austin is increasingly becoming a gathering place for arts and tech-conscious young adults. Unemployment and the cost of living are also comparatively low. And with considerable high-tech, video game and renewable-energy sectors, the city is a model for a burgeoning 21st-century knowledge-based society.

A boarding school is an institution wherein a certain percentage, if not all of the students not only study but live during term time. They typically live together with fellow students and in some occasions, with their instructors.

The term "boarding" is used in the context of "bed and board" which translates into food and lodging. The amount of time that a student spends in a boarding school depends on the level or particular field of study. Boarding school pupils commonly return home on weekends, during holidays and semestral break. In the United States, boarding schools generally comprise grades seven through twelve, with most covering the high school years.

The term boarding school generally pertain to classic British boarding schools and most modern day boarding schools are modeled from them. The establishment of British boarding schools can be traced as far back as pre-medieval times. It had grown in popularity during the colonial expansion of the British empire.

The boarding school intentionally inculcated British values and became an effective means to encourage local people to assimilate British ideals, and thus help the British achieve their imperial goals. From then on the concept of boarding schools has spread across the globe, with only slight modifications across different societies.

However, one observation appears to be consistent globally, that is, a significantly larger number of boys than girls attended boarding schools and over a longer period of time.

Today, there are emerging trends and perspectives in the field of education. Traditionally children are sent to boarding schools with the idea of providing more opportunities to the child than what his family could provide. However, this means spending much of the child's early years in what may be considered as a total institution. It is in this regard that most experts find a potential defect in the entire concept of boarding schools.

The child may experience social detachment and prolonged absence of the child's family can result into homesickness and may further escalate to a phenomenon known as TCK or third culture child. Furthermore, some modern philosophies of education suggest that boarding schools are a form of permanent displacement of the child.

This is in contrast to what such philosophies are advocating, that is, the everyday interaction of parent and child is an integral part of training and education as a whole.

See Also:
Complete Parenting Guide
Do Military Schools Help Troubled Teens?
Boot Camps for Troubled Teens

Boarding School today are pretty much different from what they used to be. New studies suggest that present-day boarding schools cater to a divergent body of students who study and live in inclusive academic institutions which foster independence and responsibility. These traditional values help the students achieve at higher rates as compared to those who are enrolled in public or private schools.

Here are some pertinent data based on studies and research conducted among students in three different academic institutions namely: boarding schools, private and public schools.

Boarding School students and alumni report that they are very much satisfied with their academic experience. In fact, 90% of boarding school students reported having excellent instructors as compared to 62% of private and 51% of public school students. Furthermore, boarding schools seem to have the edge in terms of encouraging positive personal development among students.

Boarding schools play an important role in shaping the values and ethics of their students thus paving the way for the development of a wide array of desirable traits in a cancillary and highly motivational environment. More importantly, boarding schools give as much premium to character development as they do to academic performance which fosters the development of well-rounded individuals.

Boarding school students report that they are very much confident and well prepared for college. In a survey involving 100 students from each of the three types of schools, 87% of students from boarding schools reported that they are very well prepared for college as compared to 71% from private schools students and only 39% from public school students.

Lastly, research shows that boarding school alumni advance faster in their chosen careers and are generally more philanthropic. This reflects the fact that boarding school graduates are typically more successful in terms of better career advancement as compared to the alumni of private and public schools.

FEATURED BOARDING SCHOOLS

Horizon Academy

Cross Creek Programs

The Cross Creek Center for boys and The Cross Creek Manor for girls is a highly effective Private Boarding School for junior high and high school age students who have found them selves on a path of destruction and are in need of therapeutic help.
The main outline of the Cross Creek programs is to provide a safe environment and allow change to occur through character building, emotional growth and personal development courses, personal education instructions,group,individual and family therapy. The students are also involved in community service and physical sports. Never are the boys and girl students together unless under well supervised seminars and activities. Learn more and talk with some one who can give answers to your needs.

Featured Prep School
West Nottingham Academy


West Nottingham was founding in 1744 back when our country was still under English law. The 120 acre campus is located an hour out side of Baltimore & Philadelphia close to the Chesapeake Bay. Students from all parts of the country and around the world have been enrolled in the WNA learning community. The Academy takes on an average of 150 to 300 students which allows for small class rooms, developing responsible citizens, and prepare for higher education. West Nottingham Academy is accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools and by the Maryland State Department of Education. The Academy is a member of the National Association of Independent Schools, the Association of Independent Maryland Schools, the Association of Delaware Valley Independent Schools and The Association of Boarding Schools.

Parents often face the dilemma of making the right choice as to what type of school is best for their children. The choice is not a matter of financial responsibility but is based on the fact that parents generally want to do what is best for their children on all facets of their lives. For many, this means deciding whether or not to send their children into a Private schools.

Most parents have the notion that if their children attend a private school, they would have a better chance of getting admitted to the college of their choice. This is backed by the general belief that private schools offer better education due to a stronger and more advance curriculum. Private schools also offer considerably low teacher to student ratio which means that every student's academic performance would be monitored more closely.

Private schools are also stereotyped as having better educational facilities than public schools. Furthermore, parents get a certain sense of comfort knowing that their children are in some sort of "protective" environment, away from the perils of the outside world. Parents believe that their children are safe and secure in a private environment which also fosters the development of strong moral character.

Private schools also enjoy a high level of autonomy which means they don't have to comply with the strict guidelines that public schools must follow. There is also a stronger connection between school administration and family since the school administration and faculty need only to deal with the family of students who attend their school.

This is in vivid contrast to public school setting wherein it is very much a daunting task to establish good rapport between school administration and family due to bigger student population.

As mentioned above, private schools are perceived to offer better curriculum. This is their strongest selling point in terms of marketing their services. Private schools consistently find innovative ways to teach as well as new things to teach about. Other private schools take their service to a higher level by specializing in dealing with children who suffer from learning difficulties such as autism, Aspergen's syndrome, ADHD, among others.

See Also:

US Military Schools
Military Schools Options
Boot Camps for Teens
Complete Parenting Guide

A private boarding school is a place where trained and highly qualified professionals mold the future of a child. It is an institution that provides quality education and various extracurricular activities that prompt the success of students. It is not an easy decision to send a child to a boarding school primarily because of financial considerations but the type of education and experience that a child would get is definitely inimitable.

There are several types of private boarding school. The distinction is based on their admission criteria, the type of students they admit and etc. Some are coed, while others are exclusive for boys or for girls. There are college preparatory private boarding schools that specifically prepare their students for a challenging collegiate life.

There are junior private boarding schools for students grade 8 or lower. There are also therapeutic boarding schools that deal with teens who are having difficulty coping in traditional schools.

Private boarding schools have certain advantages over traditional schooling institutions.

• The faculty members of private boarding schools are highly educated with long experience and training in their respective fields.
  
• Most private boarding schools have a relatively low student to teacher ratio which aids in providing individual attention to students.
  
• The academic curriculum in private boarding schools is quite rigorous and pretty much college preparatory in nature.
  
• This gives the students a higher chance to be admitted in prestigious colleges and universities.

Choosing the appropriate private boarding school is of utmost importance. The first step is to identify the specific issues that you want to resolve. You must have clearly defined objectives for your child.

Are you after academic excellence or are you seeking professional help for your troubled teen? You can start surveying for the right school only when you already have a definitive goal or plan of action. Finding the right school will not pose much difficulty as there are plenty of resources at your disposal.

See Also:

Complete Parenting Guide
Military School Options

If you are a parent having some difficulties handling your teenager's behavior or academic performance, then therapeutic boarding schools could help provide the solution. These institutions can address both issues and help your child achieve his/her full potential while building his/her character and inculcating the right set of values.

These therapeutic boarding schools differ in several aspects from traditional boarding schools. Therapeutic boarding schools are better equipped to deal with complex issues of troubled teenagers specifically those with behavioral, emotional or psychological problems. A great majority of these schools offer behavioral intervention and counseling, some even offer mental health and special education programs for both the student and the family.

Even among specialized boarding schools, there are some that focus on more precise issues such as teen runaways, eating disorders, depression, bipolar disorder, anger issues, reactive attachment disorder, substance abuse, etc. They cater to specific teenage problems and they could assist parents in identifying what type of problem their teenager has.

Most parents find it urgent to remove their children from their immediate environment to negate the influence of bad company or to prevent exposure or further use of prohibited substances. Therapeutic boarding schools provide a safe haven where your teenager is away from the negative influences of the "outside world."

These schools typically offer high staff to student ratio thus giving the students a semblance of personalized attention. They also offer counseling and various extracurricular activities which aid the students to socialize and realize how their behavior and decisions affect their lives as well as those in their immediate environment.

As parents you would definitely get the much needed help from these institutions, however you must do your homework and carefully select which type of boarding school to send your child into. You must conduct a background check to make sure that the institution has the appropriate license and has no pending legal issues and no hidden fees. You must make sure that you get the services that the particular school says that you are going to get for your teen.

See Also

Complete Parenting Guide
Boot Camps For Troubled Teens