Now that the admissions process is just about over for this school year, I’m spending many of my days making school visits. It’s important for me to see schools in action; talk to teachers, staff, and admissions directors, sit in on classes, visit the lunchrooms, gyms, and learning labs, and watch students interact with each other so I can understand the culture of each school. What differentiates educational consultants from other types of counselors, therapists, and diagnosticians is that we spend a great deal of time visiting schools, so we have as much information as possible when we try to match students with schools. I want to share with you some interesting trends I’ve noticed through my private school visits.
iPads
Increasingly, schools are moving to iPads. Dallas Christian is in the second year of its iPad program. All high school students are issued new iPad 2’s at registration while middle and lower school students use the older model iPads, which are kept on mobile carts and can be moved from classroom to classroom. Dallas Lutheran, Prince of Peace Christian, and Jesuit begin their iPad program this fall. St Alcuin Montessori issues computers to middle school students and uses iPads with younger students.
Learning Specialists
The number of children and teens being diagnosed with some learning disability (including ADD & ADHD) is on the rise. In the past, schools relied on counselors and school psychologists to address these needs. However, with the increasing numbers of students requesting accommodations, schools have started hiring learning specialists to accommodate their students with learning issues. Some schools, like Hockaday and ESD, have had specialists on board for quite some time. St Marks and Prince of Peace Christian School each brought someone on board this year.
Dual-Credit Classes
These days, it’s not unusual for high school seniors to graduate with 12 or more college credits under their belts. Many schools offer students the opportunity to take courses on their campuses that fulfill both high school and college requirements….and it’s free! The only catch is that the college credit applies only to public Texas universities. I will examine the dual-credit process in my next post.
I would love to hear your observations. Email me and let me know what interesting trends you’ve observed in private schools.
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