Evaluating Public Schools

The consequences for school fights may no longer be limited to a visit to the principal’s office and detention. In light of the last decade’s rise in school violence, many students find themselves facing legal consequences for their misbehavior on campus.

In years past, school fights and bullying would only result in school-based punishments, such as suspension or detention. Today, however, a rising number of middle school and high school teens are actually being arrested for their in-school malfeasances.

School Fights: The Rising Threat

Public schools across the country are reporting more severe punishments for school fights and student misbehavior. For example, WRAL News of Wake County, North Carolina, reported that three students were arrested after several fights erupted at the local Knightdale High School. According to reports, the police were called to the school after multiple fights broke out among students.

Allegedly, one 16-year-old student and another 17-year-old student were engaged in crimes such as “disorderly conduct” and “simple affray,” resulting in the two students’ arrests. In addition, an older 18-year-old student was also arrested, as this particular student allegedly tried to join in the fight, and reports also suggest that the 18-year-old student “Took a swing at an officer who was trying to detain him.”

While students 18 years of age and older are understandably tried as adults, many community members question whether the 16 and 17-year-old students should have

When picking classes for the next school year, parents often fret over whether their kids should dive into honors courses. These classes offer more challenges, but do they mean sacrificing top grades? It's a dilemma: better marks or tougher academics? With honors courses demanding extra effort, it's a tough call. So, here are some insights from school and college pros that can help students navigate this critical decision.

Honors vs. General: What's the Big Difference?

While each state and school community has curriculum standards, most honors and general courses adhere to similar philosophical practices. For example, Wake County Public Schools, one of the largest school systems in North Carolina, divides its high school courses into "honors" and "academic" (average) tracks. In examining the differences in Wake County Schools' 9^th grade English course options, parents and students can discuss the similarities and differences between the honors and academic options.

• Honors 9^th Grade English: Students in both honors and academics must read specific texts from a county-wide reading list. An honors course, however, will generally read more texts than an academic course, as the honors course is conducted at a much faster pace. To work more rapidly through diverse materials, honors students will undoubtedly be assigned more homework than an academic class. Additionally, suppose a student in an honors course falls behind or is struggling. In that case, the student must typically seek out tutoring assistance during their own time (during lunch, before/after school, etc.), as

In the wake of nearly 10 years of increased school violence, all public schools are legally required to possess specific lockdown and emergency response procedures. Specifically, middle schools and high schools, which experience greater safety breaches due to their age groups, should frequently practice their emergency response protocols to ensure that all students and staff are ready to respond in the rare case of a serious emergency or threat. An awareness of the public school’s emergency protocols can help protect all community members—especially the students.

This video outlines how to set up a protocol for handling a crisis situation.

Types of Emergency Response

Public schools have different “threat levels” that result in specific emergency responses. For example, Montgomery Public Schools in Rockville, Maryland employ two specific threat level procedures. The first type of threat is labeled as “code blue.” A “code blue” threat signifies that there is an emergency or serious crisis near the school. In the case of a “code blue,” all Montgomery administrators announce appropriate information to the whole school, resulting in immediate teacher response.

Teachers in a “code blue” situation are to ensure that no students in the building are unsupervised. Classroom instruction continues, however, students are not permitted to leave the building unsupervised. While a “code blue” can potentially turn into a serious situation, this type of threat is generally not a

For a variety of reasons, schools across the country are switching their schedules to a year-round curriculum, which means that both students and teachers no longer have the traditional two months of summer vacation. While some parents have enjoyed the year-round schedule, others are engaged in a heated debate about the new trend. Some schools are implementing the year-round program to maintain more consistent instruction, while other schools are switching in order to save money. While many parents are concerned about the potential change for their children and family, each schedule offers its own pros and cons.

This video from PBS examines the pros and cons of year-round schools.

The Year-Round Calendar

When using the term “traditional calendar,” most schools are referring to the most popular schedule, where students and teachers are able to have an extended summer vacation, in addition to the standard holiday breaks throughout the school year. According to data from the National Center for Education Statistics, 86 percent of public schools in the United States operate on a traditional calendar, even though it’s the original purpose – so that children could help parents harvest crops – is no longer an important consideration. Since the traditional summer vacation is no longer “essential,” some experts maintain that continuing to use the traditional calendar is not what’s best for today’s children. As schools are now experimenting with the year-round schedules, many schools are getting

Changing schools and moving can be stressful events, even if the entire family is excited about the move. The purpose of this article is to give you a checklist of all the things you may need to think about as you orchestrate your move and what you may need to do when changing schools. We have set up the list of things to do along with a timeline, to mirror your own busy schedule as you get your household and school paperwork in order.

As soon as you decide to move

• Changing Schools?
  • Research the schools. The difference between a top rated school and a school that lags behind its peers could be as simple as living on one side of the school boundary. Also, if your child has special needs or unique goals (i.e. they had been in a foreign language immersion program), you will need to find out what is available where you are moving to.
  • Start early. Even public schools may have waiting lists if they are charter or target schools.
  • Found out if there are any extra-curricular activities that require early enrollment or may involve practice over the summer before the school year starts.
  • Enroll your children in their new schools. Make sure you've filled out all the required paperwork and have all the necessary doctors' forms, immunization records, etc. so that the kids can start on Day One.
  • Get a copy of your children's current coursework so that the new school can get a better idea of where