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Public School Supplies
Find out which supplies you might need for attending public school.

Another school year, another adventure! Just as the first day of school is the cause of much excitement, so is all the required shopping that goes with starting off a new school year. With all the unknowns that a new school year can bring, it's nice to start planning early on what you will need to bring with you to school.What you will need for your new school year depends on where you go and what grade you are in. For example, some schools require kids to donate communal pencils or boxes of tissues at the beginning of the year. Other schools require students to only bring in personal supplies that they will use themselves. Sometimes this includes art supplies. The best thing to do is to check with your school.In the meantime, we have put together a sample list of school supplies that children attending public school will probably need to purchase. Often, local office supply stores will have on hand the supply lists for local public schools.

Elementary Public School Supplies

  • Art supplies: glue stick, scissors, crayons, colored pencils, markers, watercolor paints, play-doh (for the lower levels), sketch pads.
  • Pencil, Pencil Sharpener, Eraser.
  • Notebooks (spiral and/or composition). Teachers often ask that students bring in composition notebooks so that they cannot rip pages out without them being noticeable.
  • Loose Leaf Paper.
  • Graph Paper may be required for math subjects.
  • Folders to contain classroom handouts.
  • 3 Ring Binders to contain loose-leaf paper.
  • Personal Dictionary may be required for the higher levels.
  • Plastic school box to hold
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Changing Schools And Moving To A New Area

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Changing Schools And Moving To A New Area
Find out tips and services for changing schools and moving to a new area.

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
. . .read more

Public School vs. Private School

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Public School vs. Private School
Which is better? Public or private schools? It depends. Some answers here.

As a parent, you’re always looking out for your children, trying to make the best decisions for them and their futures. When it comes to schooling, parents often have to work out whether to send their children to private school or keep them in public school. Hopefully, this article will help you decide which school is best for your family. We’ll first talk generally about some of the different factors that impact decisions regarding public and private schools. Then we’ll go over some national statistics regarding public and private schools. Finally, we’ll leave you with a conclusion that should help you decide what is best for you.

Factors affecting Private versus Public school decisions

Public schools are schools that are provided by state and federal funding. Ninety percent of the children today in America attend public school. Private schools include both parochial schools and non-parochial schools. According to a special report published by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) in 2002, in 1999–2000, approximately 27,000 private schools accounted for 24 percent of all schools in the US and 12 percent of all full-time-equivalent teachers. Clearly, there are many more public schools that provide education to American students than their private counterparts.

When looking at public or private schools, the following factors come into play:

  • Academic reputation and college preparation
  • School size and class size
  • Safety reputation
  • Special programs
  • Costs
  • Religious and Moral instruction
  • Location
  • Ideology

Academic reputation plays a big role when considering private versus public schools. School systems vary greatly in their academic

. . .read more

Understanding No Child Left Behind

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Understanding No Child Left Behind
You may have heard of No Child Left Behind, but might be confused as to what it means to you and how it affects your children's education. This report will explain what No Child Left Behind is, why it was created, and how your child can benefit from it. It will also discuss some potential controversies surrounding the legislation.

On the 12th birthday of No Child Left Behind, many are still wondering what this federal law is and how it affects the education of their children today. While NCLB is now thick in the reform process, confusion continues over how to alter education policies for the best interest of the students they were designed to teach. The first step is to understand what No Child Left Behind is, why it was created, and how your child may continue to benefit from it. It will also discuss some potential controversies surrounding the legislation and the reasons why reform appears so hard to come by.

What Is No Child Left Behind?

No Child Left Behind was first introduced as House Resolution 1 during the 107th Congress in March of 2001. The No Child Left Behind Act aimed to ensure that all students, regardless of race or socioeconomic status, would have the opportunity for a solid education. President George W. Bush signed the No Child Left Behind Act into law in January of 2002.

Photo by Executive Office of the President of the United States, [Public domain], via Wikipedia Commons

No Child Left Behind is a bipartisan effort. The act passed with support from democrats and republicans alike and a bipartisan commission was created in 2006 to review No

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What Is A Charter School?

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What Is A Charter School?
Charter Schools are emerging as an alternative to traditional system of education. Since state legislatures passed charter law in 1990, charter schools saw an enormous increase in number. Read more about how these schools operate.

Charter schools fit in a niche between private and public schools. They are funded with public money (except for their facilities) and they are an alternative to regular public schools systems. A private group of people can submit an application for and get approval for a charter to run their own school. Charter schools receive waivers from public school districts in exchange for promising better academic results. Charters are usually given three to five years to demonstrate academic achievement, during which time officials monitor students’ academic performance. If academic performance lags behind comparable public schools, then the charter is pulled and the school is closed.

This video explains what charter schools are, through testimonials from charter school parents, students and leaders.

Since the Minnesota legislature passed a law creating the first charter school in 1991, charter schools have seen an enormous increase in number to over 5,300 by 2011. By the 2010-2011 school year, charter school legislation had passed in 41 states and Washington, D.C. This phenomenal increase in the number of charter schools proves that it is an educational innovation that is not confined to reforming existing schools but is also an avenue by which new schools can be created. Chartering gives schools the freedom to tailor programs that are reflective of the community needs. Chartering also allows the school to run autonomously of the existing public school system. Parents and educators

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