Single-Sex Public Schools

In this article, we will discuss working in public schools. Topics include the advantages to working in public schools, different types of jobs in public schools, teaching at a public school versus teaching at a private school, benefits to working at a public school, preparing for work in a public school, and looking for jobs in public schools.

Some Key Advantages to Working in Public Schools

Better Salary. You’ll probably receive more pay working for the public school system as opposed to working for a private school. A recent PayScale survey of both private and public school teachers put the median salary for a teacher in the public school system at $37,000 whereas the median salary for a teacher in the private school system is $30,000. The main difference is pay has to do with the fact that most public school teachers are unionized.

Diversity. You’ll be working with a diverse population. If you like busy city corners and airports for the exciting diversity, then you’ll be happy in the public school system. The public school systems are mandated by law to strive for diversity. While many private schools have decided to place an emphasis on diversity as well, you’ll probably find it slightly more diverse in the public school system. According to data collected by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES 2000b), 77% of all students in private school are white compared to 63% of all students in the public school system.

Different Types of Jobs

Online High Schools are a non-traditional form of education that uses the internet to deliver distance education. This type of online education is offered by existing traditional high schools (both public and private), universities, charter high schools and private cyber high schools.

There are several types of online high schools:

Cyber Charter High Schools

Cyber charter schools are identical to normal bricks and mortar charter schools, except that the learning is delivered to the students via the internet. As with traditional charter schools, cyber charter schools are self-managed, and receive state or federal funding to support their existence. Online charter schools follow the guidelines set by local school districts, but offer flexibility in terms of curriculum and set-up. Students can enroll at online charter schools free of charge and are normally issued with computers and free dialup access. There are approximately 31 virtual charter schools in 12 states that can provide an online education. Those states include Alaska, Arizona, California, Idaho, Kansas, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Wisconsin. Some of these schools are:

• 21st Century Cyber Charter School [est. 1999] http://www.21stcenturycyber.org
• Pinnacle Charter High School [est. 1998] http://www.pinnacleeducation.com
• Choice2000 [est.2003]

Online Private High Schools

Online private high schools are similar to regular private high schools. They are funded privately, so students need to pay tuition when enrolling. This can become rather expensive. The list of accredited high schools below was recommended by Online High Schools – http://www.cyberhighschools.com:

• Penn

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

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