Fall is here, and many families have heard the news that their schools will be conducted 100% online or will take a hybrid approach where each portion of the student body will attend school 1-3 days a week. A compilation of reopening plans from Education Week, a trade publication focusing on K-12 education, shows that more than 80 school districts including Los Angeles, Houston, Fairfax VA, and Montgomery MD are reopening or have reopended with remote learning only. Families that were incredibly disappointed (an exhausted!) by the spring distance learning experience are looking for…

COVID-19 has forced schools to venture into remote learning through online instruction, with varying degrees of success. We all know that the quality and execution of instruction this spring varied greatly, and understandably, not all schools were able to successfully adapt to remote instructions. However, the experience certainly gave many families a taste of what possibilities lie with online schools, and there has been a significant interest in already existing virtual schools. Online high schools were created for the purpose of online learning. The teachers have years of experience…

With the in-person SAT date finally confirmed for August, current juniors (rising seniors), as well as sophomores that are ready, can now plan in earnest for test preparation.  Especially for students with newfound time on their hands at home with cancelled internships or truncated summer programs, they can now set aside a chunk of time this summer to study for standardized exams. We have compiled a list of the most popular and effective online courses available to help students decide what works best with their schedule, study style and budget.

These online prep courses offer a…

One of the best preparations for college is taking college courses. University classes often have a different structure to AP or IB classes students are familiar with in high school, allowing your teen to get acclimated to real college-level work. For students that have placed out of the most rigorous classes in high school, or are interested in studying subjects not offered by their high school, these online University classes open up a whole new world of learning. Additionally many programs offer college credit.

Some courses are instructor paced with a set schedule and required…

By: Kate Sonnenberg

Scholarly researchers and educators generally agree that bilingual or multilingual children have increased brain plasticity and an academic edge. In Why Bilinguals Are Smarter, Yudhijit Bhattacharjee, writing in the New York Times, reports that “the bilingual experience improves the brain’s so-called executive function — a command system that directs the attention processes that we use for planning, solving problems and performing various other mentally demanding tasks.” Auburn University lists Twenty-five Reasons to Study Foreign Languages, including, among…

In this trying time of self-isolation and boredom, it’s easy for students to lose track of their goals. Luckily, we live in a digital world. For those students with newfound time on their hands, there is an incredible array of online courses where they can learn just about anything - from coding to Latin, to graphic design, to playing the bagpipe!  In the next series of blogs, we will bring together a list of top online platforms that students should consider in a variety of fields of interest starting with this one - online language programs. This is a great time to brush up on a…

By: Rosemary Laberee

Compliments of a very scary pandemic, many parents have been thrust into the role of facilitator of their children’s education. Many feel ill-equipped and worried about what these next few weeks will bring. The prospect of keeping children engaged in their school work, free of anxiety, and gainfully occupied for the hours of the day they are not online, receiving and uploading lessons, is overwhelming. This is a fact, whether you are a veteran home educator or not.

These are waters that home educating parents navigate daily. The added component of…

High schoolers may view the SAT/ACT as an insurmountable hurdle. There is a lot at stake— college admissions, scholarships. However, with adequate preparation, most students will find themselves more than ready to sit down on test day. 

The key to achieving a desirable score on either test is simply preparation. Before stressing out or rushing off to purchase an expensive guide book, use the following steps to help your student get ready for the assessment ahead:

Understand how the test is structured

One of the key elements of SAT/ACT preparation is…

Most high schools employ college counselors. These special advisors are meant to assist high school students during the admissions process. Counselors usually have experience in the field of education and years working in admissions that give them insight into the process. They can offer assistance building a list of schools to apply to or asking teachers for recommendation letters. They know what you need to know and can ideally preempt your student’s needs. 

For a variety of reasons, your child may need the help of a private college counselor outside of school instead. These are…

Writing is an important academic skill for students to develop even if they aren’t destined to be English majors. Throughout their coursework, they will encounter term papers, paragraph answers, timed responses, and all kinds of opportunities to express their ideas as well as their mastery of the subject. Being able to do so skillfully will not only keep their grades up, but also deepen their understanding of the topic.

Writing is also a very practical, applicable skill. High schoolers have college application essays, the reading section of standardized tests, and other high…