Boarding School Decisions

The Boarding School page on the Family Liaison Office Web Site – with links to boarding school web sites and The Boarding School Option, a paper reviewing Department of State resources, making the boarding school decision, factors to consider when choosing a school, the application process, and an explanation (FAQs) of the “away from post” education allowance.

Include Your Child in the Boarding School Decision Process

Most Foreign Service parents still expect their children to live at home until college. This is not always possible, because a number of posts lack adequate high schools and sometimes even junior high or elementary school facilities. In a typical year, approximately 450 Foreign Service children attend 150 boarding schools in the United States and abroad. Because the boarding school option means early separation from parents, it is very important that the child be actively included in the decision-making process. Parents considering assignment to a post with inadequate schooling should consider the following advantages and disadvantages of a boarding school.

ADVANTAGES OF A BOARDING SCHOOL EDUCATION

• The student’s self-reliance and independence are bolstered.
• Educational and social continuity is provided for the student whose family anticipates a change in assignment/location.
• Students are provided with regular supervised study periods.
• The community atmosphere can foster relationships between students and faculty/staff and among students themselves that are closer than at a day school.
• Students can be academically challenged through extensive course offerings, high achievement standards, and a favorable faculty/student ratio.
• A variety of extracurricular and athletic programs allow choices that suit individual tastes.
• Rules and regulations provide a defined frame of reference for the student to adapt to away-from-home living before encountering the relative freedom of most college campuses.
• Community and school service programs provide students with volunteer and work opportunities.

DISADVANTAGES OF A BOARDING SCHOOL EDUCATION

• The student is physically separated from parents and siblings.
• The student must adjust to another set of new circumstances and surroundings.
• Academic demands often exceed those of public and local overseas schools.
• Students have less free time. Extracurricular activities and athletic events fill up the student’s hours after classes and on Saturdays.
• Rules and regulations are universal in order to meet the needs of a wide range of youngsters and are relatively stringent with expulsion for minor infractions.
• Paying job opportunities for older teens are usually not available.
• Students sometimes take on inappropriate advisory roles with their peers.

AT HOME OR ABROAD?

Once the decision has been made to send a child to boarding school, the next consideration is location. The apprehension involved in sending a child far from family can be so overwhelming that a U.S. boarding school may not even be considered. However, making a wise choice means considering all the alternatives.

ADVANTAGES OF BOARDING SCHOOLS ABROAD

Choosing a boarding school near the post of assignment will increase the possibility of visits to family, reduce travel time and cost, and lessen family or student anxiety over separation distance. Overseas boarding schools offer an international and intercultural setting. Interesting field trips are a regular part of the curriculum often enhancing foreign language facility. Common bonds of overseas experience can lessen the Foreign Service child’s initial feelings of detachment from peers and can provide an important building block for new friendships. Most students in foreign boarding schools come from an international setting. In addition, students who do well at an international school have college admission advantages, because the experience adds a unique dimension to their accomplishments. It should be noted that most international schools abroad do not offer programs for children with special learning needs.

ADVANTAGES OF BOARDING SCHOOLS IN THE UNITED STATES

Choosing a boarding school in the United States means a greater selection of schools and programs. Some schools offer as many as 250 courses to meet the needs of the intellectually curious student. Some schools have special education and remedial facilities. U.S. boarding schools usually have more extensive extracurricular programs and weekend programs. Volunteer community work is commonly encouraged. Financial aid is more often available. It is easier for families to visit U.S. campuses prior to admission. The socio-economic diversity of the student bodies is greater than at most international boarding schools. Students can more easily visit relatives and friends during school holidays. Legislation passed in 1994 permits the education allowance to cover travel costs within the United States. Students point out the advantages of reentering U.S. culture in the “protected” environment of a U.S. boarding school. Finally, U.S. colleges and universities are closer for visits and interviews.

CHOOSING A BOARDING SCHOOL

Once the decision is made to put a child in boarding school, the family is then faced with the task of choosing the right school. Because there are over 300 boarding schools in the United States and abroad, it is necessary to narrow the field to a manageable group. This can be done by focusing on basic considerations about the type of school that will meet the child’s needs, skills, and goals.

The first step is to gather information. Carefully look through one or more of the boarding school guides listed below. Most are available in public libraries in the United States. Every CLO office overseas receives an annual Boarding School Directory plus other useful material. The Family Liaison Office Education and Youth Officer regularly visits boarding schools, maintains a collection of boarding school catalogs and videos, and can make suggestions of appropriate boarding schools.

The next step is to call or write for application packets from approximately ten schools. Keep in mind that the school catalog always presents the institution favorably. Other publications such as course description booklets, student handbooks, financial aid information, alumni magazines, and recent editions of the school newspaper or literary magazine will give a closer view of the school and will clarify how well it matches the child’s needs and skills.

MATCHING THE BOARDING SCHOOL TO THE CHILD

Most boarding schools offer good, solid academic programs; however, they are geared to different types of student bodies. Some highly competitive schools (e.g., Andover, Exeter, Deerfield), with median SSAT scores in the 90th percentile, are looking for the highly motivated, independent student. Other schools take students with a range of abilities. Some are especially good at supporting underachievers; others stress the need for self-reliance and high motivation among entering students.

Several take mildly learning disabled students who are given special attention for an hour or two a day and mainstreamed the rest of the time. Most junior schools (for elementary and/or middle school students) are caring and give close academic and personal support to students.

Location is another important consideration. In addition to deciding if the child would be happier in an urban or rural environment, parents should consider whether the school is close to other adult family members or friends who could provide support. Keep in mind, however, that our children are often not as close to relatives as parents, particularly if family contact has been limited to home leaves. Convenient access to international airports will ease the student’s travel logistics.

Besides looking at admission requirements, curriculum range, extracurricular activities, and the colleges frequently attended by graduates, parents should ask questions that will indicate whether the school offers support for the Foreign Service child and also fosters international thinking.

The following questions may be appropriate:

• How many foreign and expatriate students are in the student body and how many students are from each country?
• Are there special orientation programs for new overseas students and continuing support during the year?
• Will the school assist with the logistics of vacations and travel?
• What is the range of weekend activities?
• Is there easy access to long distance telephone, e-mail, and fax?

Foreign Service families often need assistance in matching their children with appropriate schools. FLO’s Education and Youth Officer can assist in this process and can also serve as a liaison between the overseas family and a U.S. school to facilitate admissions. The Education and Youth Officer can also refer families to a private educational consultant who can provide diagnostic services, short or long-term counseling, educational testing, and school placement for a fee. Parents can also contact the U.S.-wide Independent Education Consultants Association (IECA) or the Washington-based Association of Consultants and Counselors for Educational Services and Support (ACCESS) for a list of their members.

Association of Counselors and Consultants for Educational Support and Services (ACCESS) Educational Consultants Alexandria House 400 Madison Street, Suite 2008 Alexandria, VA 22314 Tel: 703-683-7764

The child’s ability and achievement levels, the child’s special interests and talents (sports, drama, music, computers, a desire for independent study) should be determined. Both parents and student should indicate desired school elements; structured or unstructured environment, large or small size, urban or rural setting, coeducational or not, proximity to relatives or to an international airport, emotional, academic, or logistical support, religious preference, and overall school costs. Families should not attempt to hide any information about the child in order to enhance chances of admission. To find an appropriate school, the Education and Youth Counselor, a consultant, and the school need to be able to see the whole child.

CAMPUS VISITS

Once the choice of possible schools has been narrowed to a manageable number, visits to the campuses should be arranged if at all possible. School visits should be made before an application for admission is submitted. Ideally this would be done during the fall or winter preceding the student’s enrollment and on a day when school is in session. Overnight visits in the dorms may sometimes be arranged. The prospective student greatly benefits from a firsthand look at the students, faculty, physical amenities, and prevailing atmosphere at the school. The visit is also an excellent opportunity to ask questions that were not answered by the school’s written material and to engage in a candid exchange of opinions and concerns with school representatives. If the family is overseas, an interview should also be scheduled during the visit. Visiting a boarding school is very similar to visiting a college campus, which is discussed at length in Ch 13, p 18 of this book. Indeed, many families find the college admission scenario easy after going through the boarding school admission process.

Many boarding schools offer summer programs which provide an excellent opportunity to find out if there is a “match” between school and student. Boarding school summer programs are discussed in Chapter 9 of this book.

When applying to boarding schools, parents should assemble the following material:

• Transcripts for the child’s current grade in school and for at least 1 previous academic year.
• Recent standardized test scores indicating a child’s achievement levels in language arts, reading, math, social studies, science, etc. A discussion of these tests can be found in Chapter 3 of this book. Any other special test scores should also be included.
• The SSAT (or PSAT for older students), IQ or ability test scores (Otis Lennon, Stanford Binet, WISC-R, or similar) if they are available.
• Any documents or school recommendations that would further support a child’s application or that would present evidence of a special need such as a learning disability.

Resources

Peterson’s Private Secondary Schools Available from: Peterson’s Guides P.O. Box 67005 Lawrenceville, NJ 08648 Tel: 609-896-1800; 800-338-3282, 609-896-1800, ext. 5660 (for ordering) Email: customerservice@petersons.com Web site: http://www.petersons.com

Boarding Schools Directory (published annually) Available from: The Association of Boarding Schools (TABS) 4455 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Suite A-200 Washington, DC 20008 Tel: 800-541-5908; 202-966-8705 Fax: 202-966-8708 Email: tabs@schools.com Web site: http://www.schools.com

Casualties of Privilege: Essays on Prep Schools’ Hidden Culture Healthy Choices, Healthy Schools: The Residential Curriculum Available from: Pathway Book Service Avocus Publishing, Inc. Lower Village Gilsum, NH 03448 Tel: 800-345-6665

The Educational Register Available from: Vincent/Curtis 224 Clarendon Street, Suite 40 Boston, MA 02116-9912 Tel: 617-536-0100 Fax: 617-536-8098 Email: register@vincentcurtis.com Web site: http://www.vincentcurtis.com

The Handbook of Private Schools Schools Abroad of Interest to Americans Available from: Porter Sargent Publishers, Inc. 11 Beacon Street Boston, MA 02108 Tel: 617-523-1670 Email: info@portersargeant.com Web site: http://www.portersargent.com

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