Tag Archives: Choice

San Diego Schools Choice Program Means More Opportunities for Students but More Work for Parents

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More than one-third of the students in the San Diego schools were enrolled in the Choice Program for the 2005-2006 school year. The program gives parents the ability to transfer their children from their assigned school to one that offers more academic opportunities or specific school attributes. The program offers six methods of eligibility.

Program Improvement School Choice. Children assigned to San Diego schools that have failed the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) academic standards may apply to better-ranked San Diego schools. Students applying for transfer under this program generally receive a higher priority than others and receive free transportation. If in the future the assigned San Diego schools pass the NCLB standards, parents may choose to move their children back to the assigned schools or continue in the new schools.

Magnet Schools Program. These San Diego schools are each based upon a theme, such as performing arts, with the curriculum centered around it. Though they provide all the state required basics, students can immerse themselves in the particular subject; whereas in other schools, the theme may only be offered as an elective class or two. Magnet schools are designed to attract a diverse cross section of students from throughout the city. Free transportation is provided to students who live outside a specific mileage range. Acceptance priority is given based upon:

• Demographics — they encourage San Diego schools students living in demographic areas different from where the Magnet School is located to apply,
• Continuity — San Diego schools students in a performing arts elementary school, for example, would be given acceptance priority when applying to a performing arts middle and high school,
• Siblings — San Diego schools students with brothers or sisters already enrolled in the school are given priority,
• Program Improvement — receives a lower priority than the others listed above, and
• General Applications — receives the lowest priority.

Voluntary Ethnic Enrollment Program (VEEP). VEEP was designed to provide a better racial and cultural integrated, educational experience in the San Diego schools. Predominantly Caucasian-populated schools are paired with minority schools for the program. Most transfer students receive free transportation.

Choice Program. Any San Diego schools student is eligible to apply to any school not in the Magnet program. Acceptance is based solely on the space available, and transportation is the parents’ responsibility.

Inter-District Transfer Program. Any student with the state may apply to any school within the San Diego schools. Like the Choice Program, acceptance is based solely on the space available, and transportation is the parents’ responsibility.

Charter Schools Program. These independent schools within the San Diego schools are on space available only and often use a random lottery for application acceptance. Some require that the students applying meet specific criteria. If you are interested in transferring your child to a Charter School, inquire early — they set their own application deadlines.

If you find that your child does not meet any of these criteria or their acceptance priority would be low, there are two other methods of gaining transfer acceptance that are not part of the overall Choice Program. They are through special request and the Gifted and Talented Education Program (GATE). You may submit a special request to the San Diego schools, when your child’s assigned school does not offer specific coursework. These requests are handled on a case-by-case basis. If the GATE program is not offered in your child’s assigned school and your child qualifies, again you may request a transfer to a school that does.

Other than in the Charter Schools, applications to San Diego schools by March 15th for the following school year are given priority.

Though the Choice Program offers a great opportunity to all San Diego schools students, there are a lot of choices. With 212 public schools, including the 31 Magnet Schools and 35 Charter Schools, investigating the schools and their offerings can be overwhelming and time consuming for the parents.

San Diego schools officials offer the following advice:

• All schools offer the required basic coursework, so do not get caught up in “only one school will do” — look at the many other schools, too;
• Look beyond test scores — schools have a lot more to offer, such as specialized education programs;
• Visit the school campus — what looks good on paper may be different in reality, sometimes better and sometimes worse;
• Talk to parents and educators at the school, find out first-hand; and
• Ask if they offer parent seminars and tours before the application deadline.

If you are interested in applying for a transfer to any of the San Diego schools, begin early, list the criteria you wish to be provided by the school, look at all the available schools, choose those that seem to fit your requirements, and then thoroughly investigate each one. It is a lot of homework for the parents, but it can be the best foundation they can give their children.

For more information please visit San Diego School Report Cards and San Diego School Rankings

Choosing your College – Factors you Should Consider When Making your Choice

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There are thousands of colleges to choose from, so how do you choose which one is right for you? The truth of the matter is that colleges and universities have a lot more in common than they have differences. When it comes down to making a decision on where you will spend the 4 or so years of your life studying, it really comes down to where you will feel the most comfortable. Colleges and universities do not specialize in particular subjects, so as long as a college offers the major you are interested in, then it can be considered as an option.

So if all of the colleges are pretty much the same then what factors should you take into consideration?

You should choose your college or university based on the things that are important to you. Some things that you may want to consider or take the time to think about are:

• What size college/university and classes do you feel most comfortable with?

Some people feel more comfortable in a more close-knit community and learn better in a smaller class environment. If you feel this way then you may want consider smaller private colleges. Others feel more comfortable in a big city and don’t mind large classes and/or a large campus with a large number of students. If you are one of these people, then you may feel more comfortable at a larger college or university, maybe one that is located in a big city.

• In what geographic location would you like to attend school?

There are colleges and universities all over the country. Since you have to live and interact in the environment and location that the college is located, you may want to consider geographic location and the weather. Maybe you would like to choose a college that is relatively close to where your family lives. Adversely, you may wish to choose a college or university that is not located near your family. Weather conditions are another thing that you should take into consideration. If you hate the snow and cold weather, you may not be happy at a school that is located in the northeast or the Midwest where snow and cold weather are common occurrences. Keep in mind that you will be living at undergraduate school for a 4 year period, maybe longer if you go on to grad school, etc. Pick somewhere where you feel like you fit and can live for the next few years of your life.

• What type of institution would you like to attend?

Do you prefer a private, public or state school? Are you interested in going to a religious school? Does the college offer the academic program in which you are interested?

Many colleges and universities offer the same or similar programs, but if you know what you would like to major in, then make sure that the schools you are considering offer your area of study. Also, if a particular school is one of the top schools in your major of study, you may want to take this into consideration. For example, if you want to study international business and one of your college choices is rated as having the most graduates in the US from the college of business, you may want to take this into consideration also.

• What does campus life have to offer you (extracurricular, social events, etc.)?

While you are primarily at college to study and earn your degree, there are a lot of student activities available at most colleges and universities. You may want to consider what types of activities are available to students and if any of the activities are things you are interested in participating. Maybe you are a water polo enthusiast and one of your college options offers this as a student sport. Depending on how important this fact is to you, this may move this particular college ahead of some of the others on your list.

• Is the college offering enough financial aid to make it affordable?

You may have 3 colleges on your list of options. One college is offering you a full scholarship, while the other two are not offering nearly as much. Is the college giving you a full ride your first choice? Or would you really prefer to go to one of the other two colleges for a different reason? Money is a factor of almost all major decisions, but it is not usually the only factor. Cost should be taken into consideration, just like your other reasons for wanting to attend that particular school.

• Do you feel comfortable and safe on campus?

When you make the campus visits to each of your school choices, how do you feel? Do you feel like you belong there? Do you feel like you fit in? Do you feel like you could spend the next few years of your life living in this community, going to class everyday, working, shopping, playing, etc., there?

When you are considering your college options, weigh the pros and cons of each choice. List each of your college choices and literally write down the positives and the negatives for each school. See which school has more pros than cons, and which school has more pros than the other options. Another thing that you should take into consideration is your priorities. Take a look at the schools that fit the criteria that are most important to you. Even if this school doesn’t have the most pros but it is the only institution that fits your #1 priority, then this is something that you are going to have to take into consideration. The bottom line is that when you come across the school that is best for you, you will know it.

Is An Online High School Diploma The Right Choice For Your Child?

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You must have heard of success stories of various children who opted for online high school diploma. But there are others as well who have failed miserably. This situation has many times put parents in jeopardy when deciding the most suitable way of study for their child. If you too are stuck in a similar dilemma it might benefit you to consider these few points before making a decision for your child’s course of education.

First and foremost what needs to be considered is that will an online high school diploma work for your child as well as for you and your family? To attain an online high school diploma a child has to spend his/her entire day in the house. Are you or your spouse as a parent ready to provide your child with that guidance and supervision that was offered to him in school by his teacher? It might help to start working from home and become a stay-at-home parent if you need to provide supervision to your child.

If you want to enroll your child to get high school diploma an online due to poor behavior then you might need to reconsider your decision as many times a child behaves in a worse manner when he/she gets full reign in his/her home in the absence of parents. Additionally, your child might need extra help in some subjects with which he won’t be able to cope up alone. In a traditional setup the teacher provides this additional help. Will you able to provide the same to your child or will you be able to appoint a tutor for the same? If you are already bogged with official and other family responsibilities, think hard before you enroll your child for an online high school diploma.

Motivation stands as a very strong factor for a teenage child to fare well in studies. Do you think your child is competent enough to produce similar or better results during an online high school diploma as compared to the traditional setup where there a teacher looking over his shoulder all the time? A child is after all a child. So, you need to consider carefully whether or not your child will be able to motivate himself/herself in the absence of a teacher or guiding force. If not, then you might need to consider staying back at home for providing the same to your child. You might as well need to squeeze out time to meet supervisors in case you appoint any to meet your child’s educational needs in an online setup.

Children, in most cases, like socializing. Once you pull out your child of a traditional school to provide him education in an online setup, you will lneed to look after his/her socializing needs, in absence of which he/she might become isolated or introvert or anti-social. You need to think of ways in which you can meet these needs of your child outside school. You can enroll your child to some other learning programs or courses, or engage him in social service or in social groups, or can take him to sports clubs and associations if he/she is interested in sports. You should also allow your child to meet his old friends to make him feel comfortable with them at all times.

Additionally, you and your child together can join a network specially made for distance learning students and their parents to get high school diploma online. You need to offer your child replacement activities, in order to take him/her away from negative peer group and provide him with new interests.

These are few of the considerations that you need to make before planning an online high school diploma for your child. For further information and resources visit http://www.gethighschooldiplomaonline.info

Making The Right College Choice for You is the Key to Happiness and Success

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Location! Location! Location! Yes, this is the motto for buying real estate! However, it is a very big consideration that is often neglected when choosing where you will go to school. The weather can determine many things such as: The time spent outdoors, the difference between seasons, ability to play sports outdoors, snow, rainfall, heat, whether you will need air conditioning or heating where you live, ability to drive a car (eg. excessive snow falls or ice), what clothes you will take or need to buy, areas that are hit by natural disasters seasonally (eg. Hurricanes in Florida) will affect your time at the school.


The weather is a huge consideration for most people when it comes to choosing schools where there are extreme differences in the weather and seasons. You may have to endure months of snow and ice in some states which will reduce the amount of time that you can spend outdoors. This will be a problem if you are an athlete that plays outdoors.


The best advice here is to make a list of what you want; your preferences weather wise, and then check off each item as you look into schools. It shouldn’t be the only determining factor when deciding on schools.


When you are looking at schools it is extremely important to do some research into the schools location. The USA is a large and diverse country in that many states and regions will differ from each other quite significantly. You will need to research the following key points to see if this school is right for you based on where it is located: What state is the school in? Will you pay in-state or out of state fees? Is it in a big city? Is it in a small rural area? Does it have a good public transport system, if not you will need a car. Is it near a major airport? What is the driving distance from the school to the nearest shops? Is it near mountains, beaches or lakes?


Are you a city person or a country person? City life brings about both positive and negative attributes just as those associated with schools located in more remote towns. Often towns are called “college towns” in the sense that the life of the town depends on the business from the college population. Shops, bars, restaurants, movie theatres and so on depend purely on the college.


If you decide to attend a college away from the city then you may be able to experience more of the outdoor activities such as skiing, kayaking, camping or even hiking at a nearby mountain.


One common aspect of attending a small rural college is that you will experience a different relationship with your college professors. Often they will know your name and are more accessible to assist you with your own personal needs. When I was in college we would often attend social events, BBQ’s etc. at our professor’s homes. This would be less likely to occur at a larger city college.


Another key issue is the security factor associated with your college campus. You will tend to find that rural campuses take on a more secure feel due to their location away from the big city. Many rural college campuses are located in remote areas so their peaceful surroundings can give you that instant sense of security that is not found in the more congested city campuses.


Some of the benefits of going to a college in a big city include: Close to transport, close to a major airport, more bars and clubs, sporting events with professional teams, other schools near by, more social choices and options, close to government offices, competition from shops so there are more choices, close to major libraries thus making it easier to conduct research and find more resources for school papers, reports, thesis etc.


Some of the negative aspects of going to a college in a big city include: Potential for more violence and crime, more pollution, more traffic, more distractions, increased costs associated with city living, more noise, less likely to get to know your professors. You may be just a number to them. You may be intimidated by the size of the school


Your Checklist for Choosing Your College or University should include the following: City or country, in-state or out of state, weather, cost, number of students at the school, availability of funding, tuition fees, reputation, what is your sports coach like if you are an athlete, can you get a sport scholarship, what is the budget of your team, sports facilities, quality of residence hall or dormitory, food available in the dining hall, other fast food restaurants on campus, are there shops near by, fraternities or sororities, on-campus social events, homecoming, reputation of faculty and programs, job availability, religious affiliation, transport availability on and off campus, selection of majors to choose from, foreign exchange opportunities and student services.


Some schools have special areas of study that they specialize in and some schools try to maintain their reputation for having a great program in a particular field of study (eg. business). Some schools have graduate programs while others just focus on their undergraduate programs. Some schools are co-ed with both males and females attending while others are single-sex. Some have a stronger religious aspect than others. As you see schools can vary significantly and it is up to you to do your own research otherwise you may find that the school is not for you.


Not all colleges cost the same amount and each school will vary in the amount of financial aid that you may be able to receive. This is a big factor for many students and their parents when choosing a college.


Schools vary in the demographics of their students. You will often find a noticeable difference between the big schools found in the cities compared to the smaller schools found in the more rural areas. Obviously schools with small student population will take on a feel of being a big family where everyone seems to know everyone and what they have been up to.


You will find schools of all sizes with student populations ranging anywhere from as low as 800 students to well over 30,000 plus. This will come down to your own personal wants and needs when deciding on the size of the school. The bigger schools will obviously offer more options with classes, majors and resources.


If you desire the big football games or big basketball games then you may want to choose one of the well known big schools that have successful programs for these sports. If you are looking for an athletic scholarship for yourself, then you will likely find more competition amongst current and new students for those limited scholarships. It may be easier to obtain a scholarship at a smaller or less popular school in a more remote location.


Colleges in the United States are either funded publicly or privately. You will find that the public colleges are less expensive than private schools due to the fact that public schools are funded by each state.


You will find that private colleges are funded by higher fees, private gifts from donors, contributions from the corporate world and endowments. You will find that private schools are more expensive but you will also likely find that these private schools offer more financial aid in the form of grants and scholarships.

Private colleges are also likely to be smaller in student population size and are therefore more suited to those students looking for smaller classes and being able to develop a more personal student-professor relationship.


This is a very personal decision based on your own beliefs, values and needs. You will find colleges that are associated with a religious organization which will also require you to participate in their religious activities. There are also colleges that are associated with a specific religion but you will often find a wide range of students from varying religious back grounds who attend that college.


When searching the many “college search directory” sites you will be able to be more specific in selecting schools based on these religious needs. For some students the religious aspect of choosing their school will take on more priority than many of the other issues associated with college selection.


It is important to take some time in selecting your college. Going to college can often be a life-changing experience so you will want to try and get it right with your first choice. Good luck with your college planning and school selection!