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Getting Started

An overview of school designations, best practices for evaluating your options, and tips on choosing the best school for your child. Learn about Blue Ribbon, Vocational and Special Education schools. Get tips on finding the right school in a new neighborhood, city or state.

View the most popular articles in Getting Started:

Should My Child Enroll in Honors Or General Courses?

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Should My Child Enroll in Honors Or General Courses?
Deciding between honors and general courses for your child's education is a critical choice. This article explores key considerations such as understanding the differences between these courses, assessing your child's academic strengths and aspirations, and seeking expert advice to make an informed decision. With insights from educators and real-life examples, parents can confidently navigate this decision to ensure their child's academic success and fulfillment.

When picking classes for the next school year, parents often fret over whether their kids should dive into honors courses. These classes offer more challenges, but do they mean sacrificing top grades? It's a dilemma: better marks or tougher academics? With honors courses demanding extra effort, it's a tough call. So, here are some insights from school and college pros that can help students navigate this critical decision.

Honors vs. General: What's the Big Difference?

While each state and school community has curriculum standards, most honors and general courses adhere to similar philosophical practices. For example, , one of the largest school systems in North Carolina, divides its high school courses into "honors" and "academic" (average) tracks. In examining the differences in Wake County Schools' 9th grade English course options, parents and students can discuss the similarities and differences between the honors and academic options.

  • Honors 9th Grade English: Students in both honors and academics must read specific texts from a county-wide reading list. An honors course, however, will generally read more texts than an academic course, as the honors course is conducted at a much faster pace. To work more rapidly through diverse materials, honors students will undoubtedly be assigned more homework than an academic class. Additionally, suppose a student in an honors course falls behind or is struggling. In that case, the student must typically seek out tutoring assistance during their own time (during lunch, before/after school, etc.), as
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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

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