Need Alternative to Public School

Hi J.,

I live in PG County as well. I refuse to put my kids in the public school system. I have put my son in private school since he was 2 and he is about to be 5. I understand your siutation. Private school is very expensive, but we decided we would work multiple jobs if we had to because the public school system is so bad. He attends Woodstream Christian Academy in Mitchellville, MD. If you can find sme help financially, it's a great school. And it's Christian based.

Hi J.,

You did not say whether you were African-American or not. I am. And from my perspective, you should contact the BlacK Student Fund. It is a resource that helps place children with your situation in private schools. They have a fair in October of each year. I was also a single mother of three (children are grown), and I attended one of their fairs. One of my daughters attended the Madeira School, went from there to Stanford, got a full tuition scholarship to Howard's Law School, passed the bar on first try, scored high enough to waive into all jurisdictions and including Pennsylvania and is now a lawyer. Start there.

Take care. TLee

I am not familiar with PG County school options, however, many private schools have financial assistance programs.

I don't know if you have a religious affiliation or want a religious school for your children, but often religious schools are less expensive than traditional private schools and often have sibling discounts.

You might consider sending the children to an independent school. Check out these programs, and be sure to ask about financial aid:

Henson Valley Montessori
In Upper Marlboro
http://www.hvms.org/

The Barrie School
In Silver Spring, with many PG students in attendance
http://www.barrie.org

I understand your frustration. I just moved from PG in an effort to put my child in better schools. But in PG's defense, the curriculum itself seems excellent to me. I completed my internship there while studying to be a teacher. In fact it realy prepared me to be an excellent teacher in the current county where I teach. In my opinion, there are several problems that seem to plague PG public schools. One, the deseperate need for teachers is so great that they are willing to hire just about anyone. Most of the time the teachers that they are hiring have no intrerest in the child but rather a pay check. Next PG is flooded with Title 1 schools that unfortunately give the county a bad rep (please don't get me wrong, not all Title 1 schools are horrible...I teach in a good one). Honestly, the teachers in PG are overworked (having to be surrogate mothers to, in some cases, 30 students in a class) and in many cases lack parental and administrative support--as a teacher and a parent, the success of the school depends upon both parental envolvement and effective teachers. While in PG some of the good schools that I checked out included those in the Bowie, Mitchelville, and Kettering area. Two schools I like in particularly are Lake Arbor and Tulip Grove. When researching schools, look for their AYP scores. These scores tell you alot about how the school performs on state standardized tests. Also be carefull when choosing a private school. Many people are not aware of this, but most private school teachers do not hold a degree in education and/or have not recieved training in the field of education. In some schools the teacher is not even required to have a degree. Now that is not to say that there aren't any excellent private school teachers. I'm just saying that just because it's private doesn't necessarily mean that it's better. When researching private schools, take a tour, ask to see their curriculum, and if you can observe a lesson take place. Bottom line, no matter where you go, do your homework. God bless.

I found this link online, I hope it helps...

http://www.privateschoolreview.com/county_middle_schools/...

R.
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Hi J., have you considered the "charter" schools that recenlty opened in PG county?? I understand you frustration, my kids have been in the PG County system for the last 5 years. Basically it takes a lot time with your kids and the teacher, I have also found that if you show interest in your kids the teacher will go the extra mile. Having worked in the school system I understand the teachers are overworked underpaid and the kids, well don't get me started on them.
But yeah, try the charter schools. Private schools are expensive, I know there is a Catholic school on Annapolis Road, I don't know about the cost or anything, then there is New Hope Academy, it is located in your area
here is the address and phone number ###-###-#### 7009 Varnum St
Landover Hills, MD, I believe they are willing to work with you on tuition or they offer scholarships.

Good Luck!! I hope I was of some help.

Maybe a magnet school would be a good option. They are public schools, but the teachers and students that participate in the magnet program are definately serious about their studies. My husband and his sister grew up in the PG County school system and both attended the Roosevelt High School Magnet Program and both are engineers today. Your children will have to test into the program (they should have the option in Jr. High as well) but it is worth a shot.

Hi J., I understand your frustration. I can tell you that many of the Independent Schools that you may have thought were too costly do offer grant money to offset the tuition. Many schools offer transportation as well. If you go on the NAIS website, nais.org you can search schools in the area that suit your families needs. I was in your shoes with 2 children and I applied to independent schools and found good matches. It was so exciting to learn how well they run schools and the quality of their scools. I wrote about the process. My book is called, Private School It's Not Just for the Wealthy Anymore. The book is a parent's guide to get children prepared, but it also steps through the process. Take a look at the NAIS website and email if you have more questions. Good luck!