Placement Options

What are Boarding Schools?
Traditional boarding schools have been in existence for many years. The original intent of a boarding school was to place students in an independent living situation to help prepare for life in a college setting. Over the years this type of school has evolved into the different categories of boarding schools listed below. Boarding chools are known for their strong academic curriculum and small class size. In this type of school students are challenged, even expected, to excel with the overall goal of college placement. Most boarding schools are designed as a community-type environment with teachers and students living on the same campus. The schools listed below are not suggested for a child with a behavior problem. With the mass amount of schools available it may be appropriate to speak with a representative to help determine the most effective placement for your child.

Types of Boarding Schools:

Traditional Boarding Schools
Similar to college life with students and teachers living on campus

Day Boarding Schools
Some students are residents and some commute daily from the local community

All Boy Boarding Schools
Same as traditional and day boarding schools but exclusively for male students

All Girl Boarding Schools
Same as traditional and day boarding schools but exclusively for female students

Co-ed Boarding Schools
Same as traditional and day boarding schools for both boys and girls

Elementary, and Junior Boarding Schools
Same as traditional and day boarding schools for younger students 1st -8th grades

Religious Boarding Schools, Christian Boarding Schools
Same as traditional and day boarding schools with an emphasis on religion

Military Boarding Schools, Boot Camps Type Schools
Same as traditional and day boarding schools with military-style discipline and structure

The majority of the schools listed above are not for children with behavior problems. However, there are special boarding schools designed to handle defiant, out of control teens and adolescents. We represent several schools that accept defiant teens and can help answer any questions you may have regarding placement them. Schools designed for troubled youth will more than likely fall under one of the categories listed in programs for troubled teens. Students in these types of placement are usually not passing in a regular school setting and would not be appropriate for placement in a school listed above.

The price of a program will usually coincide with what the school or placement has to offer. Behavior modification program prices begin at $2,100 per month up to $4,000 per month. The expense for a stay in a residential treatment center may compare to prices charged for a stay in a hospital. Price is not the most important factor. Obviously the goal here is to get your child the most effective help with the most reasonable rate. Most placement options work best when the child stays for about 1 year. It is unlikely that in just a few weeks defiant habits and behaviors will change when the child has developed them for several years.

What are Private Schools?
The majority of private schools are looking for students with a strong desire to excel. If you are the parent of a defiant unruly child you might be thinking of sending your child to a private school. Traditional private schools are not an appropriate placement for a defiant child so you may want to reconsider. Many traditional private schools require an admission interview before a student can be admitted. Before an interview is arranged the student will customarily need to send a letter describing why they would like to attend the desired school. This letter will typically be accompanied by letters of recommendation from the child's current school leaders or teachers.

Parents that we receive calls from have children that are not even going to school and when they do go it is merely for social reasons. This type of student will better be placed in a specialty-type school or a highly regimented setting. We have many special boarding schools and placement options for teens and adolescents that have behavior problems.

Myth: Private schools produce better results than public schools with less money.

·Money magazine advises that good suburban schools are a better buy than private schools, and at least one study has shown that urban public magnet schools raise student achievement more than private schools.

·Today, private schools enroll approximately 11% of the school population and will be hard-pressed to even double that share within 10 years. Most children will attend public schools for many years to come and our job is to make those schools the best they can be.

· There is no reliable evidence to support a claim that private schools produce better results than public schools, because private schools can select their student body. What little evidence available suggests is that private schools do no better than public schools in educating similar students.

It is not unusual to hear loud and categorical claims that "public education has failed." Typically, those who are promoting an agenda designed to replace America's public schools with tuition vouchers and privatization are the ones voicing these claims.

Has public education failed?
Public education failing is definitely not the opinion of many of America's most affluent and well-educated parents. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, nearly 85% of the wealthiest families in America choose to send their children to public schools. Thousands of well-funded suburban public schools range in quality from decent to world-class. These public schools have facilities that are modern and well-equipped. They have highly qualified teachers, support professionals, and their students achieve at high levels.

In a certain poll, parents overwhelmingly give public schools high ratings with some even earning an A+. According to a study by Money magazine, about 10% of all public schools--about 2,000 nationwide--are as outstanding academically as the nation's most prestigious and selective private schools. In our opinion, this is proof that public schools are successful when adequately funded, safe, modern, and staffed by highly trained teachers and support professionals. However, despite this record of success, voucher advocates prefer to point out struggling schools in high-poverty urban and rural communities. They repeat their mantra and say that "public education has failed."

Perhaps the question should not be "has public education failed?" but rather "have we as citizens failed public education?" We fail when we do not hold our elected officials accountable for their undeliverable promise to support quality public education for all children. This has allowed voucher advocates to get a foothold in the education debate by dividing our communities with offers of so-called "choice."

The parents we speak with are definitely interested in "choice." They also tell us that what they want is a real choice: the choice to send their children to quality public schools that do not discriminate; schools that accept every student; schools with high-quality staff, modern facilities, small class sizes, and rigorous standards; schools that are located in their neighborhoods. These parents are not too naive as to believe that it is a real choice when they must have their children scrutinized, placed on long waiting lists, and often rejected by private schools that have little or no interest in enrolling poor, disadvantaged, or challenged students.

The first step to ensuring a quality public education for every student--ensuring that parents have a real choice--is to focus our undivided attention on identifying and electing public servants who are committed to funding excellence in public education. We need public servants who are committed to make certain that every public school is as good as our best public schools.

Reg Weaver
President, National Education Association
There is hope for parents of defiant teens:
While private schools may be an option for some parents, most private schools will not consent to the idea of accepting a defiant teen. The majority of private schools we surveyed are only interested in teens that are looking to excel. There are several boarding schools, military schools, and boot camps available for parents who have teens that would not be accepted into a typical private school. Also, we have many resources and locations for parents with defiant, out of control teens in need of structure and discipline. Most have payment plans will allow the parent to make payments as low as $150 per month on a long term note of as little as $20,000.

BACK TO TOP