The Top 10 Things to Know About Private School Learning Support
Navigating the landscape of learning and academic support at an independent school is often daunting for parents! Understanding the support services that are available at each school is essential in helping your student thrive. Here’s a list of the top ten things you should know about the learning and academic support that private school’s tend to offer.
1. Diverse Support Services
Most independent schools have support services that meet the diverse needs of their student population. These might be tutoring, academic coaching, study skills workshops, and executive functioning coaches in addition to determining eligibility of accommodations for students with learning differences.
2. Qualified Staff
Independent schools that can offer your student the most support will have experienced and professional faculty members. For example, the school you’re interested in might employ learning specialists, educational therapists, counselors, and psychologists. Inquire regarding the educational background and degrees of these faculty who will be supporting your student. These professionals are one way to know for sure that your student will receive the quality support they need.
3. Individualized Support Plans
Independent schools often develop individualized support plans. Schools refer to these plans in different ways, so you may see them called Individualized Learning Plans (ILPs) or just Learning Plans or even Learning Maps. These are plans that are specific to your student and their success. The plans include their goals, strategies, and anything else needed for a professional to help your student thrive. Every school approaches this differently so don’t be afraid to ask for a sample student learning plan!
4. Collaborative Approach
Make sure to ask the staff at the schools you’re considering how both the learning specialists and their teachers collaborate and work together. Many private schools bring together teachers, support staff, and even parents to help your child succeed as best they can. It’s important to understand this synergy and the interconnectedness that exists, what that looks like and most importantly, how it will actualize and feel to your student.
5. Early Intervention
Almost every independent school recognizes just how important it is to intervene early. When teachers or other professional staff notice a change in your student, they are likely to take the next necessary steps to make sure that your student gets the support and help they require. This notion of early intervention is particularly important to pay attention to if you have a younger or elementary age student, as many academic skills are just emerging at the younger ages.
6. Holistic Development
Learning and academic support at independent schools prioritize holistic development, encompassing academic, social, emotional, and behavioral aspects of learning. Private schools work through multiple strategies to enhance executive functioning skills, self-regulation, and resilience of your student. Ask what these strategies are that the school employs and how they provide professional development for their faculty and staff to support their students holistically.
7. Access to Resources
You’ll be surprised just how many resources your student’s private school has! Independent schools provide access to a wide range of resources and tools to support student learning. From educational technology to assistive technology devices and more, private schools have diverse learning tools to help your student thrive. Don’t hesitate to ask to see some demonstrations of the ways students are accessing these wonderful resources in the classroom and on campus!
8. Progress Monitoring
One of the best ways private schools help your students is by continuously monitoring them. Some schools may use annual assessments or observations to help make sure your student is staying on track. Other schools make it a practice to administer pre- and post-assessments as part of their curriculum, in order to individualize and adjust the teaching as needed.
9. Parent Involvement
Parents play a crucial role in supporting their child's learning journey. Independent schools encourage parents to be involved through regular communication with teachers and specialists, as well as any other staff members who support your child’s well-being. Understanding what the “heartbeats” will be for your ongoing connection, communication and collaboration with the school on behalf of your child is important—don’t be afraid to ask what you can expect!
10. Culture of Empowerment
Last, and certainly not least, how will a school instill confidence and courage in your student? Looking for independent schools that foster a culture of empowerment, where students feel supported, valued, and encouraged to take ownership of their learning is one of the most important things you can look for in a private school. Positive reinforcement, growth mindset practices, and personalized feedback contribute to creating an environment where students can thrive academically and personally.
Learning and academic support are essential parts of your student’s private school experience. What’s one of the most important things you value when assessing a school’s support systems?