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We parents want to keep our children safe from anything and everything. That's always our biggest worry. When I was raising our children, keeping my daughters safe meant showing them how to cross the street and how not to speak to strangers. But, fast forward to the 21st century, and keeping children safe comes with a whole set of digital challenges, besides the analog challenges of crossing streets safely. Smart TVs, tablets, computers, and smartphones can consume vast amounts of a young person's time when we allow that to happen. However, what concerns me most is the quality of the material available on all those digital devices. We don't want our children watching inappropriate content or playing violent games on their smart devices, do we? That's the rationale behind controlling our children's screen times. So, here are a couple of tips on making that happen.

Create healthy screen habits.

Children are curious. Insatiably so. They want answers. They want to explore. And they want to have fun doing it. Create healthy screen habits by configuring your child's smart devices to be tools for learning and exploration. That will open up vast worlds for them to explore. The kid who dreams of building a robot can find tons of information about robotics. The same with the arts, sports, literature, languages - you name it, her smart device will have it. The trick is to configure her smart devices so that she can only access the good stuff, not the

Planning for the future growth of your school in these uncertain times is a challenging exercise. The object of this essay is to give you some guidelines to help you and your trusted advisors plan for the next five years. I am writing this for small schools to help you understand the process that large schools with ample resources to hire consultants and strategic planners use to plan their future growth.

Include the following components in your Plan For Future Growth should have

1. Develop an overview of what you want to achieve.
2. Investigate the competition.
3. Examine your organization.
4. Develop an implementation plan.
5. Develop a marketing strategy.
6. Outline the risks your school faces.
7. Hold information sessions with members of your school community.
8. Track your progress towards your objectives.

Overview

Keep your overview brief yet comprehensive. It should explain the goals of your Plan for Future Growth. For example, if your area is experiencing rapid growth, refer to that as the underlying reason for building your Plan for Future Growth. Then write something like, "Anytown has had an influx of new families at a rate exceeding national averages. As a result, we aim to prepare for the demand for private school seats by adding one class to each grade over the next five years."

Include the important points of your Plan. The overview is a summary, not a detailed list of the things you wish to accomplish.

Investigate your competition.

First of all, know who your competition is. Use ²ÝÁñÉçÇø School Review to search for

This article has been updated to reflect 2026 data and recent developments.

Starting or transitioning into a private school can be both exciting and demanding. Expectations are often higher, class environments more rigorous, and extracurricular opportunities more extensive than many students have previously experienced.

While much of the traditional advice for succeeding in private school still applies, today’s students face additional pressures, including increased academic competition, digital distractions, and a stronger emphasis on college readiness. This updated survival guide offers practical strategies to help students thrive academically, socially, and personally in 2026.

Understanding the ²ÝÁñÉçÇø School Environment

²ÝÁñÉçÇø schools are known for their rigorous academics, smaller class sizes, and close-knit communities. These characteristics create an environment where students are expected to engage actively and take ownership of their learning.

Compared to other educational settings, private schools often emphasize:

• Discussion-based learning
• Independent thinking
• Strong teacher-student relationships
• A wide range of extracurricular activities

For families exploring these differences, resources such as /blog/private-school-vs-public-school-key-differences-2026-guide provide useful context on how expectations vary.

Build Strong Academic Habits Early

Academic expectations in private schools can escalate quickly. Students are often balancing advanced coursework, writing-intensive assignments, and long-term projects.

Key Strategies for Academic Success

• Stay organized from day one
  Use digital planners or apps to track assignments, deadlines, and tests.

• Participate actively in class
  Many private schools rely on discussion-based learning, making participation essential.
• Ask for help early
  Teachers expect students to advocate for themselves. Seeking help is seen as a strength, not a weakness.
• Develop strong study routines
  Consistency matters more than last-minute cramming.

Recent research from the highlights that

Stories about parents upset with CRT, vaccine mandates, virtual teaching, and, well, you name it, just about anything you can think of in our public schools have brought home the essential difference between public schools and private schools. Of course, most public schools have to cater to a large, in some cases, a vast constituency of parents, teachers, administrators, taxpayers, unions, and politicians. But, on the other hand, private schools only have to satisfy the families that opt to send their children to them.

As much as possible, let's compare apples to apples as we look at how public schools and private schools cope with the incredible number of pressure points involved in running a school in the second decade of the 21st-century.

This video from PBS explains critical race theory.

A public school district's mission

Constituency

Generally, a public school district serves the municipality in which it is located. The exception occurs when several towns band together to create a regional school district. Thus, public schools have to be responsive to the community's needs. They also have to follow all applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations that pertain to their operation.

Funding

Most of a public school district's funding comes from real estate taxes levied by the municipality. Most school district budgets are presented, discussed, and voted on in the first four months of the calendar year. If the taxpayers disapprove