<p>Boston Globe had an interesting article today about difficulty getting accepted to Mass colleges: BC, UMass and NE. At the end of the article it sites some demographics stating that the population boom in High School students will "peak" with the class of 2011 at 3.3 Million (thanks to the baby-boomer gen). College entrance is expected to get tougher and tougher over the next four years until that peak. </p>
<p>Just thought it was interesting and that all you 8th graders should know that you are among one of the largest classes ever, which no doubt was reflected in the difficult competition for elite boarding school acceptances. Congratulations to those that made it into their top choice schools. </p>
<p>Unfortunately you should expect more in 4 years during the college process.</p>
<p>I don't know if the MA numbers are a little different from the national numbers. If you look at this pdf file, you will see the projected numbers for high school graduates in the US: <a href="http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2002030%5B/url%5D">http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2002030</a> . The peak 3 years in order of size are: 2009, 2008 and 2010. After that, it starts to decline. However, keep in mind that the hs class of 2011 roughly compares with the hs class of 2007. It will be a few more years before relief is in sight from an applicant point of view.</p>
<p>The admissions rate for Columbia College this year was 8.9%. And it's probably going to get even lower over the next few years.</p>
<p>dmancie, I have no data but on the basis of what I've observed around here, people are bailing out of the public schools if they can. My son was not admitted to the day schools in the area, and I am actually considering boarding school for him. I don't really want to send him away, but I feel strongly that he should be in a different educational system.</p>
<p>In February there was a discussion that wound up detailing the reasons public schools weren't keeping up. Brighty summed up the reasons listed:</p>
<p>Our list of reasons for diminished resources (which in turn impacts student achievement) for public schools grows. So far we have: decreased goverment funding (local, state, fed.), unfunded mandates, aging demographics, and rising health care costs.</p>
<p>Included in "unfunded mandates" -- as well as other reasons for people to flee public schools -- is "No Child Left Behind." I hadn't thought of it until that thread, but I now believe that of the many factors converging to make this happen, NCLB is an important one.</p>
<p>NYMomof2, if the NY in your screen name is referring to New York City, then I'm sure there are at least a few decent public schools in the area. Have you considered schools like Stuyvesant or Hunter College?</p>
<p>I've heard that for years the # of students attending boarding school has been flat. I suspect that the increase in apps can be found in perhaps the top 40 schools and/or those schools in New England. There was a discussion on this board a few months ago, but I could not find the thread. </p>
<p>Here is what I think is driving the market:
1. Larger # of students per the demographics above.
2. Increased interest in attending a competitive college. Top boarding schools are seen as a path to that.
3. Increased awareness of financial aid availability.
4. Desire to leave helicopter parents.
5. National and international awareness of US prep schools through popular literature like Prep. Suze said that there have been a few popular novels in Asia about US preps.
6. No child left behind. </p>
<p>D'yer, I couldn't agree more that NCLB is a major factor behind the recent decline in public education. I have seen a big difference between my older son's elementary school experience and my younger son's (there are 6 years between them). A big problem is the emphasis on standardized testing, now taking place every year instead of only in 4th and 8th grades (and that was bad enough). It's certainly not the only problem, and my older son's elementary school years were not great, but things are worse now.</p>
<p>Jonathan, I only wish we had access to Stuyvesant, etc. We are in the NY suburbs, in a very small school district (about 100 students/grade). No magnet schools here! Our school are better than decent, but they are not providing what I would like my children (and all children) to have.</p>
<p>I'm a public school teacher married to a prep school teacher (no, I'm not going to tell you which one LOL!) You wouldn't believe the strain that NCLB has put on the public schools. My school was called a "failing school" because we have one small sub population of special education students who cannot pass the state tests. Honestly, they will never pass the test. They are not capable of passing the test. Meanwhile, most of our resources go to trying to get them to pass. We stopped our math curriculum for about two months to "drill and kill" all students, including the gifted ones (because we're not allowed to group any more until 6th grade.) I have seen a huge difference in the last three years in the opportunities available for gifted 7th graders. One child, three years ago, had lots of enrichment. My current 7th grader has a lot less. Music seems to be the only subject that hasn't been watered down yet. I really can't wait for him to join his sister at prep school (assuming he can get in!) That's why I think we are seeing the crazy numbers of applicants.</p>
<p>sabooks, it sounds like you are talking about our district! We, also, have heterogeneous classes in which the teachers must make sure that all students meet the standards, therefore much drilling which is useless for many of the kids. Another aspect of all this is that the teachers are losing control over what and how they teach. The final irony? There are several extra days off now in the school year, during which the teachers have to grade the standardized tests.</p>
<p>Yes, that's right, at least in our district. There are several days lost in grades 2-8 because the teachers have to grade the government-mandated tests. This is in addition to the several days lost for taking the test, and massive amounts of time devoted to preparation for the tests.</p>
<p>They are probably hand scoring the writing "practice prompts" and open ended math problems that are given several times a year so that you can predict who will pass or fail the real state tests every spring. The real state tests are scored by some textbook companies that are getting rich from NCLB. Blairt, public schools on the East Coast are a whole different institution than public schools in California. You will see that when you get to Exeter.</p>
<p>what I have noticed in our area, is that fewer are using the public schools and so the demand on the local private day has also increased dramatically. </p>
<p>This was my third child applying to boarding school and it was apparently the most competitive year in terms of numbers.</p>
<p>sabooks - i have been educated in the east, in the west, in the north, in the south, and 2 states in between. these have all been really great public schools (top in state, nation), except for the last one (of the 11 i've been to), whose accreditation helped me redefine what this country considers an education. i've taken standardized tests in each of these states. none of them permitted any external assistance. teachers weren't even aloud to re-read problems to us.</p>
<p>i'm aware of educational differences (#1 research topic, makes me want to lead a war against the USDE che-style) and the disheartening corruption in public schools due to fund raising and standardized testing standards. but i wanted to make sure that there weren't schools actually correcting these tests, out in the open (we'll never know if others do it secretly i guess).</p>
<p>my brother went to a school (california, top district, extremely wealthy neighborhood) where the teachers gave him the answers to the test so that he would pass it (he's a genius, but his negative experiences w/ schools have caused him to.. do anything to get out, eg, hijack golf cart and drive away from school during school hours/call a town car to have them pick him up from 2nd grade, etc.), and being as smart as he is, he refused to mark any bubbles so that the school wouldn't get their money. so, the teacher gave him the answers and sat next to him during the whole test, making sure he filled in enough correct answers. this school was given the blue ribbon award, which places it in the top 3% nationally (and all of the area high schools are on the newsweek 1000 list)... it's so wrong! </p>
<p>anyway, i was just wondering if the poster had a similar/more corrupt experience, where the teachers actually graded the actual tests and were open about it (my brother's teacher later denied everything, even though other students alleged similar experiences).</p>
<p>I'm not all that clear on the details, blairt. I was under the impression that the teachers are, as sabooks says, scoring the sections that are not multiple choice. I am under the impression, though, that they are scoring the actual tests and not the practice tests. These are scored by a rubric and it would be very hard to cheat (not that I think our teachers would cheat). I posted something here a while ago about a math problem that my 3rd-grade son did, that was scored by a rubric that was attached, and there was quite a discussion about it. There doesn't seem to be much subjectivity involved, although clearly a human must do it.</p>
<p>My son never went to our public school which is supposed to be exceptional. I'm sure it is in many ways. However, every time I talk to someone from the school system, the conversation always turns to the state mandated tests. I visited the high school with my son just so he would know that it was an option for him. Over 75% of the time with the guidance counselor was spent discussing the state mandated tests.</p>