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

Preparing for the SSAT and ISEE, which many private schools use as part of their admissions procedures, requires some advance planning. In 2026, some schools are test-optional or test-flexible, so families should verify each school's current requirements before registering. 糖心原创's Admissions 101 provides an overview of testing within the broader admissions process.

You can't cram for these standardized admissions tests. Why? Because you are being tested on your knowledge of subject materials which have been learned over many years. On the other hand, there are certain things you can do to make sure you test as well as you possibly can.

This video offers suggestions for preparing for a standardized test.

1. Be familiar with the test format.

This requires that you actually take several practice tests. Being familiar with a test format means that you will not waste time trying to understand the test instructions. Every minute is precious in a timed test. The offers official SSAT practice materials, including a free Mini-Practice Test and full-length practice tests. Work these in a quiet area where you can focus on how the questions are asked. There is no substitute for practice. The more tests you work, the more you will relax and be confident the day of the actual test.

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One of the most compelling arguments for private education has to do with the curriculum. Because very few private schools accept public funds, they are not required to comply with federal and state rules and regulations regarding what is taught. In other words, they do not have to teach to the test. George Bush's No Child Left Behind does not apply to private schools.

Private schools use a variety of curricula according to their mission and needs. For example, a will blend Judaic studies with a core curriculum designed to accomplish two things: to raise observant Jews who are well-schooled in their religion as well as producing well-prepared matriculants ready for the rigors of a college education.

A Classical Christian education will emphasize traditional subjects such as rhetoric. It will also infuse every aspect of its teaching with evangelistic fire and purpose. Religion in a Classical Christian school is not an option any more than it is in a Muslim or Jewish or Roman Catholic school. All these schools can take valuable teaching time to accomplish their missionary objectives because they take no state funds. They basically can march to their own pedagogical tune as long as their clientele is satisfied that the school is doing a good job.

This video offers an overview of Rochelle Zell Jewish High School.

What about prep schools?

Religion for most prep

Keeping in touch with your graduates is not easy these days. In the old days, you sent a chatty snail mail letter to your graduates two or three times a year. It was full of news about marriages, grad school, jobs, and so on. Of course, it always had updates and information about goings-on at school, sports results and a word from your favorite teachers. Those kinds of newsletter mailings to alumni still go out. If you can afford them, your older graduates will most definitely appreciate them. The reality is that each generation of graduates needs a method of communication which suits its expectations.

Printed mailings have been largely supplanted by interactive school web sites where graduates can log on and keep in touch with their classmates whenever and wherever they choose.

Most alumni relations staff realize that their most recent classes don't stay in touch in the same ways their older graduates do. Snail mail and printed materials are fine for the class of '70 and earlier. Even Web portals may only be effective for the classes prior to '00. Our recent grads are a completely different beast.

The classes from 2001 onwards are the text, cellphone, YouTube, Twitter, Tumblr, and the Facebook crowd. They are all about social networking. Put a class reunion on YouTube and the response will be tremendous. When one of your alums creates a group on a social networking site, it will invariably draw other alums. They all love keeping in

Thirty years ago, cell phones were expensive and underpowered. The only thing you could do with them was dial a number to speak with someone. Cell phones have morphed into high-powered devices called smartphones. They can make calls, text messages, take photos with one or two cameras, play music, and much more. As a result, cell phones, or rather, smartphones, can be both a useful tool and a distraction in school. outlines the issue facing teachers and administrators alike. The big advantage of allowing cell phones in the classroom is that the school doesn't have to build any local infrastructure. In other words, you don't have to wire buildings and set up servers to support students' and administrators' cell phones. The cell phone service provider takes care of all of that. Teachers can routinely deliver information and content via students' smartphones easily and conveniently.

Endless possibilities for good

lists just some of the things you can do with a smartphone in the classroom. As an old teacher, I particularly like that you can use that one device to meet students at their own level. Yes, many students will spend endless hours gaming on their smartphones. But, most of the time, those gamers are the young people who will accept your challenge of designing an app for a specific purpose in your classroom. They understand the

The 21st-century has seen some major changes in the way gay and lesbian people's rights are treated. Before 2015, there was a patchwork of state laws dealing with the issue. Indeed, Amanda Machado writes in in The Atlantic that gay teachers were frequently fired when state education departments purged their rolls of LGBT teachers. As the Supreme Court noted in its decision which made same-sex marriage legal, "Well into the 20th century, many States condemned same-sex intimacy as immoral, and homosexuality was treated as an illness. Later in the century, cultural and political developments allowed same-sex couples to lead more open and public lives. Extensive public and private dialogue followed, along with shifts in public attitudes." The Supreme Court , legalizing same-sex marriages has had a major impact on how gay and lesbian citizens are treated legally. Unfortunately, as you and I know only too well, just because something is legal doesn't mean that all sectors of society will accept it. That is certainly the case with the perception of gay and lesbian people.

In this video, David Weston, CEO of the Teacher Development Trust and former science and maths teacher, talks about coming out as an LGBT teacher.

Gay and lesbian teachers

We have always had gay and lesbian teachers. Until recently, they were mostly closeted, especially in situations