A guide for newcomers from around the world to help you navigate the challenges of understanding the US school system, from pre-school through high school. Written by two internationally-known experts in international relocation and education, this thorough but user-friendly guide is packed with information not found in any other single source. Full of up-to-date websites and national and international statistics, including the latest average teacher salaries, SAT scores, high school graduation rates, and private school tuition fees. Plus international comparisons that highlight the ways that American school personnel have expectations and practices that you will have to master. You will learn (a) why teachers in the US do what they do, (b) how to evaluate schools so your children will get the best education possible, (c) practical information about school lunch, dress codes, graduation requirements, expectations for parents, and more, (d) the broader context of education in the US, including the latest efforts by the federal government to improve schools and outcomes, the role of standardized testing, and how teachers’ values affect how they teach, and (e) vocabulary for understanding the school experience. See a full Table of Contents and a few sample chapters at www.interchangeinstitute.org/html/schools.htm
For 21 years I taught university-level courses on child psychology and educational issues, and I could explain the academic theories, research, and findings to American students very well. But at the same time, I was working in my own community with real-live international newcomers to the US, listening to their concerns, resolving their confusion, answering their questions, pointing them to the solutions they needed. The more I heard from them, the more I understood how American schools looked from the outside, and to those trying to enter our system. Georgia Bennett (an educational consultant who has helped many families find the right schools for their children) and I understood that there was a real need for a book that answered the questions that newcomers really have, and to give solid and insightful explanations for the quirks and surprises they encounter. We decided to write down what we had explained to newcomers over and over, as simply and directly as! we could.
_____________________ Anne P. Copeland, PhD
Executive Director
The Interchange Institute
interchangeinstitute.org
