Learn What Choices Are Available (Continued)

Different Dallas Fort Worth Metroplex area schools offer alternatives in teaching styles, content, and learning opportunities. This section briefly describes some types of Texas schools and area ISD's you may find.

Virtual Schools and Distance Learning

Instead of taking classes in a school building, students can receive their education using a computer through a distance learning virtual school. Virtual schools have an organized curriculum. Depending on the state and district, students can take the full distance learning virtual school curriculum or individual classes. Some independent school districts have used these online schools to offer classes that will help students learn at their own pace. Since distance learning virtual schools are becoming more accepted in the Dallas Fort Worth DFW Metroplex and Surrounding Texas Counties, we suggest you check with the specific ISD's to see if they are in process of offering more distance learning than what is offered on their website. Click on the ISD's on the right for website and other contact information. Virtual education or distance learning is also used in outlying DFW Metroplex areas for specialized or advanced courses that are not available in the immediate area.

High School Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate Programs

High School Advanced Placement (AP) courses offer rigorous content, and at the end of a course students can take the national Advanced Placement exam. If they score well on the exam, many colleges and universities will grant college credit for completing the course. The High School International Baccalaureate (IB) is a program of rigorous academic courses. Students who graduate from the program receive an International Baccalaureate diploma that is recognized by colleges and universities throughout the world. Other students may choose not to take the full IB curriculum but pursue certificates in individual areas. Local Texas Elementary and Middle Schools may also offer components of the IB program.

Private Schools

In addition to public schools, there may be a variety of religious and other nonpublic schools available in your area or boarding schools away from home. These schools of choice have been part of the fabric of American education since colonial days. These schools have been established to meet the demand to support parents' differing beliefs about how their children should be educated.

DFW Texas Religious Private Schools

The majority of DFW Metroplex private schools are Christian or religious. Many are affiliated with a denomination, local church, or religious faith such as Baptist (we are in Texas), Lutheran, Roman Catholic, Protestant, Greek Orthodox, Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, or other. We are seeing a trend that many traditional denominational schools (ie Baptist) are evolving into Christian Schools and dropping the denominational element.

DFW Texas Area Private Schools

There are also many local private schools without a religious identity or affiliation. Some of these private schools are preparatory schools designed to prepare students for college. These schools often have a traditional or elite reputation and a long history. Other schools are based on a particular educational philosophy or approach to learning, such as Montessori or Waldorf schools; have a special education focus, such as schools for the deaf or blind; or have been established for families and children who may be dissatisfied with various aspects of conventional schools.

Texas Home Schools

Texas Homeschooling is an option for a growing number of parents since the Texas Educational Codes in the 1990's moved home schools outside of the Texas Education Agency. Some parents prepare their own materials and design their own programs of study, while others use materials produced by companies specializing in homeschool materials. Some take advantage of virtual school programs or other educational resources available on the Internet. Of course, exercising this option may require major changes in how your family lives. Teaching your children at home is an ambitious undertaking, requiring time, planning, creativity, and commitment.

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Choosing A School For Your Child is an educational article provided by your local Realtor, Mark Hitz, DFW Realty GMAC Real Estate 214-514-1800 for relocating Texas home buying parents who evaluate their children's education as a significant factor in choosing area homes for sale.