How to Convince Your Kid to Take a Summer Course

You know the drill. Your kids come running through the door after the last day of school and everything changes. Evenings once spent huddled around the kitchen table working on...
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Can a Summer Trip Abroad Boost Your Chance to Get Into College?

By now, many college applicants understand that getting into college extends far beyond GPAs and test scores. Extracurricular activities, community outreach, and personal passions are all distinguishing factors in the application process. But what about taking a summer trip? Taking an international trip during the summer for educational, cultural, or...
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Why Summer School Isn’t Such a Bummer

Your locker is cleared out and your friends dash to their respective cars and buses. Final exams are turned in. The once overflowing hallways are now empty. It’s official, summer has arrived! For many students, education comes to a screeching halt. Study halls and presentations are replaced with SPF and...
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Why Do Students Choose Blended and Online Schools?

Last year, Getting Smart posted an article outlining the outcomes of a paper developed by The Foundation for Blended and Online Learning (FBOL). In summary, the FBOL set out to discover why students and families are choosing these innovative school models and how they are finding out about the options available. In...
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Top 10 Summer Activities to Boost Your College Resume

The Ultimate List Every High Schooler Should Use to Plan Their Summer You know what it means when that last bell of the school year rings. You grab your backpack, throw up a peace sign, and run out the door. It’s time for summer! Before you reach for your bathing...
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3 Tips for Helping Your Child Succeed in Their Online Course

Why is it that in elementary school parents show up in droves to volunteer baked goods, chaperone a field trip or attend a PTA meeting, but by high school, it’s like POOF... parents take a back seat and are more hands off? Well, it’s time to reclaim the front seat!...
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5 Things I Wish I Knew Before I Started My Online Course

If you’re in high school and you’ve never taken an online course, you probably have a hundred questions. Like, “what are online high school courses really like?” Or “will it be easier or harder than taking a course at school?” We all know hindsight is 20/20, so we asked a...
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