Private Schools 'Counsel Out' the Unsuccessful

Sarah Maslin Nir:

Thousands of parents trying to get their children into private schools are now busy mailing thank-you cards to admissions offices and biting their nails while waiting for word back.

But for a small number of parents who prevailed through this gantlet in the past, this time of year brings another kind of notice -- that their child is on thin ice -- as an even more painful process begins: the "counseling out" of students who are not succeeding.

Not discussed on schools' tours or in their glossy pamphlets, counseling out is nonetheless a matter of practice at many private schools. Unlike the public school system, private schools are not obligated, and often not set up, to handle children having trouble keeping up.

Posted by Jim Zellmer at January 8, 2011 2:03 AM
Subscribe to this site via RSS/Atom: Newsletter signup | Send us your ideas