Saturday, January 27, 2018

The Critical Role of Vouchers in Enabling Affordable School Choice


TNT Academy is a private Gwinnett County, Georgia, institution that provides students with quality education that allows them to grow into responsible citizens. TNT Academy emphasizes school choice in its curriculum, with students encouraged to make up lost credits and attain high school diplomas.

One way in which many parents are able to afford a private education is through vouchers, which employ public funds in covering a portion or the complete cost of tuition. Typically distributed through state governments, the system was first implemented in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in the early 1990s as a way of providing low-income families with higher quality education options. 

Vouchers have a proven track record in providing families with alternatives to a failing public school system. By using vouchers families avoid having to pay for education twice, both in the form of tuition and taxes. They also introduce healthy competition within a system in which teachers unions can block needed change. Today vouchers are in place in a dozen states, from Colorado to Georgia, as well as in the District of Columbia.

Wednesday, January 10, 2018

GAC Accreditation Standards for Middle and High Schools


TNT Academy, a private educational institution, helps middle and high school students reach their career and college goals through both traditional and nontraditional courses of study. Located in Stone Mountain, Georgia, TNT Academy is accredited by the Georgia Accrediting Commission (GAC).

To become accredited by the GAC, schools must meet certain requirements. For high schools, the institution must provide education from grades 10 through 12 or seven through 12. School days must be at least six hours long without break and lunch periods and consist of instructional periods that are at least 55 minutes long. The required average class size is 30.8, though this varies by type of course; for example, remedial classes not involving aides cannot be larger than 18 students, while choral music classes cannot be larger than 80.

Middle schools must also have school days that are at least six hours long. However, the average class size for the entire school must be 28.6 students instead of 30.8. Similar to high school requirements, middle school principals must have at least half of their time free for supervising instruction, and the media center must have at least 10 books per student. 

In addition to the above, teachers in both middle and high schools must have at least 30 minutes each day for instruction preparation, and a minimum of 60 percent of students must be from an accredited feeder school.

The above standards are just some of the requirements maintained by the GAC.

Saturday, December 2, 2017

Top Reasons Why Many U.S. Public Schools Are Deficient


Accredited by the Georgia Accrediting Commission Inc., TNT Academy is a private middle and high school that encourages academic success by providing students with opportunities that will develop their strengths. TNT Academy strives to create an environment that facilitates personal positive learning, which is often lacking in public school education.

Many students struggle in public schools all over the United States. One of the reasons for this is lack of parental involvement, which studies have shown can dramatically improve student performance. To get parents engaged in their children’s education after school hours, schools need to develop effective parental involvement programs.

Regarding the overcrowding of schools, the National Center for Education Statistics discovered that 14 percent of schools in the U.S. are overcrowded. Because teachers can become overwhelmed with a large number of students and children are unable to get the personalized attention they may need, smaller classes are often more conducive to facilitating learning.

Students who do poorly or drop out of school are often bored and frustrated because of an ineffective curriculum that follows the traditional classroom model. Schools benefit their students when they implement a more innovative curriculum that can keep students engaged through collaboration, critical thinking, and creativity.

Thursday, November 16, 2017

Qualifying for and Retaining a HOPE Scholarship


A private school accredited by the Georgia Accrediting Commission, TNT Academy fosters a personalized, positive learning environment for middle and high school students. TNT Academy prepares students to be competitive in, among other things, their bids for various scholarships, including HOPE Scholarships for students from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Merit-based awards open to high school graduates with Georgia residency and a 3.0 grade point average (GPA), HOPE Scholarships provide the funds necessary to pursue an undergraduate degree at one of the many private, public, or technical HOPE Scholarship-approved postsecondary institutions, including Emory University, Morehouse College, the University of Georgia, Valdosta State University, Athens Technical College, and Atlanta Technical College. Funds provided vary and are to be applied toward standard undergraduate tuition for up to a maximum of 15 hours. Moreover, students chosen for the awards must maintain a 3.0 cumulative GPA at their postsecondary institution of choice to maintain their award eligibility.