{"id":7539,"date":"2013-06-13T08:36:22","date_gmt":"2013-06-13T13:36:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.mma-tx.info\/wordpress\/?p=7539"},"modified":"2019-04-30T14:32:07","modified_gmt":"2019-04-30T19:32:07","slug":"why-a-military-school-is-a-good-choice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mma-tx.org\/blog\/7539\/why-a-military-school-is-a-good-choice\/","title":{"rendered":"Military Schools Are They a Good Choice?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Military Schools: Advantages of Choosing One<\/h1>\n

Military schools<\/b>, are they for me?\u00a0 Many parents today are looking into alternatives to public schools for their high school age sons.\u00a0 They are tired of the results being produced by school systems that are overcrowded, faced with an increase in violence and drugs, \"military<\/a>plagued by under-funding and see the resulting impact on their sons by lowering of grades and a willingness by the system to simply pass along failing students to the next level.\u00a0 The result is students graduating from high school and totally unprepared for the demands of college.<\/p>\n

National studies show in increase in dropout rates and the impact this has on future earning and quality of life.\u00a0 As a result the increase in private schools enrollment has continued for the past several years and the establishment of charter schools and alternative schools has also increased.\u00a0 The indication is an overwhelming dissatisfaction with the current public school system and more parents looking into alternatives such as military schools<\/i>.<\/p>\n

\u00a0Military schools<\/span> <\/a>have long been a choice for many parents and over the last several \u00a0decades military schools have taken on a new role, college preparatory institutions.\u00a0 Enrollment standards have increased to where military schools are much more selective than in past years and the so called “problem student” is\u00a0 finding it harder to get accepted to these schools.\u00a0\u00a0Military schools\u00a0are no longer lock down institutions for those students that cannot adapt to the rules and regulation of schools but are becoming more and more the choice for those students wishing to get into the more prestigious colleges and universities. Additionally, the national average for dropout rate indicates that just over 75% of high school freshman graduate (see below chart from National Center for Education Statistics).\u00a0 Even worse is the dropout rate for major US cities<\/a>\u00a0which in 2008 was\u00a0figured at almost 50%.<\/p>\n

\"military<\/a>Why Are Military Schools a Good Choice<\/h2>\n

To begin with understand that military schools are not the best choice for all students.\u00a0 The student’s temperament and willingness to accept a different life style have a large impact on the success of attending a military school.\u00a0 Military schools traditionally enforce rules and regulations to a greater extent than their public counterparts.\u00a0 Infractions of rules at military schools can result in dismissal rather than just a short term suspension and this can be\u00a0costly to the parents.\u00a0\u00a0At the same time military schools traditionally have a much higher graduation rate (some regularly graduate 100%) and a higher acceptance rate to colleges and universities.\u00a0 Military schools routinely\u00a0have\u00a0over 90% of graduates accepted\u00a0and attend college.<\/p>\n

\"military<\/a>Military schools offer a number of additional advantages over public schools that help lead to the higher graduation and college acceptance rates.\u00a0 Student to teacher ratio in military schools is typically lower, military schools have an increased focus on physical fitness with normally all students being required to engage in some sort of physical training.<\/p>\n

A study in the\u00a0Official Research Journal of The American Society of Exercise Physiologists<\/a>\u00a0showed that “physical fitness causes academic achievement to improve”.\u00a0 Military schools also recognize that not all students are varsity athletes and they therefore offer a much wider variety of activities, both physical and and cultural for students that are not interested in the normal range of sports.\u00a0 These choices include such activities as rifle and pistol teams, rock climbing, cycling, cyber patriot program, photography, drill team and boxing to name a few.\u00a0\u00a0All of these activities serve to increase the physical and mental fitness of the students,\u00a0 impacting on their performance in the classroom.\u00a0 One of the most significant advantages is\u00a0the involvement of the\u00a0Junior ROTC Programs\u00a0offered at military schools.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0Military\u00a0Schools Junior ROTC Programs<\/h2>\n

Regardless of whether the branch of service represented by a Junior ROTC program is Army, Air Force, Navy or Marine Corps, the underlying purpose is\u00a0the same: \u00a0“to instill in students in [United States] secondary educational institutions the values of citizenship, service to the United States, and personal responsibility and a sense of accomplishment”\u00a0 (Title 10, Section 2031 of the United States Code).\u00a0A key element of all military schools through the Junior ROTC programs\u00a0is a focus on the leadership training provided to young men and women.<\/p>\n

General Colin Powell stated in his autobiography that\u00a0“Inner-city kids, many from broken homes, found stability and role models in Junior ROTC.”\u00a0\u00a0 Junior ROTC programs are not designed to serve as a recruiting pool for the military branches however, a small number of students in JROTC programs do enlist directly into the services upon graduation.\u00a0 A much high number of these are from public school JROTC programs than are from private military schools.\u00a0 Although a small number of graduates of private military schools do join the military the bulk of them go on to colleges and universities.<\/p>\n

Is an All Boys Military School a Good Choice?<\/h2>\n

Although there are a number of studies that show overall students perform better in coeducational schools, there are also a number of studies that show in many cases an all boys school is better for young men.\u00a0 The decision on whether all boys military schools\u00a0are the best choice is one that must be based on the student in question.\u00a0 Some\"students<\/a> studies show that social pressures are reduced and\u00a0boys are more willing to express themselves when their fear of looking bad in from of girls is removed.\u00a0 It should be remembered that high school is the time when young boys are becoming young men and can be a difficult time for them as they move into this important period of their life.\u00a0 This is also a period when they are developing physically and the lack of a good fitness program can have an adverse effect for the remainder of their life.<\/p>\n

All boys schools normally have a full schedule of events that include young women so that social interaction, necessary during these formative years is included.\u00a0 Students at all boys military schools are free to visit the local community and interact further with young ladies.\u00a0 Sports activities, dances, community service projects all lead to more interaction so that young men at military schools are comfortable in\u00a0a social setting with women.\u00a0 Lastly, many of the faculty members and staff at all boys military schools are women so students learn how to interact with them daily.<\/p>\n

Who is A Military School Best For?<\/h2>\n

Students that can benefit the most from a military school experience include:<\/p>\n