New Jersey private schools host cultures of academic excellence and provide a variety of benefits that could improve student experiences and better prepare students for their futures. While many local families are still opting to enroll their students in public schools, private schools offer a great alternative for students who don’t feel supported in traditional classrooms, for families looking to customize their child’s education or for a school with particular values, course offerings and opportunities.
South Jersey private schools are setting themselves apart from traditional public schools through smaller class sizes, flexible curriculums, college preparation emphasis and the incorporation of the latest technology and resources.
Suburban Family spoke with educators from local private schools to learn about how they are implementing tools and techniques to improve student experiences both in and out of the classroom.
How are learning opportunities expanded for students in a smaller-sized classroom?
“In a smaller class, the teacher has the ability to give more personalized attention and focus on student choice while monitoring what each student is working on. Whether choice-based literature, passion projects, or an emergent curriculum that is driven by student-interest, the small class size allows the teacher to focus on each student’s growth areas and interests.”
– Meredith Godley, associate head of school and academic dean, Moorestown Friends School
How do smaller class sizes provide greater flexibility for educators and their teaching methods?
“Smaller classes allow teachers the ability to check in with individual students or groups of students more frequently to assess their understanding, monitor progress, and provide support and guidance as needed. This means more progressive pedagogy including collaborative groups, group project-based learning, and even more student choice in individual projects or curricular design.”
– Meredith Godley
What types of specialized programs allow students to make the most of what their school has to offer?
“Because our entire school program is individualized, every component of what our school has to offer allows us to completely tailor our students’ school experience. So, there isn't one program that that allows us to do that, but I will highlight this academic year we have something called ‘Fusion My Way,’ which allows us to offer even more targeted opportunities for students to experience that hybrid, fully virtual or in-person, small class size experience, asynchronous at all levels of college prep, honors, AP, [etc.].”
– Doug Albright-Pierce, head of school, Fusion Academy
Can specialized programs assist in post-graduation success?
“Absolutely. We have a very robust postsecondary program… Our one-to-one classroom sizes offer courses such as life skills to help prepare students for postsecondary success and a wellness course which encapsulates the social, emotional and academic well-being post-graduation for our students. [With] our model, by its very nature, we see our students doing better than their peers when it comes to building and maintaining positive relationships with adults and teachers come postsecondary. They are also able to advocate for themselves and their needs inside of a classroom space because that is what they truly need to practice when they're working one-on-one with their teachers. We find that those two components of our program really help set our students up for success.”
– Doug Albright-Pierce
What values should schools instill in their students to help them strive toward success?
“At OLMA, we strive to instill and nurture the core values of mercy, wisdom, unity and courage, shaping our graduates into well-rounded individuals who embrace compassion, foster collaboration, exhibit resilience, and apply thoughtful insight. These values prepare them to make a meaningful impact on their communities and lead a world of change.”
– Nicole Donovan, director of admissions, Our Lady of Mercy Academy
How does community factor into a positive school environment?
“At OLMA, a strong sense of community creates a supportive environment where our students feel valued. By fostering unity and collaboration, we build a nurturing space that encourages students to thrive.”
– Nicole Donovan
What is the No. 1 thing students today should know about preparing for college?
"Students need to prepare for college academically, emotionally and even psychologically. Academically, students should enroll in the most challenging curriculum at their high school that they can handle. Taking a curriculum that is not challenging offers no benefit to the student as they will most certainly struggle when they begin their college classes. However, this does not mean that all students should be in honors and AP/IB/Dual Enrollment courses. For some students, a challenging curriculum can be college prep courses that require the student to think critically, analyze material, write effectively, and develop essential executive functioning skills.
– Joel Lang, director of college advisement and school counseling, Padua Academy
When should students begin preparing for college?
“Students can begin to prepare for college at any point and since "preparing for college" is such a broad topic, truly students prepare every day… Students should be given the opportunity to address challenging issues in school, in relationships, in activities, etc. with our support so that when they are away from home, everyone is confident in their decision-making abilities and problem-solving skills.
Formally, we begin working with our students in their junior year through our College 101 program. This program consists of small-group meetings where we teach different aspects of the college process including essay writing, test prep, application creation, scholarship and financial aid, etc. We also partner with other local schools to host a college fair and a case study event for parents and students. Every student's college journey is different so we meet them where they are and assist them throughout their four years of high school.”
– Joel Lang
How can new technologies be factored into a curriculum?
“Specifically for Paul VI, to achieve the goal of expanding the STEM offerings, we opted to use the ‘Project Lead the Way’ (PLTW) program. This division of the college board offers different STEM modules and Paul VI now offers the computer science pathway, as well as the biomedical science pathway. The PLTW program requires a substantial commitment from the school, both financially and in terms of sending a faculty member to be accredited for the program. By choosing PLTW, Paul VI ensures its students are learning from an established curriculum with high standards, which gives parents confidence as well. The program has been very popular with our students, and the computer science module in particular has necessitated even further investment from the school in terms of providing sophisticated computer science labs.”
– Kathleen Stewart, director of admissions, Paul VI High School
How have curriculums and learning styles evolved from innovation and new resources?
“Even the most traditional subjects (think Latin) benefit from an infusion of technology. Students have materials – texts, syllabus, assignments, notes – at their fingertips and can organize them all easily on their school device (at Paul VI, we use the iPad.) Students with access to these tools are students who can focus on course content, and not be weighed down by the logistics that going to school used to entail. When students can really focus on the material, it also opens up paths for creativity and reflection. One of our students did her AP Capstone research project on the impact of screen time on elementary school students. Given that our students use the iPads, it was encouraging to see a student bring such curiosity and objectivity to the technology that she herself uses daily.”
– Kathleen Stewart
Published (and copyrighted) in Suburban Family Magazine, Volume 15, Issue 2.
For more info on Suburban Family Magazine, click here.
For information about advertising in Suburban Family Magazine, click here.
To find out where to pick up your copy of Suburban Family Magazine, click here.
