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Over the past 40 years, just as with everything else, the cost of education has risen dramatically. Average tuition increases of more than 6% per year are common today. Just as one example, in 1973 the cost of registration at UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles) was $208 per quarter. It is now over $2,300 per quarter. Read the rest of this entry »

Obtaining student aid can be more complicated than playing the stock market. There are literally hundreds of possible scholarships, loan programs and other forms of assistance. But for the overwhelming majority a Federal student loan program is the most likely source of funds to help pay for school. Read the rest of this entry »

Stafford loans are part of the FFELP (Federal Family Education Loan Program) established by Congress in 1965 to supply financial aid to students. Read the rest of this entry »

With the rising cost of education over the past few decades, reliance on traditional Stafford loans has often failed to cover even the majority of expenses. The PLUS (Parent Loans for Undergraduate Students) loan program was designed to close that gap. Read the rest of this entry »

Many of the common Federal student loan programs require no credit check and provide substantial sums for financial aid. Unsubsidized loans, in which any interest accrued while the student is in school making satisfactory progress, are among the most desirable. Read the rest of this entry »

Having a poor credit history is never an advantage. Fortunately for students and their parents, though, there are a number of loan and aid packages that don’t look at credit status at all. Several Federal loans consider only need or other factors, and ignore any credit history entirely, good or bad. Read the rest of this entry »

Understanding the various types of interest rates is important when considering a loan of any type. Student loans are no different when it comes to the impact interest can play when paying the loan back. Read the rest of this entry »

A co-signer is a second party who guarantees to repay the loan and usually becomes involved when the primary borrower has no or a poor credit history. Read the rest of this entry »

Many common student loan programs are not credit-based. Stafford and Perkins are based solely on need and don’t even do credit checks. But not all will qualify and those programs will often cover less than 100% of the needed amount, especially considering the high cost of education today. Read the rest of this entry »

The Direct loan program began about 15 years ago and, in true American fashion, was designed to cut out the middle man. Instead of having banks, credit unions and other private businesses lend money to students and parents, the Federal government loans the money directly. Read the rest of this entry »

The costs of education today are ten times what they were less than 40 years ago. But those differences become even more stark when considering undergraduate versus graduate programs. Fortunately, there are resources available to both types of student to help them pay for college. Read the rest of this entry »

The FFELP (Federal Family Education Loan Program) is a Federal Government-private lender partnership and umbrella program that includes Stafford, PLUS and Perkins loans. Established by an Act of Congress in 1965, it began in 1966. Since then, over half a trillion dollars have been disbursed, over $50 billion in 2006 alone. Read the rest of this entry »

A scholarship, as distinguished from a student loan, is money given that does not have to be repaid. There are scholarships for academic high-achievers, athletes, Pacific Islanders and children of local widows. In short, there is a type of scholarship to suit any possible circumstance. Read the rest of this entry »

Despite high education costs and the cost of borrowing to meet them, students and parents have some advantages today that didn’t exist even ten years ago. The Internet has changed the way financial aid is researched (and granted) in more ways than one. Read the rest of this entry »

The answers to the question posed by the title are as diverse as those who choose to homeschool. Parents opt for homeschooling for reasons ranging from a desire to instill certain values to the wish to remove students from an unsafe public school environment to the desire to provide a superior education. But the most basic, general reason for most is the well-founded belief that homeschooling is ultimately better for their child. Read the rest of this entry »

One of the first questions parents ask about homeschooling is: Does it work? They know the public schools have problems, but they wonder if they can do any better. Read the rest of this entry »

In considering homeschooling, a kind of do-it-yourself education, one of the first questions to ask is: Who is the ‘you’ in ‘yourself’? Read the rest of this entry »

There are a dozen popular approaches to how to design a homeschool program for a child. They range from highly structured courses, to no structure at all. Read the rest of this entry »

Pinpointing the beginning date of homeschooling is actually impossible. Aristotle tutored Alexander the Great ‘at home’ over 2,500 years ago. In fact, until the late 19th century, nearly everyone was ‘homeschooled’. Read the rest of this entry »

Parents who homeschool their children choose to for a variety of reasons. Some have religious goals, others object to specific topics taught or methods of public or private schools. Still others simply believe they can provide a superior education themselves. Read the rest of this entry »

Some parents just aren’t particularly suited to providing education. Yet they want the best education possible for their child and know that public school can’t provide that. Read the rest of this entry »

Unschooling is an approach to homeschool education that represents the most unstructured approach to learning. It means, as the name suggests, not designing a curriculum at all. Instead, the child is allowed to explore any and all interests, at any pace and in any order they choose. Read the rest of this entry »

While homeschool programs vary in approach, almost none attempt to incorporate or extend the type and level of education available in traditional colleges. Read the rest of this entry »

Homeschooling is completely legal.

One common concern of parents contemplating homeschooling is the prospect of legal restrictions. They fear that homeschooling is either illegal, or that individuals have to jump through many hoops to avoid the government cracking down. The fear is somewhat justified, depending on where the family lives, but is usually larger than appropriate. Read the rest of this entry »

One of the most daunting challenges is faced by those who wish to homeschool a child, but have no partner. For most in that situation, the need to earn enough income to support both parent and child is paramount. That can leave little time to devote to education. Read the rest of this entry »

Homeschooling can quickly become an overwhelming enterprise. There’s so much for parents to learn before they can begin to provide education for their child! But like any large and complex goal, breaking it down into easy-to-digest parts makes it possible to swallow each one without stomach upset. Read the rest of this entry »

Distance learning means different things to different people. However there is a simple way to describe this type of learning that’s growing more popular with each passing day. Distance learning is a learning environment in which the student is separated from the instructor. Read the rest of this entry »

If you’ve been considering distance learning, now is the time to get moving. With so many types of degrees and certificates available, there’s never been a better time to get your education. Read the rest of this entry »

Have you been wondering if distance learning might be right for you? If you have and you’ve been asking acquaintances for their opinions as to whether distance learning is better or worse than traditional learning, you’ve probably gotten an earful of varying opinions. Read the rest of this entry »

Selecting an online distance learning school or program isn’t as easy as many people think. Some people think that, like the other items they shop for on the Internet, they simply perform a search for distance learning schools or programs and then choose one. Read the rest of this entry »

You’ve probably heard that it’s important to make sure the distance learning program you select is accredited. But do you know why? Read the rest of this entry »

Celebrating the upcoming arrival of a new baby is exciting but at the same time, it’s often a situation in which both parents can feel much anxiety.

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Parenting is the most difficult ‘job’ in the world. The process lasts longer than most modern careers. It requires a larger investment – in time and money – than just about any other activity. Read the rest of this entry »

Most child development professionals, following a study by Thomas and Chess in the 1950s, hold that temperament is inborn. Personality, by contrast, is influenced by environment and self-development. Read the rest of this entry »

It’s true that distance learning is convenient, but what about the costs? Is distance learning any less expensive than regular learning? What about financial aid? Are those who choose to learn in a ‘non-traditional’ environment eligible? Read the rest of this entry »

The word ‘discipline’ often brings to mind images of harsh punishment, unreasonable restrictions and an approach to parenting that is cold and insensitive. Read the rest of this entry »

A baby shower is a great way to spend time with close family and friends, and being showered with useful baby gifts is pretty fun too.

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Do employers value online MBA degrees the same as they value MBA degrees earned in a traditional classroom environment? Read the rest of this entry »

In parenting circles, the word ‘punishment’ often brings to mind ‘corporeal punishment’ – spanking, slapping or other forms of physical action. Read the rest of this entry »

You’re ready to go to college but you don’t know where to begin. You’ve heard about distance learning and are interested, but you don’t know much about online college. Read the rest of this entry »

Teaching responsibility is one of the most difficult aspects of parenting. It is here that parents most often worry about the dilemma of stifling individual choice versus encouraging values and habits that lead to appropriate behavior. Read the rest of this entry »

A baby shower is a special time for the mother-to-be. It’s a day that has been set aside for her to spend quality time with family and close friends before her life gets monopolized by her approaching bundle of joy.

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Distance learning and online high schools are viable options for students who have trouble coping in a traditional school environment. Read the rest of this entry »

Few subjects in parenting are as fundamental, or as important, as communication. Humans function so much by language, whether implicit or explicit, that learning how to communicate effectively affects virtually every other sphere of family relations. Read the rest of this entry »

Are online degrees viewed differently than traditional school degrees? Read the rest of this entry »

A major part of good communication between parent and child is active listening. But, what is ACTIVE listening? Read the rest of this entry »

The earliest form of distance learning emerged over 120 years ago, in 1883. At that time the Internet did not exist. For the first 60+ years, correspondence was the only type of instructional media available. Read the rest of this entry »

Sometimes it’s surprising that the divorce rate isn’t actually higher than it is (about 46% in the U.S.). Assuming it isn’t just inertia on the part of the 54%, it’s a tribute to the willingness of so many couples to work out their differences. Read the rest of this entry »

A baby shower is a time for celebration. To make sure the baby shower you host is one that guests talk about for a long time, in a positive way, do yourself a favor and follow this baby shower planning timeline.

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Many baby showers are given before the baby is born, but there are many situations in which having a baby shower afterwards is more appropriate.

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