The document discusses private school accreditation and factors parents should consider when choosing a private school. It explains that accreditation provides a means of evaluating a school's standards but does not indicate educational philosophy or teaching quality. The three main accrediting agencies in Georgia - SACS, GAC, and GAPSAC - are described and all accredit different types of schools using similar processes that involve meeting standards and periodic review. Choosing an accredited school helps ensure credits will transfer between schools and to colleges.

1. T
he decision to send your child to a private school gives rise to a seem-
ingly exponential number of secondary decisions. It's a daunting
prospect: While you can't put a price tag on your child's future, how do
you know you're getting the best value, i.e., the best education, for the
money you spend, especially as already steep tuition costs continue to rise?
While religious or special-need issues are often paramount in the decision
to select a private school, you'll want to know how that school stacks up
against equivalent schools. It's also important to know if credits earned at a
school will transfer to another institution if necessary, and later to a college
or university. Looking at a school's accreditation status is a good means of
determining answers to these questions.
It helps to have an understanding of what accreditation is and what it
can and cannot tell you about a school. Accreditation is a voluntary and
Continued on page 63
EDUCATION
Nhat every
parent needs
to knoN about
acered itation
of private
schools
Hours
By Michelle Bourg
KNOWAtlanta Spring 2002 61

2. "I l'IKe t he SrnOJ
c..QSSrOOrnS 0..t
1'-oLLnt PO..rO..n
bec..O..LLse !joLL set
rnore 0..+tent'1on
-Frorn the
+eo..c..hers O..nd.
tho..t rnO..Kes it
easier to leO..rn."
...a community
with a true passion
for serving
and learning
Serving Grades Pre-K- 12.
Call today to schedule a tour.
1700 Allgood Road
Marietta, GA 30062
(770) 578-0182
Fax: (770) 977-9284
www.mtparanschool.com
Mt. Paron Christian School, Inc. admits students
ofany race, color, and national or ethnic origin.
62 KNOWAtlanta Spring 2002
Locating Select
Atlanta Private Schools
Cartersville '
Chavel
DOUGLAS .HiH
'Bii/Arp
• Fairplay
McWhotter
2
• TJ'Rl'IO
Fqellevllle •
, FAY~TTfi.....
~ City •
Sharpsburg ~ lltlolsey '
· .Turin
1. American Heritage Academy
2. Arlington Christian School
3. Atlanta Academy
4. Atlanta International School
5. The Bedford School
6. Colonial Hills Christian
School
7. Covenant Christian
Academy
8. The Cottage School
9. The Donnellan School
10. Greater Atlanta Christian
School
11. The Heritage School
12. High Meadows School
and Camp
13. Holy Innocents' Episcopal
School
• omena
14. Landmark Christian School
15. The Lovett School
16. Mill Springs Academy
17. Mt. Paran Christian School
18. Mt. Pisgah Christian
School
19. North Cobb Christian
School
20. Pace Academy
21. Pinecrest Academy
22. Providence Christian
Academy
23. St. Paul Lutheran Church
24. Trinity School
25. The Waldorf School
of Atlanta
26. Wesleyan School
27. Whitefield Academy
Use our Counties Information section beginning on page 99 to find
additional schools with enrollments over 200 in your area.

3. EDUCATION
Conttiwedfrom page 61
non-governmental process of academic
review, enabling an institution to
receive periodic evaluation by peers in
the industry as to how well it meets
both its own objectives and the stan-
dards set by the accrediting agency. It
signif ies that a school has successfully
demonstrated compliance with the
guidelines and standards of an accredit-
ing organization, whose standards are
in turn accountable to the public. These
standards address such measurable
factors as the number of hours of
required instructional time, attendance
requirements, library expenditures per
student, and the existence of student
counseling and health services .
Accreditation allows for a comparison
of different schools and assists in the
transfer of credits between them. Jim
Hendrix, principal of the PreK-12 Lovett
School, describes accreditation as "an
index of professionalism."
Accreditation does not generally man-
date curriculum, type of instruction, or
texts and materials. These decisions are
made by local and state boards of educa-
tion, boards of trustees, or independent
school directors. Unless you're very
familiar w ith the standards and criteria of
the different agencies, it is not possible
to use it as a tool to get a picture of a
school's educational philosophy. It does
not give an indication of the learning envi-
ronment or the commitment and creativ-
ity of the teachers.
To understand how schools are being
evaluated, you need to be familiar w ith
the evaluators. There are three main
accrediting agencies functioning in the
state of Georgia. The largest is the
Southern Association of Colleges and
Schools (www. sacs.org, (404) 679-4500).
which accredits more than 12,000 public
and private institutions throughout the
Southeast, from pre-K through university
level. SACS is one of six regional accred-
iting organizations in the U.S. recognized
by the U.S. Department of Education.
This regional scope has made SACS the
choice of a wide range of schools. In
Atlanta this includes schools as diverse
as Marist High School, the Lovett School,
Paideia, and the Greenfield Hebrew
Academy.
The Georgia Accrediting Commission
(GAC), based in Athens, has been in
existence since 1904 and focuses
exclusively on Georgia schools. They
accredit both private and public schools
from pre-kindergarten through Grade
12, including the Atlanta Speech
School, Greater Atlanta Christian
Schools, and the Sophia Academy. GAC
standards can be obtained by calling
(706) 353-7090; a list of accredited
schools can be found at Its website:
www.coe.uga.edu/gac. Accreditation
may be granted, granted "with quality,"
FROM MOUNT PISGAH,
GOD SHOWED MOSES A WORLD OF PROMISE...
•~
mmmt pisgah
CHRISTIAN SCHOOL
(DEUT. 3:27-28)
Offering Grades K-11 in Alpharetta.
Please call 678-336-3315 for tour dates.
CHRISTIAN EDUCATION
IS NOT AN OXYMORON
KNOWAtlanta Spring 2002 63

4. 2002 SCHOOLS
OF EXCELLENCE
T
he Georgia Schools
of Excellence are
chosen every year
and indicate the best pub-
lic schools in the state.
Schools are chosen for
the honor by a panel of
educators who review the
applications of the
schools. After review, all
finalists are evaluated
with an on-site visit. To
make it through this
process and to be named
a School of Excellence is
an honor indeed. What
this means for newcom-
ers is that if you are bas-
ing your new home's
location on the quality of
public schools in the area,
the list of Schools of
Excellence is a great
direction finder. We have
printed all metro area
Georgia Schools of
Excellence at right.
Elementary Schools:
Bascomb Elementary,
Cherokee County
Briarlake Elementary,
DeKalb County
Harriet Tubman
Elementary,
Fulton County
Mount Vernon
Elementary, Hall County
Robert W. Craig
Elementary,
Gwinnett County
Middle Schools:
McConnell Middle,
Gwinnett County
Webb Bridge Middle,
Fulton County
High Schools:
Sprayberry High,
Cobb County
Stockbridge High,
Henry County
or granted provisionally.
The newest organization, and the only one working exclu-
sively with private schools, is the Georgia Private School
Accreditation Council (GAPSAC), first recognized by the
Georgia State Board of Education in 1998 and accepted by the
Board of Regents in 1999.
GAPSAC oversees the accreditation of private elementary
and secondary schools affiliated with its member organizations
for the purpose of transferring credits to public schools and to
institutions in the University System of Georgia It ensures the
eligibility of graduates of member schools for the Hope
Scholarship program on an equal footing with public school
graduates. Standards and a basic outline of GAPSAC's accred-
iting process are available on its web site: www.gapsac.org.
They can be reached at (706) 549-2190.
Membership in GAPSAC is limited to any not-for-profit
school, either affiliated with a religious body or operating under
a legally recognized nonprofit status under Georgia code.
Current member organizations include the Association of
Christian Schools International, the Georgia Association of
Christian Schools, the Accreditation Association of Seventh-
Day Adventist Schools, and the International Christian
Accreditation Association. Among the Atlanta schools accredit-
ed by one of these member associations are the Cathedral
Academy, the Atlanta Adventist Academy and North Cobb
Christian Academy.
The accreditation process is basically similar between the
three organizations. A school's staff works with an accrediting
agency in developing a set of measurable goals and plans to
accomplish them, with the agency providing assistance and
recommendations. An annual review measures how well the
school is achieving its goals and its compliance with the accred-
iting agency's standards and guidelines. Ideally, accreditation is
not a one-time " rubber stamp," but an ongoing interactive
process between the accrediting agency and the school.
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students blend their expertise with technical know-how that gives them-and their employers-a competitive edge.
For more information about our
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programs, call 770.528-7210
or 1-80().635-3204.
Southern Polytechnic is
convenienUy located off 1-75
(exit 263) near Cobb Parkway.
Southern
64 KNOWAtlanta Spring 2002

5. SAC's plan also calls for a visit to the
school by a group of trained evaluators
every five years. The school may answer
questions that are subjective in nature
with involved answ ers w hile GAC's
accreditation procedure is strictly objec-
tive in nature, relying on questions that
can be answ ered "yes or no." GAPSAC
stresses accreditation that allows for the
uniqueness of individual schools.
About half of the GAC-accredited
schools are also accredited by SACS and
vice versa, according to GAC Executive
Director Dr. Kenneth M. Matthews. He
feels that it is beneficial for a school to
be accredited by more than one agency
Credits earned at
non-accredited
schools often will
not transfer to
other schools or
be accepted by
acollege or
university without
extensive
additional testing
of the student.
if the school has the time and can afford
it, because it shows that the school has
taken the time to get as w ide a range of
feedback and assistance as possible.
According to Dr. Matthew s, accredita-
tion is "very important in terms of w here
a child will go to school next." This is
true w hether the next school is another
elementary school, secondary school or
a college, especially if it is part of the
public system. He recommends becom-
ing familiar w ith the public school district
you live in and learning w hich accredita-
tions it accepts. Credits earned at non-
accredited schools often will not transfer
to other schools or be accepted by a col-
lege or university without extensive addi-
tional testing of the student.
How does accreditation relate to even-
tual transfer to colleges and universities in
Georgia? While public institutions in the
University System don't all have exactly
the same admission requirements, they
Our accredited Balanced Learning
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the peace of mind you need. Call or visit us NOW to learn more. Because,
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At AMERICAN HERITAGE ACADEMY, we've gone beyond traditional private
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combined with our state-certified and experienced faculty, ensures a personalized
and challenging education for your child.
Tours by appointment. Call 770.926.7779.
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KNOWAtlanta Spring 2002 65

6. do all require that a student come from an
accredited school in order to be accepted
without additional testing. James Cobb,
admissions counselor at the University of
Georgia, says that UGA will accept accred-
itations by the three main accrediting bod-
ies operating in Georgia, with no prefer-
ence among them.
On the opposite end of the spectrum,
Jean Jordan, director of enrollment
services at Emory University, says that
accreditation is the last thing she looks
at if she considers it at all. She states
that most colleges are very familiar with
the high schools that they most often
receive students from, and form a work-
• Accredited with Quality • Small Class Size • Coed, Grades 6-12
ing knowledge of the qual-
ity of those students. A
large part of this knowl-
edge of the high schools
comes from traveling per-
sonally to many of these
high schools throughout
the year.
Lack of accreditation
does not mean that a
school lacks value or is
remiss in its practices.
Some schools eschew the
process on philosophical
grounds, and others are in
operation pending initial
approval, which can take
some time. It does mean,
however, that you need to
be extra thorough in per-
sonally investigating and
evaluating the school,
especially in regard to the
issue of transferability of
credits. Remember also
that some schools are not
accredited for all grade
levels offered; take this into account
when considering the ramifications for
transferring.
While important. accreditation is not
the only factor to take into account
when analyzing the quality of a school.
Dr. Matthews says, "Parents have to do
their homework too." He recommends
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I Talluiah Falls SchoolOwned and Operated by the Georgia Federation of Women's Clubs
www.tallulahfalls.org (706) 754-3171
Tallulah Falls School admits students of any race, color, national, or ethnic origin.
The Light in the Mountains Since 1909
66 KNOWAtlanta Sp rin g 2002

7. that in addition to asking to see a
school's certificate of accreditation, that
parents get the names of references
and to call them.
Besides accreditation, Dr. Malcolm
Cummings of GAPSAC recommends
looking at achievement test scores at a
prospective school to see how it com-
pares to others on a nationwide basis.
He also suggests looking at the back-
ground of the faculty, the facilities, and
the availability of activities. Emory's
Jean Jordan suggests that parents who
are sizing up a school take a look at the
school's counseling record: how many
students go on to four-year institutions,
and which ones are they accepted by?
Jim Hendrix says that questions
about accreditation are not usua lly
asked by parents, but says that if a
school is not accredited, parents should
ask w hy. He recommends also that par-
ents look at the number of college
acceptances from a particular school,
the training and tenure of the faculty,
adequacy of the curriculum for college
prep, and the opportunities for achieve-
ment in the arts, athletics and leader-
ship.
Once you've narrowed the list down,
visit schools you're interested in, taking
note of the facil ities, equipment and
texts and materials. Meet the faculty
and staff, and ask lots of questions.
Find out about such things as discipline,
amount of homework, level of involve-
ment by other parents, etc. Not least.
let the children themselves be your
guide. Do they seem relaxed and inter-
ested? And perhaps most important.
how does your child react to the
school? A child who is unhappy in their
surroundings, however state-of-the-art.
won't be developing up to their poten-
tial, while a happy child can thrive even
when surroundings are less than per-
fect.
Bear in mind that while in pursuit of
the same goal, schools will exhibit a
variety of styles in pursuit of the same
goal. As Paul Hayward, Paideia High
School principal, puts it. "We all go
about the business of educating kids .
Our style and how we go about doing
that varies ." J. D. Fite, communica-
tions director at Marist. says that
while most parents are focused on
performance, they should choose a
school that will not only create an
environment w here a child can excel,
but one that w ill also nurture them and
help them to "develop as human
beings ." The key is finding a school
with a style and philosophy that com-
plement that of you and your child.
The process of selecting a private
school takes time and care, but is ulti-
mately w orth the effort. You'll know
that your child is preparing for his or her
future by receiving the best education
possible in the present. •
REMOVING THE LANGUAGE BARRIER
One of the more innovative new schools we've seen appear in Atlanta is
Tabula Rasa. Founded by Besa Ana Tarazhi, the school takes the services of
translators, interpreters and native language teachers to help teach new lan-
guages and cultures to students. Tarazhi's school, which is located near Cobb
Galleria Mall near the junction of 1-75 and 1-285, recognizes Atlanta's interna-
tional growth through companies like Coca-Cola, IBM, Siemens and others.
The point of this new school, says Tarazhi, is that "We hope bringing foreign
language classes combined with cultural events to Atlanta will make people
richer, will help them in the process of understanding the other cultures, and
will help the process of learning foreign languages." A noble pursuit, indeed.
To contact the school, call (770) 850-8413.
·-· -------1'""1"
....,. www.trlanguages.com
WHEN IN ATIANTA,
INDULGE IN
THE LOCAL FLAVORS.
At Atlanta's Most Nationally
Acclaimed Restaurants.
Enjoy finediningand impeccable service at theelegant Pano's & Paul's. Hearty, flavor-
ful Italian cuisineatVeniVidiVici. CreativelylightItalian dishes at themodernly outrageous
Pricci. ThefinestUSDA prime beef elevates power dining to its highestlevel atChops.
Feast on the energy and creative American cuisine at Buckhead Diner- the "ritziest
diner in the country."You'll find a nostalgic southem setting at theAtlanta Fish Market
serving the freshest seafood in town. Period.Enjoy taste sensations from around the
world at thefunkily European ComerCafe which offers a fusion menu,gourmetcoffees
and its own bakery
Experience theSouthwestat NAVAwith its authenticand theatrical presentation.
And for modem American cuisine enhanced byAsian flavors, enjoyBluepointe.
Or try KYMA for authenticGreek dishes from theGreek islands and mainland.
Don'tknow which to choose? Betterextend your stay in Atlanta.
Buckheadlife Restaurant Group ·www.buckheadrestaurants.com
Calll-877-BUCKHEAD for reservations.
KNOWAtlanta Spring 2002 67