founder's corner

AIMS is an established association of independent schools in Maryland and the District of Columbia. Roughly 120 member schools serve more than 45,000 students in grades PK – 12. Among the many ways AIMS supports its members is by creating a variety of professional development opportunities.

As we move towards report cards, midterms, and the end of the semester, it is natural that we all look at our children’s grades to take a temperature on their progress. If your child is failing or not doing well, this is an indicator to get support.

New Song Academy, a K-8 public school located in West Baltimore, MD, wanted to increase achievement expectations to complement its warm and nurturing school environment. School leadership also wanted to place a strategic focus on mathematics.

We are taking the joy out of learning real math, and in this TED talk, one of America’s most popular math educators does a brilliant job explaining the problem and why it is important for us to do something about it.

In every industry and field of study, there is always a set of best practices or rules that are the results of years of research, expert analysis, and international test comparisons that ensure the best and most accurate outcomes.

You’ll hear parents say, “Math is math! Why does my third grader have to explain how to multiply 2 x 3 when it’s obvious?” The answer is: Common Core.

Yes, I am one of those parents—the kind who drives her kids from sports field to sports field, investing $5,000+ a year on individual training, club teams, and travel back and forth. The minimum time each our children invests in practice is 20 hours a month.

With more than three million students taking the SAT and ACT tests each year, it’s no surprise that this fuels a lucrative test prep market. Parents who can afford to do so spend thousands of dollars on test prep companies and private tutors to handhold their students through the testing process.