STUDENT PERFORMANCE

The county’s public school system is a leader in the state and consistently posts some of the best scores on statewide assessment tests in reading and mathematics.
On the 2005 SAT, seniors scored a combined average of 1113 points, compared with the statewide average of 1026 and a national average of 1028.
More than 90 percent of Howard County students in the class of 2005 planned to continue their education after graduation, with 64 percent attending four-year institutions, 24 percent attending two-year colleges and 2.5 percent entering trade or technical schools.
SAT scores and state performance data for specific schools can be viewed on the school system’s Web site at www.howard.k12.md.us title="k12" target="_blank">www.howard.k12.md.us under “test scores.”

SCHOOL RESOURCES

The school system spends $58.06 on each of its pupils a day, totaling $10,451 per student each year.
Fifty-six percent of the system’s nearly 4,098 teachers hold master’s degrees. The average teacher has 12.2 years of teaching expereince and is 39 years old. In the fall of 2005, the county revamped its technology school by launching a Career Academy program featuring classes ranging from finance to culinary science.
The academies offer study paths for students going immediately into trade school or work and for college-bound students.
Other academy classes include multimedia and computer technology; biotechnology and health services; energy, power and transportation; architecture and engineering; business and entrepreneurship; hotel management and education. As part of the program, students conduct hands-on research at the central Applications and Research Laboratory, housed in the former Howard County Technology School near Columbia.
Each high school offers honors and advanced placement courses for academically gifted and talented students. Similar programs are available for elementary and middle school youngsters, based on the “enrichment triad” model developed by Joseph Renzulli, a national expert in educating gifted students.
The system also offers an innovative program to encourage the academic achievement of
black students, who make up 19 percent
of enrollment.
Many local schools are within walking distance of homes. Bus service is provided for kindergartners who live at least a half-mile from school, students in grades one to eight who live at least one mile away, and high school students who live more than 1.5 miles away. Buses also transport students who attend nonpublic and special education schools.

COMMUNITY INVOLVMENT

Parents volunteer in the classroom and assist in information centers that include everything from books to television cameras and filmmaking equipment.
Twice a month, parents and other citizens can take suggestions to a “ public forum” at meetings of the Howard County Board of Education, the five-member elected body that oversees the schools. The board will be expanded to seven elected members in the 2006 elections.
Beyond providing the regular educational program, schools serve as centers for community events. Churches, along with neighborhood and county recreation groups, use buildings for meetings, classes and other activities.

EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION

Parents of young children have many resources available to them. Programs vary in size and type and include parent-operated co-op preschools, private preschools, programs sponsored by religious organizations, Montessori schools, day-care programs and programs for children with disabilities.
Information about early childhood programs and services can be obtained from the following offices:

• Howard County Child Care Resource Center, 410-313-1940, www.co.ho.md.us/ocs/childsrvcs./ .SFchildcarecenter.htm.
• Child Find, 410-313-7046. This program provides assessment and evaluation services to preschool-age children who may be in need of special education services.
• Extended Elementary Education Program, 410-313-5660. This program, sponsored by the county school system, provides preschool for 4-year-olds from lower-income families at seven elementary schools.
• Howard County Head Start, 410-313 -6440. The program operates in two Howard County locations.
  Special needs and alternatives

County public schools offer many programs for children with special needs. Children with disabilities are included in regular classrooms whenever possible, assisted by specialists. Cedar Lane School in Fulton is the county’s special education center that provides classes for students who are developmentally delayed and have multiple disabilities. The Homewood School in Ellicott City houses programs to meet the needs of individual students who have difficulty functioning in traditional classroom settings.
The private Linwood Center in Ellicott City, a pioneer in educating autistic children, offers both day and residential programs. The independent Norbel School for children with language-based difficulties, learning disabilities or attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, moved from Baltimore to Elkridge in 2002.

PRIVATE SCHOOLS

Parents who prefer private schools have many options locally, including Glenelg Country School, The Young School and approximately 15 parochial schools in the county, as well as private schools in the greater Baltimore- Washington corridor.

HIGHER EDUCATION

There are many opportunities for adults to pursue lifelong learning at Howard Community College and county branches of regional and national schools and universities.

• Howard Com­munity College offers two-year degree and certificate programs in the arts, sciences, business and humanities, with a special emphasis on health-related fields such as nursing and cardiovascular technology.
  HCC’s Business Training Center, located in Columbia Gateway, offers training in management, computers and advanced technology. The college also offers noncredit courses in such areas as travel, foreign languages, arts and crafts and real estate principles, as well as classes for school-age children.
• Johns Hopkins University operates a Columbia center with upper division and graduate programs in education, administration, arts and sciences, and organization and human resource development. Located in Columbia Gateway, the center also has noncredit courses, computer laboratories and intercampus library facilities.
• Loyola College has a Columbia center, offering master’s degrees in education, business, and speech and hearing. Loyola has a highly touted pastoral counseling program and conducts noncredit seminars devoted to professional review. The Business Center in Owen Brown serves as headquarters for Loyola’s Center for Family, Work and Education.
• The University of Maryland’s University College offers a variety of evening classes for credit at local high schools and at Fort Meade.
• Lincoln Technical Institute, one of the nation’s oldest trade schools, has a branch in Columbia. It offers a one-year automotive technology course and a 10-month heating and ventilation course.
• The University of Phoenix has a Columbia branch that offers programs leading to bachelor’s and master’s degrees in business administration, business management, information technology, human resources and e-business.