If you live in a larger community or urban area, your teen may have the choice of several different high school programs. The choice of high school can be an important turning point in your teen's life, because he may be able to choose a school that more closely meets his individual needs or learning style, or focuses on a program geared to his interests.

Specialty Schools

Many communities have magnet schools or specialized schools, such as schools with a focus on the visual or performing arts, an emphasis on science and technology, or a strong college preparatory curriculum. If your child has a strong interest and aptitude, the magnet school may provide a more stimulating environment. Because of the high coincidence of dyslexia with creativity, schools with a focus on arts often have a large population of kids with learning styles similar to your teen's, even if they are not formally diagnosed with dyslexia. Attending a school where the students share a common interest may help keep your teen motivated and foster stronger friendships with his peers. Many magnet schools have special audition or testing requirements to gain entry; be sure to inquire about these procedures at least a year before your child is scheduled to start high school.

If your teen continues to struggle with academics or seems to lack motivation to complete a college preparatory curriculum, he may want to choose a vocational high school. These high schools will provide training geared to giving your child marketable skills, as well as including a basic academic curriculum. Many students at vocational high schools do go on to college. Usually the classes given in the student's chosen area of concentration are hands-on and very practically oriented. Many students with dyslexia begin to feel comfortable with school for the first time when they are able to begin to learn and apply skills in areas of interest.

There are a wide array of skills and programs taught at vocational high schools in various parts of the country. Some examples are electronics, graphic design, television production, carpentry, cosmetology, culinary arts, horticulture, information technology, automotive, child care, architectural drafting, data processing, telecommunications, and marketing. Attending a vocational high school can be a rewarding experience for a student who is uncertain about her academic interests and abilities. The teen can experience increased self-confidence through gaining technical job skills, and this can be a valuable boost for a student whose difficulties with reading or writing might otherwise make it difficult to gain employment.

Most school districts also have alternative or continuation high schools. These are schools that usually serve students who have become disenchanted with the regular high school environment. The schools provide a focus on building student self-esteem and helping to get disaffected high schoolers back on track. Generally faculty-student ratio is quite low and the schools are very small compared to regular high schools. Many of the students have had disciplinary problems at other high schools, but students may choose to attend an alternative high school for many reasons. The goal of these schools is to provide students who are not able to function well in the traditional high school environment with the counseling and teaching needed to earn a high school diploma. If your teenager is in danger of failing or considering dropping out of high school, the alternative high school environment may be the place where he is able to regroup and salvage his education.

School Size and Scheduling

Even if the school does not have a special academic or educational program, your teen may be faced with some choices related to the way courses are scheduled or the size of the school. Traditionally, high school students will take six or seven classes daily, moving from one period of approximately forty-five minutes to another with very short breaks in between. Many high schools have shifted to block scheduling, which allows the student to take the same number of courses overall, but class periods are longer and there are fewer classes each day; usually there are also longer break periods between each class.

The advantage of the block schedule is that the student has fewer classes to worry about each day — usually only three or four — and longer class periods allow teachers to explore subjects in greater depth and give more attention to their students. Many students with dyslexia have a very difficult time handling transitions, and with organizing and keeping track of assignments for their classes. For these students, the traditional high school day may simply be overwhelming, and the more leisurely pace of the block schedule may be helpful. The drawback with block scheduling is that more material must be covered in each class; in a difficult subject, such as mathematics or chemistry, a student may find that the teacher is simply covering too much ground in a single class session. A student with difficulty focusing attention for sustained periods may simply not have the stamina for a class that lasts ninety minutes or more.

More school districts are moving toward “small schools” or “learning communities,” often housing several small high schools with a few hundred students each, within a single campus once occupied by a larger, traditional high school. The concept of a small school is simply to provide a more supportive environment for students in a context where the faculty has a better opportunity to know the students, and students have a greater sense of responsibility because they get to know one another and their teachers quite well. Discipline problems tend to be reduced, because the small school setting simply allows teachers to keep a closer watch on their students. The small school movement may also lead to a greater number of options, as schools can develop very specialized areas of focus. The disadvantage is that the smaller schools have more limited resources, and within each school there will be fewer choices for classes and electives than is typical at a larger high school.