Welcome to the American School's blog. You will see our last thirty blog posts on this page. View the ten most recent blog posts here. View some of our favorite blog posts from the past decade here.
- Today’s Anniversary: Alabama - It's December 14, and Alabama became a state on this date in 1819. Every year we see many Alabama residents at a homeschool convention in Atlanta. We do our best to meet students from all 50 states in person each year at conventions, though sometimes that can be difficult. We've already begun planning for conventions... Read More
- Testimonial Thursday - We're back with another testimonial since it's Thursday. Jason from Ohio writes, "I am very pleased with the service and quality of the services offered by the American School. The study methods and textbooks and study guides are better than what are offered at public schools. Thank you for caring about what your students think." ... Read More
- Advisory Committee Meets to Discuss Recommendations - If you've read our previous blogs, you know that American School went through an accreditation visit earlier this year. As we reported in earlier blogs, we've been reaccredited by three different accrediting bodies, but that doesn't mean we can sit back and relax and rest on our laurels until the next accreditation visit. Actually the... Read More
- Today’s Anniversary: Indiana - It's December 11, and Indiana became a state on this date in 1816. Since our offices are very close to the Indiana-Illinois border, we have many Hoosiers who work for us. We also attend at least one convention in Indiana every year and are pleased that so many schools in Indiana use our high school... Read More
- Today’s Anniversary: Traffic Lights - It's December 10, and 150 years ago today the very first traffic lights were installed. Today we take traffic lights for granted, but imagine how much of a mess traffic would be if we didn't have green lights telling us to go and red lights telling us to stop at major intersections. Though we pride... Read More
- Remembering Pearl Harbor - It's December 7, and today is the 77th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor that propelled the United States into World War 2. Special events are planned throughout the day in Hawaii, and we encourage you to click the link in this blog and read about them. Two decades ago, the person who regularly... Read More
- Testimonial Thursday - Today we present another in our series of Testimonial Thursdays. Shelby from Ohio writes, "The textbooks were good. I liked the self-check tests. They were very helpful in showing me the areas I need to focus on. The instructors who graded my exams were very good and kind when writing comments on my exams." We... Read More
- Remembering President George H.W. Bush - It's December 5, and today is a National Day of Mourning for George H.W. Bush, the 41st President of the United States. American School remains neutral in political matters, but as we've written many times before, visiting presidential libraries can be a great way to learn about the presidency and make history come alive. The... Read More
- Celebrating Computer Science Education Week - We're in the middle of Computer Science Education Week, and so today's blog is a reminder that we offer courses that can improve your computer skills. Ideally we'd love to offer accredited online high school courses and accredited high school correspondence courses that focus on computers, but certain computer courses are difficult to complete on... Read More
- State of Illinois Celebrates Bicentennial - It's December 3, and our home state of Illinois is celebrating 200 years of statehood today. As Illinois celebrates its bicentennial, we are proud to say that we've been an Illinois business for more than half of that time. We were founded in Massachusetts in 1897 but moved to Illinois in the early 1900s. We've... Read More
- Today’s Birthday: Mark Twain - It's November 30, and Samuel Langhorne Clemens was born on this date in 1835. We know him better as Mark Twain, and if you visit Hannibal, Missouri, you'll get to see many of things that inspired him to create the characters of Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer and write some of history's greatest novels. We... Read More
- 2019 Poster, Poetry and Prose Contest - Today's blog has a special announcement for Illinois residents who are in sixth grade and taking print or online middle school courses as part of an accredited middle school program with us. You can enter the 2019 Poster, Poetry and Prose Contest by clicking the link in this blog. We do our best to notify... Read More
- About Unbound Study Guides - Today we have an announcement for students who take middle school or high school correspondence courses with us. Please do not be surprised if you receive unbound study guides. Doing so results in faster printing and gives us the opportunity to reprint individual pages rather than whole study guides should changes be necessary. We are... Read More
- Today’s Special Occasion: Giving Tuesday - It's November 27, the Tuesday after Thanksgiving and the day that has come to be known as Giving Tuesday. It's a day for people to give to the charitable organizations of their choice, and we want to take this opportunity to remind you that American School accepts donations from anyone who wishes to support quality... Read More
- Today’s Special Occasion: Cyber Monday - It's November 26, the Monday after Thanksgiving and the day traditionally known as Cyber Monday. Today's blog will highlight some of the online resources we have for our students. We have a solid lineup of quality online middle school courses and online high school courses. Included in those accredited online high school courses are world... Read More
- American School Closed November 22-23 - Today's blog announces that we will be closed November 22 and 23. We will reopen with regular business hours on Monday, November 26. We wish all of you a good weekend and look forward to serving you when our offices reopen next week.
- Happy Thanksgiving from American School - It's two days before Thanksgiving, and today's blog is a great opportunity for us to thank the students, parents, school officials and others who have made us their school of choice during the past year. We know you have many options for print and online middle school courses and print and online high school courses,... Read More
- Today’s Anniversary: The Gettysburg Address - It's November 19, and Abraham Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address on this date in 1863. It's one of the most famous speeches in history, and we are proud to offer accredited high school courses which could help you give outstanding speeches of your own one day. We do our best to give our students a... Read More
- New American Literature Course Available - American School is pleased to release a new American Literature course. The high school correspondence class consists of 8 exams and features the novel The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway. American Literature is recommended for 11th graders and is a fine addition to our already strong lineup of high school correspondence courses. ... Read More
- Testimonial Thursday - It's Thursday, so we have another testimonial for you. Today's comes from Corey in Nevada, who writes, "Everything was helpful. The comments from the instructor really helped me in future exams. I like the American School so much that I’m taking another course next year. Thank you for helping me and having such a great... Read More
- 2018 Convention #23: Indiana ISCA Fall Conference - Today's blog contains information about the final convention we're attending in 2018. We're staying relatively close to home and attending the Indiana School Counselor Association Fall Conference at the Marriott East in Indianapolis. Stop by table 57 on November 15 from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and November 16 from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. ... Read More
- American School Officially Receives MSA-CESS Accreditation - American School is proud to officially receive accreditation from the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools/Commissions on Elementary and Secondary Schools (MSA-CESS). This news comes on the heels of earlier accreditation by Ai and NCPSA. We are grateful to be accredited by three reputable accrediting bodies. Their accreditations allow us to continue to offer... Read More
- American School Closed Monday, November 12 - American School will be closed Monday, November 12, in observance of Veterans Day. As we've said many times before, we are proud to include the word "American" in our name, and the veterans we honor on November 12 are a big reason why. Because of them, we have the freedom to offer print and online... Read More
- New Electives Available - We are proud to announce that three new electives are available to our students. Each new high school correspondence class is a great addition to our already strong lineup of high school correspondence courses, and we hope that they will be great additions to your curriculum as well. Modern Metalworking has 10 exams and would... Read More
- Today’s Special Occasion: Election Day - It's November 6, and today is Election Day. As a reminder, American School does not take any political stances or support any political candidate, but today is still a good time for us to tell you why you should vote for us and make us your distance education high school or middle school. We allow... Read More
- National Distance Learning Week Begins Today - It's November 5, and today is the first day of National Distance Learning Week. We have been a distance learning school since our founding in 1897, though the way we deliver distance learning courses has changed over the years. For decades we offered only high school correspondence courses. Then we offered online high school courses. ... Read More
- Daylight Saving Time Ends Sunday - Today's blog has a reminder for most of you to turn your clocks back one hour Saturday night before you go to sleep. Unless you live in a place where Daylight Saving Time is not observed, you'll "fall back" and gain an extra hour of sleep. We realize that many students "fall back" in school... Read More
- 2018 Convention #22: Missouri MSCA Fall Conference - About a week ago we attended one MSCA Fall Conference, and this week we're attending another. Instead of heading northeast to Michigan, we're heading southwest to Missouri for the Missouri School Counselor Association Fall Conference. Counselors in the Show Me State are invited to visit us at the Tan-Tar-A Resort in Osage Beach on November... Read More
- Today’s Special Occasion: Halloween - It's October 31, and today is Halloween. It's a day traditionally featuring scary things and frightening creatures like ghosts and goblins, and maybe some of you think homeschooling is scary too. You may not know where to begin, what courses to take, or how to do it. Let us help! We offer print and online... Read More
- Today’s Anniversary: Helena, Montana - It's October 30, and the city of Helena, Montana was founded on this date in 1864. That year was part of the Montana Gold Rush, and a group of settlers came across an area called Last Chance Gulch which later became Helena. Montana is home to author Christopher Paolini, who took our high school correspondence... Read More
