The Rise of Education Alternatives For Children
Parental choices in educating children can be a nightmare. While public schools do offer more opportunities for students in certain areas, they also come with a great deal of baggage that many parents are finding increasingly unacceptable.
Public School Failures
In light of the many problems that have been exposed in public schools with violence, assaults, drugs, dangerous risk-taking trends, and bullying, it is no wonder parents across the country are leaving the traditional norms of education in favor of alternative education platforms.
Public schools are often filled with some of the worst education problems such as:
- Overcrowding
- High Student-Teacher Ratios
- Unacceptable or Ineffective Curriculum
- Low Information Retention
- Poor Study Skills
- Poor Testing and Ineffective Teaching
- Drugs
- Alcohol
- Bullying
- Peer Pressures
- School Violence
- Problems with Morals and Value Systems
- Lack of Creativity and Independence
- Dangerous Risk-Taking Trends
- Exposure to too Much Social Media
- Increased Exposure to Illnesses
All these areas of trouble in public schools has created a large spike of parents seeking out alternative educational opportunities for their children. Most often, these different educational solutions are sought to help their children have a better chance in life. In fact, today 1.8 million children are presently being homeschooled in America. Double what it was just 16 years ago.
Seeking A Different Education Platform
When looking at the best opportunities for educating children today, many parents have questions on what their options are and how they can best find a substitute way of educating their child in a safer more supportive environment, so they can excel better. In the last few decades as the increasing trend away from public schools has blossomed, there has been a rise in alternative education opportunities that range from more traditional private schools to homeschooling.
In many cases, parents cite that the problems within the public-school systems become so noticeable and frightening, they can no longer accept it for their children. Sadly, on an almost monthly basis, there is some major feature story in the local and national about disturbing and violent problems that are increasingly happening in public schools across the country. Some of which have shown the increasingly frightening and deadly realities of public-school education problems.
While violence in public school seemed more of a random problem in the 1980s, today many school districts throughout the country, are exhibiting a host of serious problems that affect the way children learn and what their futures will hold. In 2017 an FBI report came out that over 17,000 students had filed reports of sexual abuse in the nation’s public schools over several year periods which they expect was far under-reported. That is a frightening reality that would make most parents cringe.
Excellent Educational Alternatives
For the parents that choose to find educational alternatives, most are seeking programs that are designed to offer better educational opportunities and a more supportive, safe environment than public schools offer. While there are no absolutes, the trends that have been most increasing include:
- Home Schooling
- Private Teachers
- Group Home Schooling
- Distance Learning Education
- Private Schools
- Christian and Catholic Schools
- Alternative Public Schools
- Magnet Schools
- Charter Schools
- Out of District Transfers
- Trade Schools
Other educational school programs include both unschooling and boarding schools. However, these two platforms for education have not seen a significant increase in the same way as the forums mentioned above.
Home Schooling, Distance Learning and Private Teachers
In general, home schooling does not require standard tuition of any sort. However, if the parents of the homeschooler decide to have their child in a distant learning homeschooling, then tuition will apply. Additionally, parents that find a private teacher or tutor will have to pay for their services as well.
There are significant advantages to homeschooling with private teachers, tutors, group homeschooling and distant learning. This style of the educational platform allows parents to have much greater input on curriculum for their child. It also significantly reduces the number of peer pressures, safety hazards and bad influences they are exposed to as they grow into adulthood.
Additionally, because the curriculum is guided more by the parents of the homeschooler, the option of homeschooling with private teachers, tutors, group homeschooling and distant learning offers an enormous amount of flexibility in field trips, peer interactions, after-school activities, vacation time, value and moral education as well as homework and self-study requirements.
In general, students who are properly homeschooled with a good curriculum prove to be better college students and more prepared for college learning. Much of this is because they have already learned one of the skills many traditional students entering college have not yet acquired. These include much higher ability rates of self-study and self-accountability skills.
Tuition For Education Alternatives
Of all these education formats, quite a few of them require school tuition be paid. Private schools, Christian and Catholic schools, distance learning education and out of district transfers all require some level of money be paid in exchange for their educational opportunities.
In some cases, these schooling alternatives have tuition that is equivalent to some college tuition levels. That is why it is important to seriously look at the investment being made and what the return on investment will be for their child as they grow into adulthood.