5 Signs It's Time to Move Your Child Out of Traditional Public School

Watching your child struggle in the classroom can be gut-wrenching. Of course you want them to learn, grow, and reach their full potential.

Unfortunately, the traditional school setting is not the right fit for every student.

If you suspect your child isn’t getting what they deserve out of traditional public school, it’s worth it to do some digging. After all, their future is on the line.

We’re here to help. Read on for five signs that it’s time to move your child out of traditional public school and a breakdown of your child’s alternative learning options.

The Growing Problems with Traditional Public Schools

If you’re worried that traditional public school isn’t meeting your child’s learning needs, you’re not alone. There are a number of problems that have long plagued traditional schools, and many are now coming to a head. Here are some problems that seem to be baked into traditional school systems:

Less Choice

With traditional public schools, learners are confined to a single education option based on their ZIP code. In many cases, that can put students at a disadvantage—especially if they come from a low-income area. Unfortunately, if your school isn’t working out, you don’t have many outside traditional public schooling options—aside from picking up and moving.

Ineffective Learning Methods

We all know different students learn at different rates, and they grow through different learning styles. Alarmingly, the methods most traditional public schools are using simply aren’t reaching students. In fact, according to the latest Nation’s Report Card, only around a third of eighth graders are now proficient in reading and math.

Why?

One explanation could be the lack of flexibility that’s binding traditional public schools to ineffective methods. Many traditional public schools are so dependent on national testing standards and district requirements that there’s little room for flexibility in the classroom. As a result, it’s harder to implement advanced learning techniques in a traditional school—even if the method has the potential to reach students on a deeper level.

Crowded Classrooms

In many cases, traditional public schools across the nation are simply overcrowded. This puts an unfair burden on teachers and makes it more difficult to deliver personalized instruction. In a packed classroom, students can easily fall behind without being noticed or be stuck ahead of the class, bored and waiting for the group to catch up.

Signs That Traditional Public School Isn’t Working

Wondering how you can tell if traditional public school is holding your child back? You can start by looking for these red flags.

1. Your Student Doesn’t Feel Engaged

If your student is bored or uninterested in school, it may be because learning content isn’t relatable or teaching styles simply aren’t engaging. If you want to drive deeper learning, spoon-feeding a student any old curriculum just doesn’t cut it. Coursework should be stimulating and fit your student’s learning style. Otherwise, they’ll have a tough time finding the motivation to learn.

2. Your Student Is Missing Class or Falling Behind

If your student is missing class or has fallen behind, they may be a victim of a rigid traditional public school system. Because traditional schools force students to abide by a strict daily schedule, it’s easy for student athletes, artists, and other performers to miss school and learning opportunities. Unfortunately, that same inflexible structure makes it hard for students to catch up and get back on track for graduation.

3. Your Students Isn’t Getting Attention

Especially in a crowded classroom, it’s easy for a student to feel lost or unattended to. That can lead to a feeling of disconnect that causes children to dread going to school. Because many traditional schools lack the personalized learning methods students crave, it’s not uncommon for students to struggle to keep up or feel bored as they wait for others to catch up.

4. Your Student Doesn’t Feel Safe

It’s crucial that students feel safe in their learning environment. Alarmingly, an increasing number of students are skipping school because they don’t feel safe. Whether your child is worried about bullying or is one of the majority of teens worried about school shootings, the dangers of traditional public classrooms could easily be distracting your student from learning.

5. Your Student Isn’t Being Prepared for Life After Graduation

Suspect traditional public school isn’t properly preparing your student for life after graduation? There’s a good chance your suspicions are correct. Throughout the U.S., students aren’t graduating from college at the rates they should be. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, only 41 percent of college students graduate in four years. If you notice coursework is watered down and your student isn’t challenged, it could leave them underprepared after graduation.

How Alternative Learning Can Help

Luckily, if traditional public school isn’t right for your child, there are alternative learning options that you can turn to for better outcomes. That may mean considering an online public charter school as an alternative option.

Wondering how public charter schools differ from traditional public schools?

Like traditional public schools, public charters are free and open to the public. However, they’re run under a different set of regulations than traditional public schools. Public charters are expected to uphold the standards set by a charter. That means they’re able to use flexible learning models and alternative learning techniques to improve student success.

It’s important to understand that not all public charters will be a better option than traditional public school for your child. However, advanced online public charters will feature some distinct advantages. Here are a few:

More Personalized Learning

Quality public charter schools will focus on small class sizes and personalized learning. In some cases, that includes engaging coursework and interest-driven programs, such as learning extension tiles.

More Stimulating Coursework

Advanced online schools include self-paced coursework that allows students to learn at their own speed. That means they can get extra help with difficult subjects, catch up quickly when they’re behind, and keep advancing without having to wait for classmates.

More Scheduling Freedom

Online learning is a popular choice for student athletes and artists because it gives them more freedom to plan out their days. Plus, when students have to hit the road for games or performances, they can keep learning without consequence.

A Safer Classroom

Beyond letting learners grow within the secure space they choose, the best online schools will set up safeguards against online bullying and run regular safety reports. That makes for a more secure environment in which students feel comfortable learning.

See How Method Schools Can Help

At Method Schools, we want to see your child succeed. That’s why we offer small class sizes and personalized, online coursework. Here are some advantages to learning with Method:

• Our teachers and counselors are experts in distance learning
• Coursework is self-paced and teachers use targeted direct instruction (TDI)
• Curriculum is UC A-G approved and aligns with NCAA regulations
• Our school is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC)

Want to learn more about Method Schools? Talk with one of our education experts today.