What Are You Afraid Of?

What are parents afraid of when they cling to the current educational system? Aside from the issue of finances (a not-insignificant issue when you see local private school tuitions soaring into the mid-$20k range) why would parents who want the best for their kids continue to keep them in an institution that continues to educate their children as factory workers?

Fear.

What if my kid doesn't learn?

What if they cannot get into college?

Statistics to answer these questions are hard to come by; non-traditional students can be homeschooled, unschooled, privately schooled in a progressive school (like HoneyFern) or a free school (like The Sudbury School of Atlanta), occasionally public schooled, or some combination of these using online classes and early enrollment in college.  Every college in the union accepts homeschooled students, with some actively courting them. The Met Center in Rhode Island has a 100% acceptance rate to college, and 98% of graduating seniors go; they have a 94% high school graduation rate for a school that is public, non-traditional and accepts some of the most challenging students in Rhode Island.

For traditional schools, stats are easy. Here in Georgia, the graduation rate is 60%; this means that only 60% of students who entered high school graduate in four years. Graduation rates, as a whole, are dropping across the country, and only 25% of students tested recently on the NAEP writing test demonstrated proficiency in writing. Forty percent of college students in 2011 required at least one remedial class in their first year in college.

With statistics like those, there isn't much to cling to in the old way of doing things; it simply isn't working for the vast majority of students and is actively failing those at the very top and bottom of the spectrum (and doubly failing those who are 2e, combining gifts and challenges at the same time).

Don't be afraid. Come into the light, where your student is engaged, challenged and involved in their education. Embrace the 5e model of doing, and look beyond traditional schooling for your student. There is something more than a test score.

Don't be afraid.