Authorizing the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 has led to many other calls for reformation to public education, such as those to finding alternatives. These alternatives have included privatizing education in America. Many companies see the profit in providing educational services to parents able to pay for these services. States are finding that by providing alternative schools, they can reduce the rate of dropouts. Parents who are completely opposed to public education have found themselves teaching the curriculum at home. Although homeschooling has been around for quite some time, the practice has only recently become popular.
Perhaps the most popular notion of the alternatives to public schooling comes in the form of privatizing education. In The Expanding Role of Privatization in Education: Implications for Teacher Education and Development, parents were given options to seek outside tutoring sessions to complement the workload or lack of, the students were receiving in school. (Molnar & Garcia, 2007). Furthermore, it’s not at all inconceivable that parents will combine forces to push for subsidizing options for these schools by the government. Re-Engineering Education in America focuses on this as well as the competition associated with the privatization of education services. (Lemke, 2007.) Equally as important to privatization are those companies looking to fill the arguable void of public schools with varieties of software materials. (Lemke, 2007).
Aside from privatizing education, there has been plenty of discussion on the use of alternative schooling. While many people believe alternative schooling is for those students who have social or behavioral problems, this is not always the case. School Characteristics That Influence Student Attendance: Experiences of Students in a School Avoidance Program discusses the effects of alternative schools on students with special needs. (Wilkins, 2008). Bullock (2007) contends these programs must meet the vocational needs and interests of these students in Introduction to the Special Issue: Ensuring Student Success Through Alternative Schools. The students attribute their success to the relationship with teachers and the overall learning environment. (Wilkins, 2008). The Effectiveness of a Solution-Focused, Public Alternative School for Dropout Prevention and Retrieval focuses on the ability of alternative schools to provide the necessary motivation to risk drop out students. (Franklin, Streeter, Kim, & Tripodi, 2007).
With privatization and alternative schools not quite meeting the expectations of some parents on the education system, they have decided to take matters into their own hands, literally. Homeschooling has seen rises in popularity in recent years, especially with the availability of educational materials to private citizens. Who Needs Teacher Education? Gender, Technology, and the Work of Home Schooling disputes the notion that parents are ill-prepared and ill-equipped to provide a thorough education for their children that will allow the students to pursue post-secondary education. (Apple, 2007). Again, the determining factor in all this is the learning environment that the parents provide. Lemke (2007) argues that parents feel they have no other choice given the current state of affairs. If the privatization of education services continues, perhaps the popularity of homeschooling will only increase; since feel, they have more tools at their disposal.
Whether privatizing, offering alternative programs, or homeschooling, America’s education system looks for a vast overhaul in the coming years. Competition for post-secondary education is at an all-time high and students are looking to advance their academic profiles in every way possible. However, some schools are looking for ways to simply keep the students in their seats. Parents continue to plead for changes to this system to provide the students with the best possible opportunities. Private companies have and will continue to make the most of this push by providing numerous sources of educational materials.
References
Apple, M. W. (2007). Who Needs Teacher Education? Gender, Technology, and the Work of Home Schooling. Teacher Education Quarterly, 34(2), 111-131.
Bullock, L. M. (2007). Introduction to the Special Issue: Ensuring Student Success Through Alternative Schools. Preventing School Failure, 51(2), 3-5.
Franklin, C., Streeter, C. L., Kim, J. S., & Tripoldi, S. J. (2007). The Effectiveness of a Solution-Focused, Public Alternative School for Dropout Prevention and Retrieval. Children & Schools, 29(3), 133-145.
Lemke, J. (2007). Re-Engineering Education in America. Language Arts, 85(1), 52-61.
Molnar, A., & Garcia, D. R. (2007). The Expanding Role of Privatization in Education: Implications for Teacher Education and Development. Teacher Education Quarterly, 34(2), 11-25.
Wilkins, J. (2008). School Characteristics That Influence Student Attendance: Experiences of Students in a School Avoidance Program. High School Journal, 91(3), 12-24.