Pros and Cons of Educational Models
I got this by email from Veritas Press today and thought it was a pretty even-handed assessment:
Feature Article
Pros and Cons of Educational Models
The one thing we can say about educational models today with all the certainty in the world is that they are in a state of flux. Twenty years ago schools were the norm, home schools were rare and online education was, well, unheard of. Ten years ago the internet and educational products and services were far more limited compared to now. Today a confluence of ideas and practices is occurring at a rapid pace.
There are a handful of models commonly used for education. In no particular order they are: traditional Christian schools, home schools, university model schools, co-ops, online education, and tutors. Many times a child’s education involves a combination of two or more of these models-even simultaneously. Two of my three college age children have had online classes while in college, even while living in the town where the courses were offered in a classroom setting. (Think of the irony of paying room and board for them to do that.) With our eyes open we need to consider the pros and cons of these models and the effects they have on our children.
Traditional Christian Schools are relatively easy for parents, teachers are typically well-trained experts, a good Christian community can result, extra-curriculars are generally very available, and they provide a good comparison for how a given child is doing in relation to his peers. Unfortunately, they require less parental interaction with their children, students get less individual attention, they are less efficient than some other models, children spend too much time with peers, and they are quite costly.
Home Schools involve both quality and quantity time with one’s children, can be tailored to run at the pace of the student, are quite efficient, can have a customized curriculum to suit the needs and interests of the student, are much less costly than schools, and can be flexible regarding schedule and location. Unfortunately, home schools may have parents who are inexperienced or lack teaching gifts, teachers/parents have other duties that compete for priority, can tend to isolate children and their families from building community, require students to go elsewhere for team sports and other extra-curriculars, and tend to lack accountability standards.
University Model Schools have some of the best aspects of both traditional schools and home schools. Expert teachers, extra-curriculars, good comparisons for how children are doing, and good Christian community can result. Unfortunately, they also have some of the worst attributes of both schools and home schools. They take away the flexibility of schedule and location, customizable curriculum and a student-tailored pace while being fairly costly and not as easy for parents.
Co-ops allow for expert teachers and are generally fairly inexpensive. Unfortunately, they may not deal with abnormal learning issues and disciplinary needs as well as other models, and they can be quite inefficient-especially when factoring travel time.
Online education has many of the benefits of schools without leaving home. They include well-trained experts for teachers, good comparisons for how a given student is doing, and are easy on the parent. Unfortunately, they lack extra-curriculars and, while they can be attended from any location, they are bound to a particular schedule if the class is live (synchronous). If the class they attend is recorded (asynchronous) they lack extensive interaction.
Tutors, a retro idea, help parents by providing expertise at considerable expense. This is particularly ideal for disciplines like math.
As you consider the educational options in light of your circumstances now and in the future, there are some questions that will help you decide what is best for your family at any given time.
►How hands on do you want to be in your children’s education?
►What is your family’s lifestyle?
►What are your gifts and talents?
►What can you afford?
►What is the best learning model for your children?
►Are your options limited by where you live?
And always remember: thoughtful consideration and good planning is an important part of educating your children. The time with your children will go by fast. Don’t get to the end of it and realize you didn’t accomplish what you wanted to.
–Marlin Detweiler
