Why Conservative Parents Are Sending Their Children to Online Schools
As more and more parents become disillusioned with the public education system, they are turning to online schools as an alternative for their children. While there are many different reasons for this shift, one of the main ones is that conservative parents believe online schools offer a better educational experience than traditional public schools.
In this blog post, we will explore some of the key reasons conservative parents send their children to online schools.
Conservative Parents – Who Are They?
The term “conservative” can mean different things to different people. However, when it comes to conservative parents choosing online schools for their children, certain common themes stand out. For example, these parents tend to value traditional values above all else. They also prioritize discipline and structure in the classroom.
These parents view public schools as places where children can feel free to express themselves and explore new ideas, which is not something that they see as being positive for young students.
They typically have a very strong belief that public schools prioritize political correctness and social issues over academic rigor. These parents might be religious, but this is only sometimes the case. They are often motivated by a desire to raise their children according to their moral beliefs, and they may feel that public schools do not give them enough control over what their children are learning.
Most of these parents must have also had negative experiences with the school system themselves, whether as students or parents. These factors can all play a role in making conservative parents less supportive of traditional public schools and more likely to consider other options for their children’s education.
Reasons Why Conservative Parents Send Their Children to Online Schools?
Conservative parents usually send their children to online schools for a number of different reasons. Some of the most common reasons include:
1. Increased Academic Rigor and Flexibility
Online schools offer more challenging college preparatory courses than traditional public schools, which can be a major draw for conservative parents looking for a high-quality education for their children. These schools also typically have much more flexible scheduling options, allowing students to learn at their own pace and in ways that work best with busy family schedules.
2. Greater Parental Involvement
Many conservative parents want to be more involved in their children’s education and believe that online schools will provide them with the opportunity to do so.
With the option to work one-on-one with teachers or to access a wealth of online resources, parents can be actively involved in their children’s education without having to leave home or attend school at specific times. This is often an attractive option for conservative parents who want to instill strong work and study habits in their children.
3. Improved Social Skills and Independence
Online schools also allow students to develop valuable social and independent learning skills, which many conservative parents feel are crucial for success in today’s world. Through collaborative projects and interactions with teachers and other students, students become more confident communicators who are less dependent on others for assistance.
Moreover, students can often cultivate a strong sense of independence and self-motivation, which are essential skills for success in any career path.
4. A Focus on Character Development
In addition to academic rigor and flexibility, many conservative parents believe online schools provide an excellent environment for developing key character traits such as integrity, perseverance, self-discipline, and leadership abilities.
These values are often more highly regarded in conservative circles, and many parents want to be sure that their children are given the opportunity to develop these qualities at school. Additionally, these are some of the attributes that tend to be rewarded most positively in today’s workplace.
5. Greater Religious and Moral Freedom
For conservative parents who hold strong religious or moral beliefs, online schools can often offer greater freedom in choosing educational materials and content that align with those values.
Many public schools are now moving towards providing more diverse curricula, but this shift has not always been easy at all levels of the school system, and many conservative parents prefer to educate their children at home instead. This is particularly true for families with very conservative or fundamentalist beliefs.
6. A Sense of Community and Belonging
Online schools can also provide a supportive network for students to thrive in, helping them feel accepted by their peers despite any differences they may have socially or culturally.
In addition to the opportunity for community and connection within the school, there are also many online communities that can provide a sense of belonging for conservative students.
These groups often feature shared interests in topics such as politics, constitutional law, or religion. Hence, they can be an excellent source of support during these formative years.
7. A Focus on Individualized Learning
In addition, conservative parents may find that online schools offer more opportunities than traditional public schools to allow their children to pursue unique passions through independent study and creative projects.
Rather than focusing primarily on standardized testing and assessment scores, online schools tend to value achievement goals rather than procedures or routines, allowing students to learn at their own pace according to what they’re genuinely interested in studying or pursuing as a career. This mindset is much more in line with the values of many conservative parents.
8. Improved Safety and Security
Another common concern among conservative parents is the issue of school security, including personal safety and academic integrity. With so many negative stories about bullying, violence, and sexual harassment in schools, many conservative parents worry a great deal about whether the environment at their child’s school is safe physically and emotionally.
Additionally, they are often equally concerned about any curriculum that may include exposure to contemporary morality issues or political discussion topics that could cause controversy. With online schooling, these problems can often be easier to avoid.
9. Lower Risk of Peer Pressure
Conservative parents often worry about the liberal ideas, values, and lifestyles that can dominate public school environments. Not only do these schools tend to include a wide range of perspectives on topics like sexuality and politics, but they also offer many opportunities for students to socialize with peers who may not share the same moral standards as conservative families.
Some private schools have been criticized for accepting controversial historical figures, political beliefs, or scientific theories contrary to conservative ideology. This can lead many conservative families, especially those with religious beliefs, to decide against traditional schooling in favor of online education.
10. Greater Access to STEM Courses and Career Pathways
While all students should be exposed to a well-rounded education, many parents and students – especially in conservative homes – may be concerned about overly liberal or experimental approaches to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics curricula.
In recent years, several well-known liberal movements have called for the inclusion of controversial topics like gender identity politics, climate change, and evolution within these courses. Rather than take this approach with their children, many conservative families choose online schools where they know that each course will encourage a balanced perspective on these critical subjects.
11. Greater Potential for Graduate School Placement
Students who take online high school coursework can use these classes as advanced positioning credit to earn a GED or complete their state graduation requirements early. This can help students to position themselves for better opportunities in college, trade schools, or even graduate school.
For example, a student enrolled at an online high school who takes advanced placement courses and earns the necessary scores on the AP exams will receive credit toward his post-secondary degree; this is beneficial because many colleges and universities grant higher course credits for AP classes than they do traditional courses.
12. Increased Support from Peers and Teachers
Because their fellow students are all taking classes online, conservative students have more of a community that provides encouragement and support during the educational journey. This applies to those struggling and those who excel in academics—they have additional support when trying to earn college credits or qualify for scholarships.
The teachers of online classes also provide students with more frequent contact than traditional teachers, and they can tailor their teaching style to the needs of their students. This can help conservative students who may struggle in some areas while excelling in others on a more personalized level.
As you can see, online schools have a lot to offer Conservative families as they seek an education that better fits their unique needs and values. Whether your family is looking for greater flexibility or religious freedom in your school choice, these online options might be just what you are looking for!
Final Thoughts!
With so many benefits to online education, it’s no wonder that conservative parents are sending their children to High School of America.
Our accredited program offers students increased academic rigor and flexibility, greater parental involvement, improved social skills and independence, a focus on character development, greater religious and moral freedom, a sense of community and belonging, a focus on individualized learning, improved safety and security, lower risk of peer pressure or exposure to harmful influences, and greater access to STEM courses and career pathways.
If you’re interested in learning more about these schools or want help enrolling your child in one, don’t hesitate to get in touch with High School of America today!