Coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic, some moms and dads of kids registered in public schools have actually made, or are considering making, transfers to alternative modes of education. Independent schools, parochial schools, and homeschooling have all reported greater interest over the previous year, and while registration information is not yet solid sufficient to officially call it a trend, it appears that some shifts away from public schools will occur in the next year.

Much of this stems from the disturbance of the pandemic and the versatility that private schools needed to bring students back to the class. A current survey by Education Next discovered that the moms and dads of kids enrolled in a private school were most likely to be “really satisfied” with their instructional experience this year than moms and dads of children in charter or public schools. In March 2021, the U.S. Census Bureau reported that 11.1 percent of homes with school-age children reported homeschooling, double the previous years figure.

Serving trainees with impairments

Services for students with unique requirements are mandated by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), a federal law that needs each state to ensure that a totally free appropriate public education (FAPE) is available to all eligible kids with disabilities. This education is provided by the Local Education Agency (LEA), which is the public school system where the child lives.

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Kate Eberle Walker, CEO, PresenceLearningKate Eberle Walker is a CEO, author, and working mama. She is the CEO of PresenceLearning, the leading company of live, online special education-related services for K-12 schools. She is an education market leader with 20-plus years of experience managing, advising, acquiring, and purchasing education business, and the author of the brand-new book, The Good Boss: Nine Ways Every Manager Can Support Women at Work.