Is online homeschooling a healthy alternative to public school? This question has been sparking heated debates between parents, politicians, and psychologists all over the country.

From 2012 to 2013, only a minute percentage of the school-aged population was reported to be receiving their education at home. Over the past year though, the numbers of parents pulling their children out of public schools have been rapidly increasing.

Perhaps this can be accredited to new online schooling programs that have become easily available to the public. These programs claim to include a well-rounded curriculum that adjusts and caters to the individual needs of each child.

Is Online Homeschooling the Future of Education?

It is no surprise that parents are jumping at the opportunity to educate their children from home. There have been many serious issues with the public schooling system that have never been properly dealt with. These issues seem to fester and grow worse with each passing year.

Bullying and racism are two factors that can really never be eradicated from any large group of adolescents. Any school or political party that claims they can solve these deep-rooted social stigmas is impractical if not delusional. No rational parent would blame the school system for violent or abusive student behavior, but that doesn’t mean they want to risk exposing their children to it either.

Violent and negative influence do not always manifest in obvious ways. Peer pressure has been fueling a wide range of popular, yet detrimental, pastimes. Drug use, casual sexual activity, and eating disorders have all been affecting public schools all over the country in staggering numbers, resulting in an infestation of sexually transmitted diseases and pregnancy, overdoses, and hospitalization.

Religion is another key component as to why parents are deciding against public schooling. Indeed, this is one factor which has long fueled the private education vs public school debate. Long gone are the day where the student body is made to stand at attention at the beginning of the school day, and recite the pledge of allegiance. The modern day school system is overly cautious when it comes to dealing with religious practices or political affiliations. That is to say, they avoid them both at all costs.

While this neutral approach is wonderful for coping with the wide range of cultures and belief systems that make up the diverse American population today, many families are disappointed with the strictly secular curriculum that the country’s school system uses. Parents that wish to guard their children from foreign indoctrination, are finding that online homeschooling is an ideal way to ensure that their child is receiving a standard education in what they dream to be a “superior spiritual environment.”

There has also been an obvious decline in the quality of education over the past few years. Educators are unsure as to what has caused such a disturbing turnout when it comes to the country’s SAT scoring. Nationwide polls show that although trillions of dollars have been pumped into the country’s educations system, the median sat score of American high school students has gone down.

Parents are also complaining that schools are failing to provide students with the essential skills need in the work force. “It’s very nice that my son knows about the Boston tea party” PTA member Jennie Wolume says, “But that is not what is going to make him successful in the real world.”

Is Online Homeschooling an Option?

Many are finding online homeschooling to be the solution to all the problems found in the public schooling system. Parents rave that theses computer programs are designed to act as a personal tutor for their children. Each child can learn at his/her own pace, which removes stress from the educating process. It also allows parents to hand pick their child’s curriculum, keep track of progress, and ensure that their child is not being exposed to detrimental peer pressure. Many of these online homeschooling programs include college preparation courses, as well as a large selection of specialized subjects.

“I am very curious to see where this online homeschooling trend takes us as a country.” Psychologist and Education expert Adam Montagne speculates. “It may prove to be the perfect solution to every problem in current school system, or it could fail and die out. Only time will tell.”