Choosing from the available types of schools

All you need to know about public, private schools and homeschooling as a parent

According to UNESCO, 171M people could be lifted out of poverty if all students in low-income countries knew basic reading skills when graduating from school. That would result in a 12% cut in world poverty! In 2016 only, 750M adults worldwide still lacked basic reading and writing skills, with 2/3 of them being women.

With children spending ⅓ of their daily lives at school, the latter is crucial for shaping the future of the next generations. The primary goal of education is to offer individuals the foundations to develop essential skills used in their everyday lives. Also, with proper education, learners can contribute to society, developing reasoning and critical thinking. Nowadays, several types of schools exist that cover all needs and preferences. In various places around the world, there are three main types of schools:

• public schools
• private schools
• homeschooling

More precisely:

Public schools are funded by governments. The most common types of public schools are:

• Traditional Public Schools. They are situated in neighbourhoods and they are free to attend.
• Magnet Schools. As opposed to traditional public schools, magnet schools focus on specific educational areas such as STEM, technology, or the arts.
• Charter Schools. A charter school is run privately but funded publicly.
• Virtual Schools. Virtual education is offered online and can be synchronous, asynchronous, or a combination of the two.

Private schools are not funded by the government. Instead, they come with tuition fees. The most common types of private schools are:

• Traditional Private Schools. They can follow the educational programs of their choice.
• Religious Schools. They may focus on religious studies or combine those with secular academics.
• Schools With a Specific Approach. They apply a specific educational philosophy. Montessori schools, for example, help students explore the world through hands-on activities.
• Boarding Schools. A boarding school accommodates its students on campus. It is a community of students living and learning together.
• Language Immersion Schools. These schools teach their whole curriculum in a language other than their students’ mother tongue. In some cases, there is two-way immersion so that children learn their native along with the new language.
• Special Education Schools. These schools are designed for students with special needs. The teachers and professionals are well-versed in the modifications, treatments, or therapy their students may need, and offer an individualized educational plan.

Another type of school is Homeschooling. In this case, the parent or guardian requests permission from the state to homeschool their kid(s). Families may follow a predesigned curriculum or develop a curriculum of their own to support their child’s needs. This can be taught by either a hired educator or the parents and/or guardians themselves.

Although there are various types of schools for parents to choose from, they all have one common goal: to help children become the best version of themselves.

This is exactly what we aim for at Morphoses too.

We focus entirely on cultivating soft skills, those skills that enable us to work well with others and be resilient and independent and we expose young learners to interactive activities and specifically chosen tools and techniques, such as the Inquisitive Thinking Model, the PBL Methodology, and the Six Thinking Hats.

Complementing school education, Morphoses can offer children all the necessary skills to thrive both in their personal and social lives, both now and in the future.