Parents cite large class size in traditional schools as one reason they choose to find alternative educational frameworks for their children. Many traditional schools have 30 or more students in the class, leaving the teacher with little or no time to provide personal attention to individual students.
Teachers in traditional classrooms usually assign all the students in the class the same material, no matter what level suits them. Slower students find it difficult to keep up, while quicker students become bored with classwork that is geared toward the "average."
Traditional schools usually follow the philosophies of their school boards, staff and parents' associations. Some parents seek out non-conventional school that follows a religious or philosophical doctrine, which will ensure that the child receives an education that fits the parents' values or educational philosophies.
Teachers in traditional schools voice the observation that alternative schools skim off the stronger student population and, with it, they take the more involved, knowledgeable parents. Parents may not consciously wish to weaken the students in the local school system. If they see that the traditional schools have a lower percentage of motivated students and involved parents, they may prefer to place their child in a non-traditional environment catered to higher-level students.
Some parents and students, particularly homeschoolers, express their satisfaction with a schedule and curriculum that fits the interests of the students. Students may want to spend more time on a project or unit that interests them and less time on subjects they find boring or difficult. Alternative educational frameworks allow this flexibilitym whereas a traditional school does not have the option of adjusting the curriculum to the students' wishes.
The physical constraints of a traditional school mandate that students stay seated during lessons and that the classwork takes place within the confines of the classroom. Alternative educational frameworks, particularly the homeschooling option, allows the teacher/parent to take the learning "into the field," learning through observations and real-life examples in community sites and on field trips.