Personalized Learning Is Why Charter Schools Are a Success

Personalized learning hasn’t really caught on in most educational formats. Up to recently, the closest thing to personalized learning has been the Montessori Method. However, there are several interpretations of what personalized learning should look like. Some advocates of this learning style envision it as students using their educational time to follow their interests, whatever they may be in the moment. There are some educators who prefer for students to have the option to choose from playlists. The playlists are curated activities based on various topics that allow students to choose how they present their work and what projects they undertake. Other educators conceptualize it with students working on adaptive software that tailors the learning to the student’s level of understanding.

Does It Work?

Even though there are multiple models of what personalized learning looks like, many charter schools are adopting this learning style. Why? Because it works. Parents who send their children to certified Utah charter schools tend to have happier students who are engaged in their learning and are experiencing great achievements. In most traditional public schools, teachers are already using digital tech to personalize student learning in one form or another. It is not the bulk of the learning style, but educators are using it because it helps students build their confidence in their ability to achieve, as well as deepen the learning while aiding in retention. It can be difficult to gauge the success of personalized learning because there are multiple ways to implement it. But it works because students can have more autonomy in their learning and can engage with the material that interests them to create a lasting learning experience

Why Push for Personalized Learning?

The push for this learning methodology stems from deeper trends in society and the education industry. Technology has completely transformed modern society. Data science tools that collect and analyze data and machine learning models are a big part of the driving force behind using technology in personalized learning. Educators like the idea of being able to meet the needs of students wherever they are in their learning journey. Another element that is pushing this learning model forward is an increasing opposition to standardized testing. Many people feel that teachers are being forced to teach for the test and both students and teachers are being robbed of an engaging and optimized educational experience.

The Final Verdict

The truth is that every student is different. During the pandemic, many students did not fare very well during the long absence from the traditional classroom. However, there were many students who thrived and made huge gains in their education. With limited empirical evidence, educators, administrators, and policymakers are tasked with making a big decision, but many charter schools have taken the leap and are seeing amazing results with their students. Personalized learning is showing a lot of promise.

Charter schools are a success all over the country partly due to their more open-minded approach to education. The students are succeeding academically because they have more autonomy with personalized education and they’re able to pursue academics more freely.