Browse by topic
Subscribe to our news

School Choice

9 Compelling Reasons To Enroll Your Child at Method Schools For 2023-24

Parents are the greatest influencers in the lives of their children, responsible for laying the foundation that paves the way for their children's future. Considering how important education is, parents should be careful in choosing the kind of schooling their children will receive. Gone are the days where a student enrolled at the school most geographically aligned to their home address. Parents, and their students, have choices now. School choice is here to stay, and that means more options for a tuition-free personalized learning experience for each and every student. Method Schools is an exceptional option (if I do say so myself) that embodies innovation, progress, and multidimensional learning. In this blog post, we’ll share the top 9 reasons why enrolling your child at Method schools will be a wise decision.
Read

mountain biking

Is Mountain Biking The Perfect Sport For Teenagers?

It's summer, and yes it's hot - but getting outside has never been more important. As a parent, it can be tough to find the right sport or activity that your teenager will be interested in and stick with long-term. Mountain biking, however, is a great option to consider. Not only is it a challenging and fun sport, but it also comes with a plethora of benefits for teenagers, both physically and mentally. And, did you know that Southern California has literally thousands of mountain biking trails?
Read

School Choice

Embracing Educational Freedom: Utilizing School Choice For Your Child's Success

School choice has been a controversial issue in California public education nearly since the inception of charter schools in 1992. Throughout the years, the debate surrounding school choice has intensified, as various stakeholders vie for influence over the direction of the state's educational system. In this context, school choice has become an arena for competing interests and ideologies. Sadly, like so many other critical topics, school choice has become politicized - at the expense of students. But there is hope - lots of it - thanks to students and their loved ones who continue to demand a more personalized school experience.
Read

Online Learning

Considering Online School For Your Child? What To Know Before Enrolling

As education continues to evolve, many parents are turning to online schools as an alternative to traditional brick-and-mortar schools. While online schools provide the convenience and flexibility that many families need, choosing the right online school for your child can be a daunting task. With so many options available, it's important to consider several factors to ensure that you are choosing the best online school for your child's needs. In this blog post, we'll explore some things that parents should look for when selecting an online school. Here are some things to look for:
Read

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

How We View Artificial Intelligence At Method

Artificial intelligence (AI) has been making waves in various industries, and public education is no exception. AI technology is slowly revolutionizing the education system, offering new and innovative ways to help students learn more effectively. This is certainly the case at Method, where we're always working on making school more personal and effective (and fun) for our students. In this blog post, we'll explore the applications of AI in public education, including:
Read

Charter Schools

Forget The Myths: School Choice Means Putting Students First

Recently, The New Yorker spotlighted the sitcom Abbott Elementary – a comedy about a Philadelphia public elementary school. Abbott Elementary School’s latest nemesis was the bright and shiny charter school down the street. This charter school draws away the “good” kids. They have the brand new building, the new textbooks, the fully equipped computer lab. Yes, the show is a comedy and the mischaracterizations about charter school education pokes fun with hyperbole as comedy often does. However, at the heart of Abbott’s story arc is an “us versus them” theme that still exists in the public education space. If you support public schools, you have to be anti-charter, and the reverse must be true as well. In truth, once the myths are dispelled about charter schools, there really is no need to choose a side.
Read

Online Learning

The Rapid Evolution Of K-12 Online Learning (Moving Beyond The Pandemic)

Though online learning within K-12 education has been around for decades, its prevalence didn’t emerge until the covid-19 pandemic was declared in March, 2020. During a stunning period of mandated quarantine, teachers, students and their parents were forced to turn to alternative modalities in which to teach and learn. Pre-pandemic online learning was primarily seen in alternative educational settings including online charter schools and various independent study programs. By the time of the pandemic, the majority of these programs were operating fully online and had established a solid foundation to the modality. Traditional public schools who offered homeschooling or independent study programs sometimes included an online version, but it wasn’t very common.
Read

school finance

Your Tax Dollars: How K-12 Public Education Uses Them, And The Impact On Student Achievement

Where do my state and local taxes go? Let’s start with some background on public education finances. With the exception of a few states, residents pay state income taxes each year, and are likely to receive a property tax bill as well. In most states, a large portion of state income tax is used for public education. Property taxes generally have a line item for public education as well; often a large portion of your property taxes depending on where you live. So how does all your state and local tax money get used for students?
Read

School Choice

Charter Schools Offer Families Choice, Access, And Equity

As a former traditional public school student, teacher, administrator, and parent, I have spent the last thirty years supporting brick and mortar, traditional public school districts. As a progressive, School Choice was a four-letter word. Due to the political narrative surrounding the charter system and school choice, I saw the concept of school choice as a way for parents, afraid of what their children might learn in public school, to sequester them into a setting that met their specific political, ethical, or religious expectations. I understood school choice to mean using public funds to send students to private schools. Adding to this anti-charter bias were the many examples of fraud and misappropriation in the charter arena. What I realized after doing a little inquiry of my own in the last few years, is the reality that [good] charter schools offer some of the most important things to a family – CHOICE, ACCESS and EQUITY.
Read

competency based learning

Let’s Talk Competency: Does One-Size-Fits-All Actually Fit Anyone?

Early on, children learned through exploration; and at their own pace Prior to the inception of a formalized national public education system in the mid-19th century, and since the dawn of time, children taught themselves through play and exploration, moving at their own pace…or at least faster than a saber-tooth tiger could run. Kids discovered what interested them and took the time they needed to truly understand it. Early neanderthal children did not all learn how to draw the same animal on their cave wall at the same time so they could socially promote through cave drawing basics alongside their same-age peers.
Read