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If your child has her own pace in learning, meaning ayaw niya nang minamadali siya, may "quirks" siya that indicate that she is not a conformist, may special needs - this is different from being a special child ha in the sense that the child may not be diagnosed with a special developmental problem like ADD, ADHD, autism or the like, but yun nga, may special needs ang bata that may not necessarily be noticed (since there are many students) or addressed (since there is a one size fits all approach) in a traditional school. Another thing, if your child is a fast learner or is exceptional, baka naman mabagalan siya sa traditional school kasi iisa lang ang lesson for everyone and she cannot move on unless the teacher says so.
If your child is the type who likes to conform, who listens and follows elders without question, who likes to have her day very structured - meaning, kung ano ang sinabi ni mommy/Teacher na gagawin niya today eh okay sa kanya yun, regular learner, meaning, walang special needs, etc. then she will likely thrive in a traditional school.
Assess also the style which you will be comfortable given your background, disposition as a parent, philosophy, goals for your child, etc. Are you the type of parent who is willing to help your child do homework, review for quizzes, likes awards and honors, etc.? Or are you the type who questions whether the lesson is age-appropriate, wants your child to love learning not just to get good grades but to develop an innate curiosity for life, etc?
Progressive schools are child-centered, meaning, they take the cue from the child. On the other hand, traditional schools are teacher-centered, meaning, the teacher supplies all the information which she deems appropriate for all the children in her class regardless of their situation.
Progressive schools are less structured and more free-wheeling but they are not totally without structure naman. Traditional schools are structured and rigid in their approach.
Most parents still go for traditional schools while more and more parents are embracing the non-traditional schools. In the end, YOU are the best judge of which type of school is best for your child.
Now, to answer your last question. I went for a non-traditional preschool for my two boys, a Montessori preschool. I researched very well when I was looking for a school. Out of the methodologies, Montessori appealed to me because it is child-centered, proven effective (Montessori method has been around for over 100 years), builds innovators (Google and Facebook founders were Montessori kids, google mo "the Montessori mafia" and you will be linked to a very interesting article) and I really believe in the philosophy of Maria Montessori who I consider a genius. It has worked well so far and I am happy with the way my sons developed. Having said that, my sons will be moving to a very traditional boys school for grade 1 because I believe in Jesuit education and formation in developing "men for others" and the facilities and opportunities not just for academics but for sports and socio-curricular activities are simply better in a big, traditional school.
At the back of my mind though, I will still consider a non-traditional school, Montessori or progressive (Plan B), in case my boys do not thrive in the big boys school. We shall see.
