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TechnoratiWhen it comes to getting a good education, apparently, there's no place like home.
When homeschooling first came into prominence in the late 1980’s many viewed it with skepticism, but it has proved itself over and over the past two decades.
Whether the average homeschooled student is getting as good an education as the average public school student is no longer a question. The verdict is in. The results of numerous studies show the average homeschooler is receiving a better education than the average public or private school student.
In a 1997 study, Strengths of Their Own, Dr. Brian Ray examined a sample of over 5,402 homeschooled students. On average, they scored 30 to 37 percentile points higher than the average public school student in all subjects.
A separate test done in 1991 by the Home School Legal Defense Association in conjunction with the Psychological Corporation found that a sampling of 5,124 homeschooled students across all grades scored 18 to 28 percentile points higher on the Stanford Achievement Test than the average public school student.
Finally, the 7,858 students who declared themselves to be homeschooled on the 2004 ACT scored an average of 1.7 points higher, on a scale of 1-32, than the national average.
The academic success of homeschooled students is impressive and, no doubt, attributable to the hard work these students put into their education; but the hard work put in by their parents (many of whom do not even hold a bachelor's degree) is equally impressive. Parental involvement is key and appears to outweigh factors such as race and government regulation on one's education at home.
The success of homeschooling is breaking down the cultural barriers that once restricted the efforts of parents to educate their own children. Most people now have a friend or relative who teaches their children at home. The number of homeschoolers in the United States is currently estimated at over 2,000,000 and growing. The reasons parents choose to homeschool are varied, but they generally center on the belief that they can provide their children with a better academic education, a safer environment, or a stronger set of moral values.
One of the most commonly-raised objections to homeschooling is that children who are homeschooled will not have opportunities for socialization. This objection, however, is contradicted by the facts. Homeschooled students tend to be very involved in a myriad of activities (including community service, service in their church, sports programs, and groups such as the Boy Scouts and 4-H). Moreover, studies show that adults who have been homeschooled are more likely to participate in community service, vote, and succeed in college. Dr. Gary Knowles at the University of Michigan polled a sampling of adults who were homeschooled and found that 94% said that their education "prepared them to be independent persons," and 79% said that "it helped them interact with individuals from different levels of society."
Of course, homeschooling is not for everyone. Many parents will not feel that they are able to provide their children with an adequate education at home, and others may not have the financial means to homeschool their children. Additionally, students who are taught by parents without college degrees score significantly lower than those who are taught by one or more parents with a college education, and those in the lowest income brackets score lower than those in the middle class (although the average student in each of these groups scores higher than the national average on standardized tests). Continue >>
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