Is Home Schooling Successful?
By:
Jessica Snow
A Directed Research Project Presented in Partial Fulfillment
Of the Requirements for the Degree
Masters of Education: Management
Strayer University
Table of Contents
Abstract
Chapter 1: Introduction 4-12
Statement of the Problem 10
Research Questions 12
Significance of the Study 11
Chapter 2: Review of the Literature 13-25
Chapter 3: Research Question #1 26-33
Socialization
Chapter 4: Research Question #2 34-44
Why do people homeschool?
Chapter 5: Research Question #3 45-52
How do people homeschool?
Chapter 6: Research Question #4 53-59
Academics
Chapter 7: Summary and Conclusions 60-64
References 65-67
Abstract
The research done in this paper takes a look as home schooling as an option for educating, and the various levels of success that it can bring. Home schooling has become a growing way to educate over the past few decades, yet research has not been done to see the effects of it. The questions that this research project will answer are as follows:
Do students who are home educated have a more difficult time with socialization?
What are the reasons for those choosing to homeschool?
How do people homeschool?
Do students who are home educated do equally well regarding academics?
To answer these questions, qualitative and quantitative research was collected and included journals, articles, and websites. Testing results were examined to compare students at the home school and public school level.
The results and conclusion of this research study showed that homeschooling as an educational option is successful, the students do not have a difficult time with socialization, and the reasons for homeschool vary from family to family.
The recommendations are that more studies and research needs to be compiled on homeschooling families to ensure a non-biased judgment on the subject matter can be made.
Chapter 1
Introduction
According to Dr. Ray, who founded the National Home Education Research Institute, “an estimated 2.0 to 2.5 million K-12 children were home educated in the U.S. during 2008”. Homeschooling is definitely on the rise in America and becoming more normal than ever before. Homeschooling could very easily be the “fastest growing form of education in the world” (Ray, 2008). It is estimated that the amount of homeschool student’s increase on an average of 5% to 12% based on the past years (Ray, 2008).
As of this writing, there are very few rules regarding homeschooling. Each state has their own regulations, but there is not one state that requires a parent to be a certified teacher. Education of the parent does not matter in order for them to teach their children at home. Many states only require that the amount of days that are spent doing school work be turned it. Other states require that lesson plans and testing scores be reported. Obviously homeschooling is very relaxed, so how can it possibly produce students who are academically challenged like those who are schooled by educators?
There are many definitions of success, but for this writing, success will be defined using grade point averages, test scores, and college and job placement.
Background and Nature of the Problem
During the 1960’s groundwork was set to legalize homeschooling. It was “1969 when Raymond Moore, a former U.S. Department of Education employee, laid the groundwork that would legitimatize homeschooling as one of the great, populist educational movements of the 20th century” (Lyman, 1998). Mr. Moore spent hours analyzing research about children and their learning environment. “The Moores began to conclude that development problems, such as hyperactivity, nearsightedness, and dyslexia, were often the result of prematurely taxing a child's nervous system and mind with continuous academic tasks, like reading and writing” (Lyman,1998). Based on the research that the Moore’s conducted, they came to the conclusion that school should not be started until a child is between the ages of 8-12. Girls can start at the earlier ages, while boys should be older before they start. “The Moores advocate a firm but gentle approach to home education that balances study, chores, and work outside the home in an atmosphere geared toward a child's particular developmental needs” (Lyman,1998).
By allowing children to have chores and work outside the home, it teaches them responsibility and time management that public schools may not be able to offer. Chores in the home will teach children how to become effective adults and take care of their belongings. It will also teach that each person in the family has a place and are needed. Children who go to school from 8-3 often do not have time do perform chores. Generally this may be because of the amount of time spent away from the home, plus the amount of homework that is given. By schooling at home, students, in the same daily schedule of 8-3, can perform chores, do their school work, volunteer, and work on their hobbies. Also, with schooling at home, students are encouraged to spend more of their free time pursuing their interests, which will help guide their career path later in life. Schooling is tailored to each child, so different emphasis can be made depending on the child, and their needs.
During the same time frame that the Moore’s expressed interest and concern with education, a man by the name of John Holt was also advocating reform in the schools and encouraging parents to take back control of their children instead of allowing the government to have full control. Holt was quoted as saying that “there was a lack of humanity when dealing with school children” (Lyman, 1998). Because schools produce students who are trained to answer specific questions, and produce answers that they are trained for, their curiosity for the world around them was killed. Holt compared a child’s day at school to having a “full-time painful job” and that the most “humane way to educate a child is to homeschool” (Lyman, 1998). Holt began a magazine to share his views on education. This magazine allowed parents to see another way of educating, along with reading stories of home educators. Holt’s main theory on education was an “unschooling” approach (Lyman, 1998). In this approach, students learned by the world that surrounded them. There was not a specific curriculum, or lesson plans, that a child followed. Unschooling allows children to learn by play and their own curiosity. For example, they learn to add and subtract by sharing candy, and learn to multiply by cooking cookies for neighbors that just keep coming over. There is not an actual lesson to follow, yet students still learn the education they need. Holt’s philosophy on education is as follows:
What is most important and valuable about the home as a base for children's growth into the world is not that it is a better school than the schools but that it isn't school at all. It is not an artificial place, set up to make "learning" happen and in which nothing except "learning" ever happens. It is a natural, organic, central, fundamental human institution; one might easily and rightly say the foundation of all other human institutions
It is important to note that the two men, Holt and Moore, worked independently of each other. Holt and Moore both set out to change how education was done, but neither set out to change it because of religious reasons. They both set out to educate against “the establishment” and let parents take control of their children (Lyman, 1998) However, in the 1980’s, more and more people chose to homeschool as to steer away from the secular world instead of just going against “the establishment” that the government had set up (Lyman, 1998). Before Holt and Moore set out to change education, families did not know that there was any other way to school their children. No one questioned the government when they said that parents must submit their children to them each August and that they must attend the school in their district for 180 days a year. Many parents did not know about other options.
In 1985, the rough estimate of homeschooled students was 50,000. In 1995, the estimate was between 500,000 and 750,000 (Lyman, 1998). In 2008, the estimate was 1.8-2.5 million students who are schooled solely at home (Ray, 1998). These figures are rough estimates because, as of this writing, there is little data and research done on homeschooling families. However, the fact that the number of homeschooling students increases seven to fifteen percent each year shows that more and more families are dissatisfied with the public education system and are choosing to take control of their children and their education. (Lyman, 1998).
Although the number of people choosing to homeschool is on the rise, it is no secret that many people oppose and criticize the home education movement. In 1997, at an education association convention, an anti homeschooling resolution was adopted. “Resolution B-63 stated that homeschooling programs cannot provide the student with a comprehensive education experience" and that if homeschooling is chosen, "instruction should be by persons who are licensed by the appropriate state education licensure agency” (Lyman, 1998). This resolution would mean that most homeschooling families would not be able to homeschool because they do not have a teaching certificate. This opposition to homeschooling raises some uncomfortable, yet important questions that homeschool families have been trying to answer. Obviously, because of this opposition, more research should be done to validate and closely watch the success of those students who are home educated. The main questions that need validity are:
What about socialization?
Why do people choose to homeschool?
What academic success can be expected from homeschool students?
Statement of the Research Problem
There is not enough attention given to the success of homeschooling, and highlighting it will increase the rationale for why more research needs to be given to that subject.
Purpose of the Project
By the time a child is 5 years of age, a parent must choose how to educate them. Some parents do not think of any other option other public school, some think private school would be a better match, and more and more each year are choosing to home educate. Private schools, while a great alternative to public schools, can be costly. An article written by David Boaz, executive vice president of the Cato Institute, states that the average cost of elementary and secondary private school education is $3116 per student (Boaz, 1996). This figure does not include all the other expenses, such as uniforms, school supplies, lunches, and school dues. Boaz also states that this figure is half the cost of each student in a public school, which is $6857 (Boaz, 1996).
Research can be found all over the internet and from the government on how public school students are doing, academically. Private schools have the same type of reports that parents can see. People that choose to homeschool do not have the luxury of going to the government and asking for academic reports. These reports are generally based upon failure rate of the students and standardized testing scores. It is no surprise that parents fight to have their children placed in a school that has the highest grade on the report. Some parents even move homes so a better district. Even though home education is becoming more popular, and growing by the thousands each year, people are still uncertain as to the success of the homeschool students. The research about the success of homeschool will allow more students and their families to be educated on all choices regarding education.
The evaluation research process will show the success rate of those students who are home educated. It will also take a closer look at the long term affects of homeschooling, as well as the socialization aspect.
Significance of the problem
“It appears the homeschool population is continuing to grow at an estimated 5% to 12% per annum over the past few years” (Ray, 2008). Because more and more families are choosing to homeschool, more research needs to be done to ensure that parents are indeed doing what is best for their child. According to Dr. Ray, 2008, minorities are the fastest growing segment of the population of those who are homeschooled. “About 15% of homeschool families are non-white/non-Hispanic (i.e., not white/Anglo)” (Ray, 2008). People who are homeschooling today are not limited to Christians, atheists, Mormons, Catholics, college educated, high school drop outs, or anything in between. There is no common denominator for those who choose to homeschool, with the exception of actually home educating.
Research Questions
Do students who are home educated have a more difficult time with socialization?
Academically speaking, do students who are home educated do as well, or better, than those who are schooled by the private sector or public education?
Why do people choose to homeschool?
How do people go about homeschooling?
Chapter 2: Review of the Literature
A decade ago, homeschooling was rarely seen or heard of and was considered by many to be a religious movement. Today, however, homeschooling is another alternative to schooling such as charter schools, private schools, public schools, or boarding schools. It is becoming more of a normal way of educating students (Ray 2008).
Definition
Homeschooling is defined as the "education of school-aged children at home rather than at a school” (Lyman, 1998). To a homeschooled student, the world around them is their school. That is where they learn. According to Patricia Lines, who wrote Homeschoolers: Estimating numbers and growth, defines homeschooling as “the education of school-aged children under their parents’ general monitoring, and it replaces full-time attendance at a campus school. Some homeschooling children enroll part time at a campus based school, or share instruction with other families, but most of their educational program is under the direct oversight of parents.”
Historical Development
The homeschool movement has been credited to Raymond Moore and John Holt. Although parents have been teaching their children at home very all of eternity, these two men brought homeschooling into the limelight and worked to “legitimatize homeschooling as one of the great, populist educational movements of the 20th century” (Lyman, 1998). Dr. Moore, being a former missionary with his wife, was mainly focused on the religious aspect of home education. Mr. Holt, being an ivy league graduate and teacher, worked for many years to reform schools before advocating parents to teach their own children. He wrote:
To return once more to compulsory school in its barest form, you will surely agree that if the government told you that on one hundred and eighty days of the year, for six or more hours a day, you had to be at a particular place, and there do whatever people told you to do, you would feel that this was a gross violation of your civil liberties.
Mr. Holt was a “humanist” and wanted to set a “crusade against the establishment” (Lyman, 1998). Holt took more of an “unschooling” approach to education and encouraged parents to let their children learn anywhere and everywhere. He said:
What is most important and valuable about the home as a base for children's growth into the world is not that it is a better school than the schools but that it isn't school at all. It is not an artificial place, set up to make "learning" happen and in which nothing except "learning" ever happens. It is a natural, organic, central, fundamental human institution; one might easily and rightly say the foundation of all other human institutions.
According to the Moore foundation, Dr. Moore’s “contribution to education is best known for the emphasis on the philosophy that children, especially boys, need individualized attention, chiefly between the ages of 5 and 10” (Moore foundation.com) Dr. Moore does not suggest that no schooling is needed during this time, but that a relaxed approach is best. Dr. Moore also proposed the Moore formula. This formula includes:
· Study for a few minutes to several hours a day, depending on age and maturity
· Manual work as much as you study
· Home or community service for a minimum of an hour each day, doing something they enjoy.
Dr. Moore advocates that while in the early years of education, the use of workbooks and textbooks are a bit of an overkill. He says that parents should not have formal subject study until the child is a minimum age of 8-12. He utilizes the “better late than never” approach (Moorefoundation.com). Dr. Moore emphasizes allowing children to work. This is not to say that children need a job, but to encourage chores and to teach them a worth ethic. The service aspect of his formula is to encourage students to know the world around them and create wholesome children.
While both Moore and Holt are credited for laying the foundation for homeschool, they worked independently of each other.
Parental Involvement
In the 1980’s, the concern over education was magnified. Parents are choosing to purchase homes in certain school districts, principals feel the stress and pressure of hiring that perfect teacher, and the district is feeling the pinch of budgets. Every angle you look, education became the utmost of importance.
A major problem in the public school system today is the parents. Research has shown that parental involvement in their child’s learning is directly related to achievement. According to an article written by Kathleen Cotton, researchers have found that the more active forms of parent involvement produce greater achievement benefits than the more passive ones.
Epstein (2001) says that “parents who are informed and involved in their children’s school can positively impact their child’s attitude and performance. Parents’ awareness and interest in their children’s learning and school activities models for their children the importance of school, which may lead to positive behaviors.”
According to Jordan (2004), “Based on the studies where parent involvement was part of the overall strategy for improved achievement, the following results were found for students:
· Higher grade point averages and scores on standardized tests or rating scales
· Enrolment in more challenging academic programs
· More classes passed and credits earned
· Better attendance
· Improved behaviour at home and at school
· Better social skills and adapting to school
In an article written by Jordan and Rodriquez, the studies reviewed suggest that parent and community involvement specifically linked to student learning have a greater effect on achievement than more general forms of involvement. The article states that student grades increased, attendance rates were up, behavior was better at home and school, and social skills flourished! Building relationships between parents, and students will increase parental involvement.
The Michigan Department of Education (2001) wrote an article that stated that “school age children spend 70% of their waking hours (including weekends and holidays) outside of school”. Because this article points out an important fact of how much time children are spent with their families as opposed to the school, it is imperative to the development of the child that the parents are involved in their everyday life. The schools can only do so much if the parents are not helping their children at home. The same research report from the Michigan Department of Education (2001) states that whatever expectations a parent has of a student is a predictor of how the student will perform, academically.
Academic Achievement
According to the textbook, Super Vision for Instructional Leadership, supervision must be available for schools to succeed. Supervision allows teachers to bounce ideas off of each other, receive classroom management ideas, and improve classroom instruction. Just knowing that supervision is present in the schools requires teachers to work harder at teaching their students. The article questions whether homeschool parents and students have enough supervision to be successful. The textbook states that supervision is at the utmost of importance to succeed. It is with good concern that educators wonder if homeschool parents can succeed without any supervision by the state.
An admission into college is an important topic to discuss when academics are involved. Colleges accept students based on their testing scores, community involvement and grade point average. An article written in 2008 by Dr. Sorey and Dr. Duggan explore the difficulties that colleges face when examining a homeschool student for admittance. Because each state has their own regulations for homeschooling, colleges can not place a universal acceptance plan for the homeschooled students. Because of the difficulty in reviewing a homeschool students transcript and successes, colleges were urged not to discriminate against these students, but to come up with a new plan that would evaluate them fairly.
State Regulations
In 1980, homeschooling was only legal in 20 states. In 1993, homeschooling was deemed legal in all of the 50 states (Lines, 1993).
Homeschooling is becoming more and more popular today. Partly because the no child left behind act has made teachers drown in paperwork and not actually teach academics. The question remains; can homeschoolers succeed without supervision and regulations?
In 1997, a study of 5,402 homeschool students from 1,657 families was released. It was entitled, "Strengths of Their Own: Home Schoolers Across America." The study demonstrated that homeschoolers, on the average, out-performed their counterparts in the public schools by 30 to 37 percentile points in all subjects. A significant finding when analyzing the data for 8th graders was the evidence that homeschoolers who are homeschooled two or more years score substantially higher than students who have been homeschooled one year or less. The new homeschoolers were scoring on the average in the 59th percentile compared to students homeschooled the last two or more years who scored between 86th and 92nd percentile.
In the article, Lessons: Home-school education often transcends home, the author is asking why the standards are different for public schools and homeschoolers. Public schools have standardized testing, along with government controls that dictate how well the school is doing. Homeschool parents do not have to do much to prove their children are learning, and to what degree they are learning. The article is also speaking about homeschool students being allowed to participate is some programs that public schools offer. Some school districts allow this, and some do not. Even though some states have more regulations on homeschool than others, Ray suggests that there is no difference in academic success between the states with higher regulations and those with none.
What is required to homeschool?
There are many who set out to homeschool, yet do not know if they are eligible to homeschool. Eligibility varies from state to state. Each state has their own statute, school age, attendance requirements, record keeping, testing rules, qualifications, and notice of intent. While education is mandatory in every state, some states only require filing out of paperwork, while others require certain school hours, minimum testing scores, requirement of core subjects, along with eligibility requirements for the parents.
Eighteen states require that children start schooling at the age of seven. Twenty-two states start at the age of six, eight states start at age five while only two states start at age eight. Six states “require parents to send notification or achievement test scores and/or professional evaluation, plus other requirements (e.g. curriculum approval by the state, teacher qualification of parents, or home visits by state officials)”(HSLDA.ORG).
For those states that require in depth rules and regulations, the common practice is to join an umbrella program. An umbrella school offers “legal legitimacy” to those who choose to homeschool. They can offer report cards, house attendance records, offer field trips for the students, and basically vouch for the family. Many umbrella programs operate very similarly to a private school in that they offer sports, debate teams, field trips, and social functions. Some even offer classes that a student can sign up to take. In short, an umbrella program is basically a private school that allows each parent to teach their own child.
Even though each state requires their own rules, and some states have far greater requirement than other, A 2008 study by “Dr. Brian Ray and Dr. Bruce Eagleson in the peer-reviewed Journal of Academic Leadership finds no relationship between the degree of state control of home-based education and the college SAT scores of the homeschooled” (Nheri.com).
Reasons to Homeschool
According to the department of education, a survey of homeschool parents taken in 2003 cites that 85.4% of parents choose to homeschool because they have a concern about the environment of other schools. 68.2% cite their dissatisfaction of academic instruction as their reasons to homeschool. 72.3% of parents cite religious reasons to homeschool. While homeschooling does not discriminate, statistics show that about 75% of families that homeschool are white. Boys and girls were equally represented. 62% of families that chose to homeschool had 3 or more children in the home.
Homeschool approaches
There are many ways that a family can approach homeschooling. Some may choose to purchase a boxed curriculum set with lesson plans, books, and tests all included. Other may choose to purchase a program that is all on the internet with teachers grading and teaching all courses. Some may even choose to just read good literature and let books tell the educational story. According the Lyman (1998) “In Ray's study of 1,657 families, 71.1 percent of the respondents said they custom design their curriculum to suit their child's needs, and 83.7 percent said that their children use a computer in their home. The average cost is $546 per homeschooled student per year”. On average, public schools cost the government about $6500 per student, per year. Private schools cost the family about $3500 a year (Howard, 2008). The figures listed above do not take into account the financial loss for one parent that must remain home in order to homeschool the children. While it is possible to homeschool with both parents working, it is not common. Brian Ray (2008) says that those than home educate are not depending on money from the government. It is estimated that homeschoolers are saving the government approximately 16 billion dollars (ray, 2008).
Growth of Homeschooling
According to Patricia Lines (2008), in the 5 years between the 1990-1991 school years and the 1995-1996 school years, homeschooling has almost tripled. She also states “the total number of homeschoolers in the 1990–91 school year seems to have been between 250,000 to 350,000 children nationwide; and around 700,000 to
750,000 in 1995–96. Based on limited evidence from four states, the number is still growing; the rate was between 7 and 15 percent from the 1995–96 school year to the 1996–97 school year (Lines, 2008). In 2008, Dr. Brian Ray stated that “there were an estimated 1.8 to 2.5 million children (in grades K to 12) home educated during 2007-2008 in the United States. It appears the homeschool population is continuing to grow (at an estimated 5% to 12% per annum over the past few years).”
To put the percentage of growth into perspective, “even the largest estimates still put the home schooled at only 4% of the total K-12 population — but that would mean more kids learn at home than attend all the public schools in Alaska, Delaware, Hawaii, Montana, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont and Wyoming combined” (Time Magazine).
Socialization
The mention of homeschool always drives a response asking about socialization. Romanowski (2006) offers the greatest definition for socialization, but other researchers add that each person has their own definition when regarding socialization. Farris (2000) makes the distinction that students should not be taught to socialize in yearly time constraints. Teaching an eleven year old how to act eleven with twenty other eleven year old makes sense. However, what happens when they are twelve? They must start the year over. Farris(2000) says that since the end goal is to raise women and men who are productive, responsible adults, that we should be socializing then and teaching them what it
means to be an adult. Chapter 3: Do students who are home educated have a more difficult time with socialization?
A typical education generally includes a student, with about twenty other students in a classroom with one, possibly two teachers. A homeschool student is at home with their siblings and parents. While each family that home schools varies in the number of children they have, according to Patrick Basho at the Cato Institute, “the average size of a homeschooling family is above average—62 percent of home schooling families have three or more children compared to 44 percent of non-home schooled families, while 56 percent of all American families with school age children have only one or two children” (Basho, 2001) There is quite a difference in the number of other kids that the students are around.
It is a common thought that students that are homeschooled are lacking in socialization. There are many definitions for socialization, and it can mean a different thing to each individual person. Some refer to socialization as the ability to play with their friends, while some mean teaching children to interact with people other than their immediate family. It is defined by some as “the social exposure and culture that introduces students to different groups of people”( Romanowski, 2006) .Some others refer to socialization as students being able to participate in sporting events and extracurricular activities. Romanowski (2006) defines socialization as a “process whereby people acquire the rules of behavior and systems of beliefs and attitudes that equip a person to function effectively as a member of a particular society”. According to Farris(2000), the word socialization comes from the “Latin root socius, which means a companion, fellow, partner, associate, or ally. The same root is found in our words association and society. At its fundamental level, therefore, socialization relates to the idea of how we learn to get along with others. There is nothing in the root of the word that implies a peer or an equal or someone of the identical age or status. Socialization, therefore, is only erroneously used to refer to the process of getting along with a peer group.” For this research paper, Romanowski’s latter definition of socialization will be used.
In 1999, the National Education Association stated that “The NEA believes that home schooling cannot provide the student with a comprehensive education experience” (Bosham, 2001). This statement is clearly not the case that research shows. Research shows that “Ninety-eight percent of home schooled students are involved in two or more outside functions on a weekly basis (Farris, 1997)
The process of socialization generally occurs throughout a child’s everyday life as they interact with other people. The average home schooled student is regularly involved in 5.2 social activities outside the home, including afternoon and weekend programs with public school students (e.g., sports, scouts, church groups, ballet, Little League, neighbourhood play, part-time employment, and voluntary work), and day-time field trips and cooperative programs with groups of other home schooled students (Mattox, 1999).
In an article written by Jeremy Low(2006), he says that a negative point about homeschooling is that students can not interact with children, which is needed in the earlier grades more so than in the later grades. However, Low states that many parents involve their children in other activities as to offset the lack of socialization during the school time. While children are not spending 8 hours a day with other students their own age, they are spending most of their days socializing with peers, adults, and their families.
Many people believe that a school classroom is the only place that a child can learn so socialize with their peers. In 1996, the American Psychological Association was asked to bring in some psychologist to weigh in on the issue of socialization and the home educated. These psychologists “warned that home-schooled children may be unable to get along with others and may experience difficulty entering mainstream life.” Those who are homeschooled "only hear their parents' philosophies and have little chance to form their own views," but that public schooling represents and teaches "what society as a whole values"(Murray, 1996). These psychologist believe that those who choose to home school were trying to shelter their children from the real world, however, public education would teach them many skill they felt were needed in life, such as “cooperation, respect for others, and self-control”(Murray, 1996). Farris (2000) comments that “it is contrary to logic to assert that the social skills a child will need as an adult are best taught in a classroom, where the child is surrounded only by students of his or her own age” furthermore “If the goal of socialization is to produce adult social skills, it makes little sense to use classmates as teachers” (Farris, 2000).
Some people so opposed to home educating suggests that parents do not want any other influence is their children’s lives, want to hide their children from all sorts of evil, and want to “ensure their children ignorance”(Murray, 1996). A survey of a group of superintendents found that “92% believed home-schooled children do not receive adequate socialization experiences” and “don't want any influence other than parents" and are teaching that "communities at large are evil," and "want to ensure their children's ignorance. The parents themselves have real emotional problems themselves," one superintendent asserted, and do not realize "the serious harm they are doing to their children in the long run, educationally and socially" (Medlin,2000).
It is no surprise that homeschooled families highly disagree with the findings and opinions listed above. Many homeschool families “describe conventional schools as rigid and authoritarian institutions where passive conformity is rewarded, where peer interactions are too often hostile or derisive or manipulative, and where children must contend with a dispiriting ideological and moral climate” (Medlin, 2000). The environment described could damage a child’s self worth and cause them to lose their individuality. The students tend to conform to each other, rather than maintain their individuality. Spending eight or more hours a day away from their parents could ultimately destroy what their parents have tried to hard to teach. Based on these thoughts, it would be safer and better for a student in the long run to home educate.
In the 1980’s, a man by the name of Schemmer wrote some of the earliest research on socialization skill by homeschool students. Medin (2008) states that Schemmer interviewed four homeschool families and found that all of the children were involved in activities outside of the home and they had no problem speaking and interacting with him. Since that first research was started, many more studies and questionnaires have been done and found that nearly all students who were homeschooled participated in other activities. The activities that these students participated in ranged from:
Organized sports
Scouting programs
4-H clubs
Paid jobs
Volunteer jobs
Church activities
Music lessons
Dance lessons
Hobby groups
The activities mentioned above are common for homeschooling families. This could be because “Rudner (1999), in a huge survey of home schooling families, found that fewer than 3% of home-schooled fourth graders watch more than 3 hr of television a day. The comparable figure for fourth graders nationwide is 38%”(Rudner, 1999 as cited in Medlin, 2000). By not allowing their children to watch television during the day, it allows the students to be out playing with their friends, engaging in hobbies, and doing community service or volunteer work. All of these things aide in socialization skills that will make well rounded adults. Apparently, homeschool students are out living their life as opposed to watching someone else act out their life on television.
Researcher Gary Knowles concluded that “I have found no evidence that these adults were even moderately disadvantaged…Two thirds of them were married, the norm for adults their age, and none were unemployed or any on any form of welfare assistance” (Knowles, 1991). This was concluded after Knowles researched the long term effect of homeschooling.
Socialization is a very personal thing. Some want their children to learn to interact only with kids of their own age, while some want their children to be able to interact with the elderly, babies, and everyone in between. Traditional school children spend all day with peers their own age. How will they learn to interact with the old?
Chapter 4: What are the reasons for those choosing to homeschool?
Thirty years ago the foundation was laid to be able to legally home educate. Since that time, more and more people are coming to accept that homeschooling is a parental right that can be activated. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights says that “parents have a prior right to decide on the type of education to be provided for their children, a right that supersedes the rights of other external agents”(Lubienski, 2003). Parents are the ones who are ultimately in control of their children, and some parents feel their obligation is to carry it over to education. A parent can not be in control of their children and filter out what they as parents want for their children if the child is away for most of the day.
Typically, there are two types on people who choose to homeschool. According to Romanowski(2001), they are the ideologues and pedagogues. The idealogues claim that they homeschool mainly for two reasons. The first reason is that they disagree with what the public schools are teaching, and the second is that they want to have a better relationship with their children. These parents usually have ideas, beliefs, thoughts, and ethics that they want to be able to teach their children. Because public schools are not meant to teach morals, values, or ethics, the parents who feel strongly about this tend to homeschool. Usually, the idealogues’ reasons for homeschooling involve religious reasons. Public schools do not include religious education and values, so the parents opt to teach their children these religious doctrines.
The idealogues’ would argue that public schooling, which is only supposed to educate children, do teach morals and values. Morals are defined by the dictionary as “expressing or conveying truths or counsel as to right conduct, as a speaker or a literary work” (Dictionary.com) Because the teachers, or principals, are the authoritative person in this setting, it concludes that what they deem to be moral is passed onto the students. There is no way possible to set aside your moral beliefs when two people are spending eight or more hours a day together. Parents might have a different standard and definition of their morals that they want to teach to their children. By allowing their children to spend an entire day with someone other than their family is allowing them to be taught different morals.
In 2009, a California school district approved homosexual curriculum that would teach students about the homosexual lifestyle and the different variations of a family unit. This curriculum would not allow parents to pull their children out of the lesson because only “health and sex education require opt-out provisions” (Schilling, 2009). In this curriculum, according to Schilling, teachers will teach students in k-5th grade that the homosexual lifestyle is acceptable and another way to have a family. The teachers are to encourage the students to actively participate in the curriculum and point out why the homosexual family is actually a family. This type of curriculum is a prime example as to why some parents are home schooling. Many parents do not want their children being taught that the homosexual lifestyle is normal. This is only one example of morals and values being mixed in with math and science.
Pedagogues typically choose to homeschool because they do not believe that public schools are teaching subjects as well as they should. They tend to homeschool because they are more concerned with the intellectual part of schooling and concerned that the shortcomings of the public school will haunt their child forever. Public school’s are not able to take into consideration individual learning styles, learning disorders, or the advancement of some students.
Research has shown that parental involvement in education drives success. Cotton and Wikelund (1989) state “research shows that the more intensively parents are involved in their children's learning, the more beneficial are the achievement effects. This holds true for all types of parent involvement in children's learning and for all types and ages of students.” As stated earlier, according to Jordan (2004), “Based on the studies where parent involvement was part of the overall strategy for improved achievement, the following results were found for students:
· Higher grade point averages and scores on standardized tests or rating scales
· Enrolment in more challenging academic programs
· More classes passed and credits earned
· Better attendance
· Improved behaviour at home and at school
· Better social skills and adapting to school
We will see in the chapter on academics that homeschool students, partly because of the parental support, do have a higher grade point average, have more credits earned, and their social skills are at that above their peers in a traditional school setting.
Cotton and Wikelund (1989) also state that “Programs which involve parents in reading with their children, supporting their work on homework assignments, or tutoring them using materials and instructions provided by teachers, show particularly impressive results.” This is the heart of homeschooling. Parents read to and with their child in the early years. They actually teach their child to read. They show them how to do their work, and then assist them as needed. Homeschool parents, since they are around their children all day, learn what their child struggles with and their learning styles. This is important because in public schools, a teacher is not able to stop and give one on one attention to students, or change their teaching style to fit one student. However, if one student needs a different learning technique, and it is not given to them, they will struggle to understand the concepts of the lesson.
The following chart shows some of the reasons why parents choose to homeschool. The chart is derived from the U.S. Department of Education, national Center for Education Statistics.
Table 4. Number and percentage of homeschooled students whose parents reported particular reasons for homeschooling as being applicable to their situation and as being their most important reason for homeschooling: 2003
Reasons for homeschooling
Applicable1
Most important
Number
Percent
Number
Percent
Concern about environment of other schools2
935,000
85.4
341,000
31.2
Dissatisfaction with academic instruction at other schools
748,000
68.2
180,000
16.5
To provide religious or moral instruction
793,000
72.3
327,000
29.8
Child has a physical or mental health problem
174,000
15.9
71,000
6.5
Child has other special needs
316,000
28.9
79,000
7.2
Other reasons3
221,000
20.1
97,000
8.8
1Percentages do not sum to 100 percent because respondents could choose more than one reason.
2These include safety, drugs, or negative peer pressure.
3Parents homeschool their children for many reasons that are often unique to their family situation. “Other reasons” parents gave for home schooling include: It was the child’s choice; to allow parents more control over what child was learning; and flexibility.
NOTE: Excludes students who were enrolled in school for more than 25 hours a week and students who were homeschooled only because of a temporary illness.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Parent and Family Involvement in Education Survey of the 2003 National Household Education Surveys Program (NHES).
You can see in the above chart that the number one reason for homeschool was the concern about the environment of other school.
The U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics(NCES) “surveyed 1,234 principals in regular public elementary, middle, and high schools in all 50 states and the District of Columbia for the 1996-7 school year. There finding were:
57% of public elementary and secondary school principals stated that one or more incidents of crime or violence were reported to the police
10% of all public schools had one or more serious violent crimes (murder, rape, sexual battery, suicide, physical attack or fight with a weapon, or robbery)
The most reported crime was physical attacks or fights without a weapon
Most of the serious violent crimes occurred in the middle and high schools
A larger percentage of violent crimes occurred in city schools and in large schools (over 1000 students)”
Because of the finding above regarding violence in the
schools, more parents are choosing to keep their children home and ensure they are safe. While this may seem overprotective to some, many parents will do whatever they can to protect their children. Bashom wrote in 2001 that “safety issues in particular has spurred public interest in home schooling reflects both the fact that, for example, one in four American public school students has been a victim of violence at or near her school….. by home educating, parents can closely monitor what the students are doing during the day, and talk to them more about the effects of drugs and alcohol” (Bashom, 2001).
Parents are also finding that homeschooling there children is easier in today’s day and age due to the internet being available in homes. Having the internet at home allows for curriculum to be downloaded for their studies, along with all of the educational benefit of the web. The internet allows parents to cater the curriculum to each of their child’s needs and interests (Bashom, 2001). The internet is so important to home educators that, according to Bashom, 2001, in 1996 only 33% of families all over American had computer and internet access, but 86% of homeschooling families had computer and internet. This speaks to the importance of the internet to homeschooling families.
Many parents choose to homeschool so that they can avoid the behavior problems that are associated with schooling. A doctoral student, Larry Edward, reported on a study involving 70 home school children and 70 public school children. While the study was measuring self esteem, “the trained observers found that the home-schooled children had significantly fewer behavior problems than traditionally schooled children when playing with mixed groups of children. This supports the conclusion that children with greater parental contact have better-developed social skills” (Farris, 2000). Children that are homeschooled tend to have more guidance, which translates to more correction, and their actions usually represent what they were taught. Allowing twenty students in a room together with one teacher ensures that the one teacher can not possibly control the behavior of the students in the class.
Obviously, when someone thinks of homeschooling, religious reasons come to mind. This could be because of the increasing amount of television coverage on families, such as the Duggars, who have 18 children and home educate because of their religion. A survey done in Canada in 1990 reported that “only 25 percent of home schooling parents claimed no religious or spiritual commitment at all, partisan allegiance was evenly divided among the three major political parties (Bashom, 2001). There other 75% are professing Christians (Livni, 2000) Since religion is not allowed to be taught in the public schools, many religious families who want to incorporate their beliefs into their daily life choose to homeschool.
A not so obvious reason for choosing to homeschool is one based on nutrition. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, “in the last 20 years, the percentage of young children who are overweight has more than doubled and among adolescents, it has tripled. Childhood obesity is recognized as a national epidemic, resulting in earlier onset and increased prevalence of disease”. Obviously the blame for childhood obesity can not be blamed solely on the public school systems lunch program, but the lunches that are served in the schools do not help the obesity problem.
In 2008, "the American Academy of Pediatrics called for cholesterol screening of children and cholesterol medication for children as young as 8. The Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences wants school lunch programs to decrease animal fats due to exposure of children to dioxins (cancer-causing toxins found in meat and milk)” (Christianson, 2009). In 2007, the American Institute of Cancer Research linked colon cancer to processed meat, such as lunch meat, hot dogs, corn dogs, bacon and sausage. Public school breakfasts often include bacon or sausage while the lunches include a lunch meat.
Parents who choose to homeschool their children because of the nutritional value in the school lunch program are more concerned with other aspect of their children’s lives and not just their education. While some argue that parents can simply pack a lunch for their children, it is not so simple. Parents can pack a lunch, but that does not ensure that their child will eat that lunch.
Homeschooling allows parents to teach their children how to cook healthy meals and encourage them to choose the right foods they need to be eating. It also allows students the time they need to burn off that extra energy. Children learn by doing, and if a parent is dedicated to homeschool because of nutrition, then a child will learn how to eat healthy. A child is not mature enough to be let loose with pizza and hamburgers. Parents are the ones in control of their children and decisions that are made in the early years will follow them for the rest of their lives.
The methodology for these findings included many surveys that have been done in the past of families that choose to homeschool. The Department of Education has some data to make conclusions with. Because the reasons one family chooses to homeschool vary so much, it is very hard to pin point an exact reason. It comes down to the fact that there are many reasons that people choose to homeschool. There is not one right or wrong answer. People are allowed, legally, to homeschool in each state. If the laws of homeschooling change, and parents are required to have a degree in education to homeschool, I would venture to say that most parents would find a way to become state certified to teach. Homeschooling is a way of life for these families and they will do anything to continue that lifestyle.
Chapter 5: How do people begin to homeschool?
When a family decides to homeschool, a lot of the times they do not know where to begin. When a child is old enough to start Kindergarten, most parents enroll them in the local school, then wait for the first day of school. That date is decided by the district that the school belongs to. Homeschool students, however, do not have a certain start and stop date.
Each state in the United States has deemed that homeschooling is legal (Lines, 1993). However, each state has their regulations. Some states have very high regulations, while others have medium or low regulations. The states with the highest degree of regulation would expect homeschooling families to express their intent to homeschool, keep up with the attendance record that the law outlines for them, submit their curriculum choice to the state, welcome home visits from the state, have their children take standard tests, and expect that parents are state certified teachers with their license not expired. Moderate regulation states would expect parents to give their student standardized testing, turn in their child’s progress. Low regulation states do not expect anything from the parents (Bradley, 1997). In 2001, there were 41 states that did not have regulations on those that homeschool (Malkin, 2001).
While each state does regulate their own state laws for homeschooling, the majority of states require 175 days a year that a homeschool student must be accounted for (Home Schooling in the United States: A Legal Analysis, 2008). Unlike the public schools, homeschooling parents are the ones to decide when there school will begin and end.
Depending on the state laws, there are several options in which a homeschool parent has to choose from. Most all of the states require that the family be under an umbrella program, or be a certified teacher. Most choose the umbrella. An umbrella program, also referred to as a cover school, is “a service that oversees homeschoolers, especially in states where homeschoolers must either register as a school or belong to a school (Hermitt, 2008).
A cover school acts as a private school for the homeschooling families. Each cover school, just like a private school, has their own rules and regulations. Some cover schools require students’ grades and attendance records to be turned in. Other simply requires the correct paperwork to be filed. Almost all cover schools require, or highly encourage, membership into the homeschool legal defense association.
The homeschool legal defense association is “a nonprofit advocacy organization established to defend and advance the constitutional right of parents to direct the education of their children and to protect family freedoms” (HSLDA.org). The HSLDA is made up of lawyers who are able to assist the homeschool family with any legal issues that may come their way. The organization also works at the federal level to help homeschooling have better laws and help protect homeschooling by fighting against some laws. Because lawyers are on call and ready to serve 24 hours a day, there is a slight fee to use this program. The cost ranges from $10 a month per family to $1000 for a lifetime if you choose that option (HSLDA.org). While this monetary amount might seem like a reason not to join, the legal protection offers homeschooling parents a peace of mind. If a family does join this group, then “…there are no further charges of any kind for defending them in court. HSLDA pays in full all attorney fees, expert witness fees, court transcript cost, travel expenses, and all other court costs permissible by state law for us to pay” (hslda.org). The HSLDA does ask that members keep up to date records of curriculum choices, school attendance dates, and all correspondence with the public school system. By joining the HSLDA, parents can homeschool without worrying that the law is going to question them and their schooling choices. By having lawyers to aid in the process of schooling, and the protection that may be needed, parents are more careful to keep their records up to date and abide by any laws that their state has.
There are other reasons to join a cover program besides being legally protected. A cover program, depending on how it is run, can offer students a full socialization calendar. It allows students that are covered under that program to come together in a group and plan field trips, parties, and a social setting that encourages friendships and accountability. Some cover programs offer classes that students can take and obtain school credit. This allows students, usually at a high school level, to begin taking classes and start to prepare for college.
There are many approaches and styles that people take toward homeschooling. Most families do not take just one approach, but combine different aspect from several different styles. According to homeschool.com, the most common style of homeschooling the called the School-at-home. This style is very easy because families can purchase a boxed curriculum set with an outline of what to do on each day. However, this way is also the most expensive. The advantage is that everything is laid out for the parents and students, but the disadvantage is that it becomes boring for the children at home. It literally takes the academics out of school and is done at home with nothing else.
A popular and growing style of homeschooling is called unschooling. Unschoolers “learn from everyday life experiences and do not use school schedules or formal lessons. Instead, unschooled children follow their interests and learn in much the same way as adults do—by pursuing an interest or curiosity” (homeschool.com) The advantage to this approach is that students spend most of their time on topics that interest them. They are able to learn a skill earlier in their life and spend time perfecting it. The disadvantage is that their might be holes in their education. Dr. John Holt encourages this type of schooling. While a child might not test on grade level, eventually it will all even out (Holt, 1964).
Another approach is the classical education. The goal of the classical education model is to teach children to think on their own. Homeschool.com states that there are “five tools of learning, known as the Trivium, are reason, record, research, relate, and rhetoric. Younger children begin with the preparing stage, where they learn basic reading, writing, and arithmetic. The grammar stage is next, which emphasizes compositions and collections, and then the dialectic stage, where serious reading, study, and research take place”. Is the classical education model, students are encouraged to take Latin. The advantage of this model of homeschooling is that children are taught how to learn and study, rather than just being taught information to memorize for a test. This learning style will help them in everything they might do in life. The disadvantage is that there is so much emphasis on history and literature, that science is on the lighter side. Also, this approach might be too rigid for some students (Witmond, 2008).
The most common approach to homeschooling is the eclectic, or relaxed, view. This approach allows homeschoolers to take pieces from each approach and mesh it all together. There is some use of worksheets, textbooks, and unschooling all combined. The advantage of this approach is that it allows parents to pick what they feel is best for their child. However, the disadvantage is that with all the bouncing around with curriculum, something is sure to get lost in the shuffle. Because each curriculum set is designed to work a certain way, combining them may leave gaps in the student’s education (witmond, 2008).
With the internet just a click away, many parents and homeschoolers are choosing distance learning for their schooling. This approach allows a child to be homeschooled, yet still have a teacher teaching them. This usually involves logging onto the internet classroom and doing daily lessons with a teacher that will grade the work. These online schools are responsible for grades, records, and eventually giving out the diploma. The advantage of this approach is that anyone who desires to homeschool now has a way. Parents do not have to be educated on the subject matter to homeschool. Parents also do not have to devote any of their time to educating their children. This approach would work best with parents who wanted to homeschool, yet still had to work during the day. The disadvantage is that this type of schooling can be expensive. The parent also loses control over what curriculum is taught to their child. The only difference between this approach and public school is that the student is doing everything from home.
Another well known approach to homeschooling is Charlotte Mason. This approach emphasis is on respect. Children deserve respect just as adults. Children, just as adults, should be allowed to learn from real life situations. Homeschooling.com states “Students of the Charlotte Mason method take nature walks, visit art museums, and learn geography, history, and literature from living books, books that make these subjects come alive. Students also show what they know, not by taking tests, but via narration and discussion.” The advantage of this approach is that each lesson is generally short and interesting to the parent and child. This approach is very creative and allows for hands on learning. The negative to this approach is that while living books are a fantastic way to learn, some student might need more reinforcement with workbooks, worksheet, or just a different view on that subject. Charlotte Mason method educates mainly through stories and daily living. This can allow for parents to feel they are leaving something out.
The approaches to homeschooling that were listed above are just some of the more popular methods. Every parent chooses a method that they feel is best for their child. In some families, a parent might use two or three different approaches and have one approach for each child. The beauty of home educating is that each curriculum can be catered to whatever learning style the child has.
Chapter 6: Do students who are home educated do equally well regarding academics?
Once a child starts kindergarten, a parent is usually not thinking of college. Rarely does a family start a school with the anticipation of what effect that will have on graduation, colleges, careers, and general quality of life. This is true of homeschool families, too.
Many critics of home education say that without a high school diploma, entering college is nearly impossible. Dr. Sorey, and Dr. Duggan, both women who write for the Journal of College Admissions, admit that colleges and university struggle with how to evaluate a homeschool applicant. Because each state is set up to regulate their own homeschool laws, colleges can not provide a uniform way to grant admittance. Colleges were highly encouraged not to discriminate against homeschool students. In 1998, however, the homeschool legal defense association was successful in amending the Higher Education Act. Because of that act, Colleges and University who are receiving federal aid, are not allowed to require additional testing of home school students. The student must, however, show passing grades in secondary education, abide by their homeschool state law, and been granted acceptance to the college or university (Home School Legal Defense Association, 2006). Colleges and Universities may seek the test scores of the Standard Achievement Test (SAT) and the American College Test (ACT).
More and more colleges and universities are starting to not only accept, but welcome homeschool student. “A Harvard University (MA) admissions officer said most of their home-educated students "have done very well. They usually are very motivated in what they do." Results of the SAT and SAT II, an essay, an interview, and a letter of recommendation are the main requirements for home-educated applicants. "[Transcripts are] irrelevant because a transcript is basically a comparison to other students in the school"(Klicka, 2006). There are many colleges that feel the same way that Harvard University does. The University of Montana has about 50 homeschool graduates, University of Delaware has a homeschool graduate that was given a full scholarship (Klicka, 2006). Jeff Lantis from Hillsdale College stated that “Homeschoolers are consistently among our top students, in fact homeschoolers have won our distinct Honors Program the last three years in a row. We tend to look very favorably upon homeschoolers applying to our college” (Klicka, 2006).
The home school legal defense association notes that “2219 students reporting their homeschool status on the SAT in 1999 scored an average of 1083 (verbal 548, math 535), 67 points above the national average of 1016. In 2004 the 7858 homeschool students taking the ACT scored an average of 22.6, compared to the national average of 20.9”. For those that homeschool for religious reasons are pleased to know that many Christian colleges are anticipating having home educated students. They believe that the home educated students are grounded more in religious concepts than their peers and are more involved in ministry opportunities around the college.(Kicka, 2006).
In 1998, a study was done at community colleges all over Texas comparing the college transcripts and average grade point averages of 101 homeschool graduates with those who were not homeschooled. “Through an independent-samples t test, she found that full- and part-time homeschooled students had a significantly higher mean GPA than the traditional high school graduates” (Surray, Duggan, 2008).
Another study done in 2004 was done to seek out the differences between homeschool graduates and traditional school graduates that have completed their first year of college. They were measuring the results based on grade point average, retention, ACT scores, and credits earned. The study was performed by choosing 55 home educated students and 53 traditional schooled students. The results showed that the average grade point average of homeschool students after their first year in college was 2.78 and the traditional schooled students grade point average at 2.59. Both sets of students retained 44. However, the number of credits earned was 23.85 by homeschool students and 22.69 by traditional schooled students. The researchers found that “the academic performance analyses indicate that home school graduates are as ready for college as traditional high school graduates and that they perform as well on national college assessment tests as traditional high school graduates”(P.Jones, G. Gloeckner,2004).
A survey of 1,657 home schooling families with 5,402 students found that 69% of the students went to either a college, university, or trade school which is about the same to the 71% of traditionally educated students who continue their schooling (Farris, 2000). However, those that homeschool tend to stay close to home and work in a family business rather than going to college.
College are taking notice of home educated students and are starting to target those students in order to gain their attention. The home school legal defense association lists that colleges are doing the following to gain more homeschool students:
Attending state homeschool conventions and making specialized presentations.
Developing college preparatory programs targeted at homeschoolers.
Sponsoring on-campus recruitment activities and visitation opportunities.
Communicating regularly with statewide home school organizations.
Joining homeschool radio network broadcasts.
Conducting workshops for homeschoolers and their parents to help them plan for college admission (like Pennsylvania State’s Home Schooling High Schoolers Conference).
Offering special scholarships and grants.
Advertising in brochures and homeschool publications like Teaching Home, Practical Homeschooling, Homeschooling Today, and other magazines.
The fact that colleges and universities are going to great lengths to target homeschool students suggest that they know the value of them.
Homeschool students have stood out in academics for a while now, yet people still wonder if they can possibly learn at home. An article written by Michael Farris and Scott Woodruff(2000) list several academic successes of homeschool students. Some of these include:
· a thirteen year old girl who won the national spelling bee
· Thirteen-year-old John Kizer won second place in the National Geographic Society's 1998 National Geography Bee
· Seventeen-year-old home schooler Timothy Stonehocker won first place in the Algebra II division of the Illinois State High School Math Contest in 1998
· 7-year-old Faith Nejman-McNea won first place in her age group in a literary contest that attracted 38,000 contestants
· Thirteen-year-old home schooler David Beihl won the 1999 National Geography Bee.
Their research also that in 1998 “parents of 39,607 home school students who obtained testing services through Bob Jones University Press Testing and Evaluation Service” and allowed the results to be shared for a study. The results of the study are described as follows
At each grade level, the performance of home school students is above the performance levels of students enrolled in Catholic/private schools. ... a composite scale of 250, for example, is typical of a home school student in grade six, a Catholic/private school student in grade seven, and students nationwide in the later stages of grade eight.
Because homeschool students have an individualized school program, and curriculum and teaching styles can be customized for them, they achieve better understanding of concepts. “The educational program is tailored to the needs and strengths of the individual child. The home-schooled child can pursue his or her own academic interests in a way not possible in a classroom setting. These factors are likely to result in adults who, in some ways, are truly distinctive and unique.”(Farris, 2000). With homeschool students being able to spend more time learning about their own interests, they are more prepared for college and a career than their peers who can only learn what the school system says is acceptable.
Homeschool students do better academically speaking than their peers in a tradition setting because learning is no longer a chore for them. A homeschool student can be finished with their studies in three to four hours, and then spend the rest of the day doing and learning about what interests they have. If a student takes initiative to learn, they likely will always remember it.
Summary and Conclusion
Homeschooling has become a heated debate in the recent years. While it technically has been around for centuries, the groundwork was laid in the 1960’s to legalize homeschooling. With public schools becoming seemingly worse in atmosphere and testing scores, parents are left wondering what to do. The research in this paper was done to see if homeschool was successful and compare the testing scores to those of public schools. The research questions were answered, and yes, homeschooling is producing successful students. Homeschool students are thriving among their peers in the elementary level, the high school level, and on the college level. This paper has also proven that homeschool students fare better academically and socially than public school students. It is stated that mp (Lyman, 1998).
Recommendations
Homeschooling is a relatively new trend in the United States. Obviously, with the growth rate of 12% annually, this is an area that deserves more research. While gathering research for this paper, there was not a lot of scholarly work that had been done. Almost all of the research done was primarily one sided and written with a mission to prove that homeschooling is successful and the better way to educate. The most research that has been written is focused on testing scores and parental involvement. It would be my recommendation that more research be done to better gauge how students who were homeschooled fair once they are no longer in school.
Successful education involves more than just test scores. While this paper does answer the research questions, and does prove that homeschooling is successful, a focus should be placed on long term affects. That is greatly lacking in research.
While I believe that the research done thus far has shown that students are socially educated along with their schooling, there are not any studies out there to show what kind of career these students have. More research should be dedicated to this way of educating because it is a growing trend. In order for parents to make the best choice for their family, they need to know all the facts. If homeschooling was well researched and studied, then parents could make a more educated choice.
As a long term research study, I would recommend that families be followed and tracked for their entire schooling-meaning K-12th grade. Of course, there would be a lot involved with finding families willing to submit to this, and it would be a long research project, but by doing so, a true picture of the success of homeschooling could be seen.
Conclusions
The research on the topic of homeschooling success confirms that homeschooling is indeed successful for the students. The research shows that a student need not be educated in the traditional school building with twenty other students to receive a competitive education. The test results show that on a scholarly level, homeschool student’s fair above the traditional school students. This paper and research on the matter has also proven that it does not matter to what degree the parents are educated, or what state laws there are for homeschooling, homeschool students test scores are in the 86th percentile (Ray, 1996).This paper addressed the following three main questions.
Research question 1: Do students who are home educated have a more difficult time with socialization?
The research on socialization showed that:
Homeschool students spend more time outside of schooling hours for activities.
Homeschool students spend a considerable less amount of time in front of the TV, which gives them more time for activities.
Homeschool students can interact with people of all ages, rather than only their peers.
Research question 2: What are the reasons for those choosing to homeschool?
Religious reasons
Concern that their child is smarter than a public school will allow
Learning disorders that a public school may not deal with
More parental involvement which has been shown to increase test scores.
Dissatisfaction with public schools
Concern over the environment of the schools.
Research Question 3: How do people homeschool?
Each state has their regulations that must be followed.
Students are encouraged to join a support program, also known as a cover school.
By joining the HSLDA, families are supported by lawyers.
There are many approaches to be chosen from.
Research question 3: Do students who are home educated do equally well regarding academics?
Homeschool students have higher ACT and SAT scores.
High school grade point averages are higher than those in public schools.
First year college GPA was higher in a homeschool graduate than a public school graduate.
Colleges are seeking out homeschool graduates.
The research has shown in the four areas listed above that homeschooling is indeed a successful way to educate. Test scores a higher, colleges are recruiting more homeschool graduates, the students learn how to socialize with all age groups, and grades in college are higher among those who were homeschooled. While not everyone has a desire to homeschool, nor should everyone homeschool, it has proven to be an effective alternative to other methods of schooling.
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