Academic Results of Homeschooling:
- The home-educated typically score 15 to 30 percentile points above public-school students on standardized academic achievement tests. (The public school average is the 50th percentile; scores range from 1 to 99.)
- Homeschool students score above average on achievement tests regardless of their parents’ level of formal education or their family’s household income.
- Whether homeschool parents were ever certified teachers is not related to their children’s academic achievement.
- Degree of state control and regulation of homeschooling is not related to academic achievement.
- Home-educated students typically score above average on the SAT and ACT tests that colleges consider for admissions.
- Homeschool students are increasingly being actively recruited by colleges.
The research base on adults who were home educated indicates:
- Participate in local community service more frequently than does the general population
- Vote and attend public meetings more frequently than the general population, and attend and succeed at college at an equal or higher rate than the general population.
- Internalize the values and beliefs of their parents at a very high rate.
(Brian D. Ray, Ph.D.,2011)
https://www.nheri.org/research/research-facts-on-homeschooling.html
Homeschooling
There are many reasons parents choose to homeschool their children. Some parents believe that they can provide a better education at home; others feel that mainstream schools represent a hostile learning environment. There is no stereotypical homeschool family; they can be found in every religion, income level, and political orientation. Regardless of their differences, homeschooling parents share the desire to educate their children in a safe and nurturing environment.
According to one long-time homeschooling mom, there are two kinds of homeschool parents; those who want nothing to do with the education system, and those who do not want their children to attend the available school. Those who dislike the system have numerous reasons. The moms I spoke with, feel that the school system does not provide a classical education. Homeschooling allows them to have control over the content their children are taught. The latter group of parents is most concerned about the school environment. They want their children to be protected from drugs, bullying, failing grades, and other issues. They often take advantage of the curriculums available in the schools, and school districts often provide online programs.
In addition to rigorous academic content, many parents feel that homeschooling offers flexible schedules that allow for learning opportunities, not available in school. Throughout history, children have learned through observation and imitation of their elders. Those experiences are deeply meaningful. When parents are part of their children’s learning, they can find teachable moments in everyday activities. Some structure is necessary, and there are benchmarks to help track progress, but parents have a choice in the materials they use for lessons. The flexibility of homeschooling also allows parents to respond quickly when problems arise, and adjust their teaching methods. Some parents have even tailored learning for their special needs children and are helping them to develop skills that will benefit them in other areas of their lives.
Another advantage to homeschooling is that a lesson can be seen through to its completion, not abbreviated so students can move on to the next topic. The fragmentation of a traditional school day is not conducive to learning. It is a chaotic environment with students receiving hour long segments of unrelated learning punctuated by the need to rush from classroom to classroom. It comes as no surprise that 47 percent of the dropouts in a Gates Foundation study group said they quit school because the classes were not interesting. Other revelations from the study revealed that 69 percent of the respondents were not motivated or inspired and 80 percent did less than an hour of homework per day (Gates Foundation, 2006).
There is a popular misconception that homeschooled children are isolated. On the contrary, homeschooled students have more opportunities to interact through learning opportunities in the community, and are more involved in volunteerism and civic events. Often families network to coordinate activities and share best practices, and opportunities for sports and other extracurricular activities abound (Ray, 2011).
References
Gates Foundation. (2006, March). The Silent Epidemic. Retrieved from Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation: https://docs.gatesfoundation.org/Documents/thesilentepidemic3-06FINAL.pdf
Ray, B. D. (2011, January 11). Research Facts on Homescholing. Retrieved from National Home Education Research Institute: https://www.nheri.org/research/research-facts-on-homeschooling.html
More Information about Homeschooling....
https://ppld.org/homeschool-hub
https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2012/10/the-homeschool-diaries/309089/
https://www.time4learning.com/homeschool/homeschooling_in_colorado.shtml
https://tomwoods.com/blog/why-the-ron-paul-homeschool-curriculum-heres-why/
https://www.meetup.com/Colorado-Homeschoolers/