Elizabeth has been accepted to four different universities and is having problems choosing which one she prefers. The decision is made even more difficult because Elizabeth is just 15 years old.
Michael took his SAT test last Saturday. He scored 1560 out of 1600 including a perfect 800 in math. He’s looking forward to finishing his schooling as he will be attending Harvard in the fall.
George has been invited to his local college to compete for five scholarships they are awarding amounting to full tuition for four years – about $100,000 each. The scholarships are awarded based on academic ability and the competition is stiff every year. He’s expected to finish first and have his schooling paid for.
What do all of these children have in common? All have been home schooled.
At one time, home schooling was associated only with religious and political choices in an attempt to stand up to the government-regulated public school system. Today, however, more and more children are being home schooled for a variety of reasons.
It’s difficult to obtain accurate statistics on this phenomenon, but advocates estimate that as many as 1.5 million children are receiving their education at home with their parents as their teachers. The Federal Education Department estimated the total 10 years ago in the 750,000 range and will be revising their numbers to better reflect this new wave in schooling.
Why do people home school? There are a variety of reasons. Many choose to do so for religious reasons. Others are frustrated with the quality of their child’s education and feel they can do much better. The rise in school violence is also a reason some home schooling parents give for wanting their children educated at home.
Whatever the reason, studies show that home schooled children are, in general, getting a better education as is reflected in test scores throughout the country.
Home schooling is also a controversial subject. Opponents feels like children who are schooled at home lack the social skills of peers their age. They feel these kids are missing out on an important aspect of education that leaves them ill-prepared for the real world when they are put back into the educational system in college.
In this book, we’ll look at home schooling from a professional standpoint as a valid option for providing your child with the best education you can. Home schooling is more than just giving your child a book and telling them to read it.
There are tried and true techniques as well as materials that will insure you are doing the right things when you decide to educate your child at home. We’ve gathered some of the best information we can find for you and given you some excellent sources and suggestions for ways to make your child’s experience exciting and beneficial.
Welcome to Professor Home School!
Homeschooling By The Numbers
While many people are bored by statistics, the home school phenomenon gives us a better idea of whether or not the choice is right for you. We think you’ll be amazed at what the numbers can tell us.
First and foremost, let’s look at test scores. There is no blanket federal regulation for children who are home schooled with regards to standardized testing. The laws vary from state to state, so judging effectiveness in younger grades is difficult.
However, since almost all colleges require test scores from either the SAT or the ACT, we can gauge how effective home schooling is from this type of test score. How do these kids measure up? The answer is amazingly superior.
With the ACT test, a perfect score is 36. The publicly educated student will average a score of 21. Home schooled children average a 23. On the SAT, a perfect score is 1,600. Home schoolers average a score of 1,083 as compared to their traditional peers’ score of 1,016.
Some people don’t think the difference is enough to justify home schooling their child, but advocates say that when it comes to education, the more advantages you can give your kid, the better off they’ll be. Even if it’s only a few points, those few points could make a huge difference in what school they’ll be attending.
Eighteen percent of home schooling families have an annual household income of less than $25,000. Forty-four percent average an annual income of between $25,000 and $49,000. These statistics alone de-bunk the myth of a correlation between high family income and high test scores.
Statistics also indicate that home schoolers are no longer rural white fundamentalists.
While 75% of families do attend regular religious services, the face of the home schooled child is much different than the typical stereotype. Almost 4% are African- American and another 4% are Hispanic.
Home schooled students also have parents who are much more educated than the national norm. This could contribute to the quality of education they receive when instructed by their parents.
Some opponents feel that any numbers on home schooling don’t effectively cover all students. While the high test scores may show the top-tier of performance, they may not accurately reflect the bottom tier. They say that these numbers don’t take into account those students who are not getting a good education at home.
While this may be true, once in college, the home schooled child consistently maintains a higher GPA than their publicly educated peers. Something is happening here that simply can’t be denied: home schooling works when it’s done right.
The decision to home school is a very personal one that must be examined carefully before undertaking. This decision must be made by all family members including the children themselves.
