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Homeschooling
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Homeschooling in the United States is an option for educating school-aged children (ages 5-17) in a home environment rather than in a public or private school. The education received is equivalent to at least a kindergarten level and no higher than a 12th grade level. Homeschooling is chosen for a variety of reasons which will be discussed below.[1][2]
History
Homeschooling is not a new phenomenon, since throughout history and all over the world children have been taught at home. Before compulsory education became the predominant practice, homeschooling was the only option for poor families. In the United States, homeschooling was illegal in some states for many years. However, in the 1970s, several popular authors and researchers, such as John Holt and Dorothy and Raymond Moore, began to discuss education reform. They proposed homeschooling as a viable option for parents who were not satisfied with the other options available at the time.[1][2][3]
The homeschooling "movement," as it came to be called, gained more momentum in the 1980s. Certain religious groups began to challenge content taught in public schools and chose to support homeschooling in states that did not support their views. The passion inherent in such debates escalated into legal battles that helped shape how homeschooling was viewed and used. Ironically, however, the movement's leadership shifted from progressive education experts to Christian activists. These activists actually restricted homeschooling practices as some required signed affirmations of faith in order to gain support in the home-school process. Public schools also became wary of cooperating with these religious groups, as the latter often accused public schools of corrupting their students. Secular home-schoolers did not approve of the stringent requirements set forth by some of these religious leaders and the movement lost steam until 1983, when the Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA) and other home school advocacy groups were founded. The HSLDA is particularly noteworthy because it was able to make legal ground in states and areas where other groups had failed. The association then used that publicity to catapult itself to the top of the homeschooling movement's leadership. Although it remains a Christian organization, the group seeks to bring quality homeschooling practices to all interested individuals. As such, it does not require any members to be Christians or teach Christian-affiliated curricula.[4][5]
Reasons for homeschooling
In the 2011–12 school year, 91 percent of home-schooled students' parents said that concern about the public school environment was an important reason for homeschooling their child. Some reasons cited for switching to homeschooling are: concern about the social atmosphere and safety; concern about the subject matter being taught; a desire to provide moral or religious instruction alongside standard material. Standards vary from state to state, but the freedom to impart certain values while also giving one's child a quality education has proven increasingly attractive to many parents. Homeschooling gives parents more control over their child's safety and exposure to peers. There are many reasons a student may be home-schooled. Below is a list of many of these reasons.
- Social reasons
- Home-schooled students usually have the opportunity to participate in the same extracurricular activities as traditionally schooled students.
- Parents have more influence over a child's social exposure, limiting the likelihood of that child engaging in delinquent activities.
- Academic reasons
- Many experts argue in favor of small class sizes and one-on-one instruction. Homeschooling provides that environment more readily than traditional education.
- There is little evidence that suggests parents' potential lack of subject knowledge negatively impacts home-schooled children.
- Family reasons
- Some experts believe that family is one of the most influential factors on a child's development. Homeschooling provides more opportunities to foster family relationships.
- Religious reasons
- Some parents may desire the opportunity to infuse religion into their children's regular education. This is not likely to happen in public schools, however.
- Even if parents do not particularly desire their children to learn religious subject matter, some argue that religion is a topic that is scarcely brought up in public schools at all. Religious influences on culture are left unexplored as a result, which may lead parents to believe their children receive a sub-par education.[6]
Demographics
As of August 2014 about 3.4% of the population of school-aged children, about 1.7 million students, were home-schooled. Below is a table that breaks these numbers down by race.[7]
| Home-schooled Students by Race | as of 2013 |
| White | 68% |
| Black | 8% |
| Hispanic | 15% |
| Asian or Pacific Islander | 4% |
| Other | 5% |
Studies
The following are studies on homeschooling conducted by various groups.
NCES trends report
A study conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) showed children were more likely to be home-schooled in two-parent households. The study also showed that children in rural areas were more likely to be home-schooled than in suburban or urban areas.[8]
December 2008 NCES report
This report, also conducted by the NCES, showed the growth of home-schooled students from 1999 to 2007. It did this by showing the approximate number of students for three years in that span.[9]
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 National Center for Education Statistics, "Fast Facts," accessed August 28, 2014
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Parents, "Homeschooling 101: What is Homeschooling?" accessed August 28, 2014
- ↑ Home-school.com, "A history of homeschooling," accessed December 26, 2014
- ↑ Responsible Homeschooling, "A brief history of homeschooling," accessed December 26, 2014
- ↑ Home School Legal Defense Association, "Frequently asked questions," accessed December 26, 2014
- ↑ Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, "Why parents choose homeschooling," accessed December 24, 2014
- ↑ Homeschool Legal Defense Association, "U.S. Department of Education: Homeschooling Continues to Grow!" accessed August 28, 2014
- ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "Trends in the use of school choice, 1993-2007," accessed December 19, 2014
- ↑ National Center for Education Statistics "1.5 million home-schooled students in the United States in 2007," accessed December 19, 2014
