Explore some of the history of the homeschooling movement, why some parents choose to homeschool, the basics of homeschooling, and more. The article includes some homeschooling statistics and demographic information. Also included is a discussion of the influences of Dr. Raymond Moore and John Holt on the emerging homeschool movement.
Homeschooling is becoming more popular every day, with a growth rate of 7 to 15 percent per year. There are about two million children currently learning at home. Homeschooled kids do well on standardized tests, are welcome at colleges and universities, and as adults, have a reputation for being self-directed learners and reliable employees. To help other parents who are considering homeschooling, here is a new list of pros and cons.
Embarking on homeschooling can offer moments of great satisfaction or moments that push your limits, typically involving a mix of both. How do you ascertain if homeschooling is a good fit for you? What are the strengths and weaknesses associated with homeschooling? Read through these pros and cons for parents and kids to learn more and help you make your decision.
The face of homeschooling is changing. We are not all religious extremists or farmers, and our kids are not all overachieving academic nerds without social skills. This article outlines some of the practical advantages of homeschooling.
Margaret is a homeschool veteran who explains why traditional schooling was never an option for her children. Margaret’s narrative documents the complexity of being a single Black mother and choosing to live in a low-income housing community, and not working full-time in order to fulfill her rights as a mother to do what she determined would be best for her children. Her account also demonstrates the role of faith, spirituality, and the complexity of building a curriculum to meet her children’s needs.
Homeschoolers are often asked about why they homeschool. This veteran homeschoolers has come up with her top ten reasons for homeschooling: education, freedom, family and love, morals and values, independence, socialization, health, passion, creativity and imagination, and play.
Most people who have never met a homeschooling family imagine that the kids are socially isolated. But some new research by Brian Ray of the National Home Education Research Institute suggests otherwise. Indeed, Ray's research helps to explain why the number of homeschoolers in America continues to grow. Ray reports the typical homeschooled child is involved in 5.2 social activities outside the home each week. These activities include afternoon and weekend programs with conventionally schooled kids, such as ballet classes, Little League teams, Scout troops, church groups and neighborhood play. They include midday field trips and cooperative learning programs organized by groups of homeschooling families. For example, some Washington, D.C., families run a homeschool drama troupe that performs at a local dinner theater. So, what most distinguishes a homeschooler's social life from that of a conventionally schooled child? Ray says homeschooled children tend to interact more with people of different ages.
A list of the advantages and benefits of homeschooling for children, parents, and families.
Families have various reasons for homeschooling. By examining your own reasons, your relationship with God, and your goals for your children, you'll will find your direction. Reasons for homeschooling include faith reasons, educational reasons, and relational reasons.
More and more American parents are choosing to educate their children at home. What accounts for this trend? Reasons include faith preferences, the individual approach to education, and a desire for a stronger family unit.
This New York Times articles is written by a veteran homeschooler who explains that home-schooling has a significant advantage in combating the pressure schools place on children, including better use of time and high quality academics.
This Canadian study has confirmed what has been known for over two decades, much to the chagrin of public school officials: Homeschoolers perform better than public school students in the crucial core academic disciplines of reading and math. The study, published in the Canadian Journal of Behavioural Science, compared the standardized test scores of 37 homeschooled students between the ages of five and 10 to those of 37 public school counterparts, finding that while public school students typically tested at or slightly above their grade level, homeschooled kids performed about a half grade higher in math and 2.2 grades higher in reading.
When you've made the decision to homeschool, where do you start? This guide from Sonlight Curriculum explains the pros and cons of a home education lifestyle, offers free resources, and has a How to Start Homeschooling checklist to help you connect with other homeschooling families, create your homeschool vision, and choose curriculum.
Many parents choose to teach their children at home, instead of enrolling them and making them study within the formal settings of public or private schools. With homeschooling, the parents take full responsibility of their children’s education. It is intense parenting, as parents spend more time with their children, doing the hard work and having the patience to educate their kids. Mitchell Stevens, a Stanford professor who wrote Kingdom of Children, a history of homeschooling, reveals that homeschooling, which was used to be popular in rural areas, is now being practiced widely in America’s cities as well, with children of secular, highly educated professionals as students. Advances in digital learning and availability of resources over the internet also make homeschooling easier and more effective than ever.
Homeschooling parents commonly express three key criticisms of public schools: the perceived lack of academic rigor, concerns about maladjusted graduates, and an anti-religious atmosphere. Advocates of homeschooling assert that this educational choice effectively addresses these issues, claiming that homeschooled students excel, regardless of one's educational philosophy. Furthermore, proponents argue that private schools share similarities with public schools, albeit less pronounced, and are subject to similar criticisms. The arguments in favor of homeschooling can be examined through personal case histories and scholarly analysis, with this paper concentrating on the numerous studies conducted on various aspects of homeschooling.