In the modern world that we live in today, education is considered paramount. Although in the United States our education level is not nearly at the rank we’d like, we still place a great emphasis on programs to shape the youth of tomorrow. There is, however, one organization for education that is not fueled by government spending: homeschool. Homeschooling is a practice that is looked upon from the outside as alien simply for being different, and the stereotypical view that many hold of it is false. In fact, because of a lack of bad influences, the addition positive social effects, and outstanding academic performance, the case can be made that homeschooling is more beneficial than public schooling to students.
The way that every child is started in homeschooling at a young age is because of their parents. In a survey of why parents decide to enter their children into homeschooling, 85.4% responded that it is because of “a concern about the environment of other schools” (Dumas 8). Things like drugs and alcohol are all accessible easily in public school from various vendors trying to get children hooked at young ages. By taking out the medium through which they transport their product, parents are removing their children from harm’s way. Another bad influence to children in public school is conformity.
Noteworthy researcher Tanya Dumas writes that “one of the primary benefits of homeschooling is the ability to tailor the education to the needs of each student and to work one-on-one with the child” (Dumas 8). As much as teachers may wish that this was not the case, the time in a single class period simply does not allow for as much one-on-one time as is necessary for each student. This issue is completely resolved with homeschooling, since parents know their child better than anyone else and can better cater lesson plans to suit the learning style of the student. This will encourage individuality, which is a trait that many of the leaders in today’s world are lacking.
Thirdly, children are given too many easy ways out in public school. Grades from the kindergarten to high school level aren’t earned anymore, but are standardized as an “A” being the average level of achievement. The drive to become better is diminished as the quality of work expected of those around them does. Through homeschooling, children are constantly taught to challenge themselves because they have no other classmates to contend with. The constant need for self-improvement is something built into the program by parents at an early age seeking to do what is the most beneficial thing for their children.
All of these aspects combine to effectively note that homeschooled students are much more easily molded with positive characteristics that are needed in today’s society. Despite what many people believe, there is actually evidence to suggest that children who participate in homeschooling are more social than those in public schooling. One researcher, Richard Medlin, found that “the flexible schedule and more efficient use of time home schooling affords may allow home-schooled children to participate in more extracurricular activities than children attending conventional schools” (Medlin 6).
All of these experiences are not given to the public school student as they are crammed into a small room with the same people day in and day out, only to retreat to their home to stay confined there and work on homework. Another aspect that benefits homeschooled children socially is the lack of television that they watch. In another study analyzed by Richard Medlin, he found that “fewer than 3% of home-schooled fourth graders watch more than 3 hours of television a day. The comparable figure for fourth graders nationwide is 38%” (Medlin 5). The lack of television in homeschooled children’s’ lives is a positive aspect of the system in general.
This encourages more time for thought and introspection, something that is often lost in the public student’s shuffle through daily life, as regulated by the school system that they often seem prisoner to. The third aspect that was noted about homeschooled students was their ability to be socially active outside of their homes. This was proven in a study which showed that “home schoolers had contact with 49 different people in a month’s time, and public school students met with 56 individuals – a difference that was not statistically significant” (Medlin 5). The number of people that homeschool children met in a month was eerily similar to the number that the children in public schooling met, which bodes well for the argument that homeschooled children are not simply caged in their home all day, devoid of social manners and attentions. These, along with many of the above-listed examples, contradict every stereotype that is currently in place in our society about homeschooled students being sheltered, shy, and introverted.
These stereotypes have to be broken in order to move forward into a new age of education. The final and most important reason that homeschooling is a viable replacement for public schooling is in the field of academics. One study shown by the National Home Education Research Institute found that “home-schooled students in grades 1-4 perform typically one grade level higher than their public and private-schooled peers” (Wilhelm 8). Homeschool children also performed much better on standardized tests like the SAT and ACT. Gary Mason, college admissions director writes that “homeschooled students had above-average SAT and ACT scores (1210 and 29 respectively)” (Mason 1).
This works to provide the thought that even without the standardized practice of public schooling they can still pass the intellectual content of the test. These results are also not affected by race or income. A study conducted by Tanya Dumas showed that “family income and student race have no statistical association with homeschooled students’ achievement” (Dumas 12). Because these factors do not affect education in this system, it is just another reason that homeschooling should be implemented. Another aspect that should be examined when speaking of academics is the ability for those who are mentally deficient or gifted to receive the accurate level of education.
Those who are extremely gifted, for example, can be placed on faster tracks by their parents aimed at improving overall knowledge about many subjects, while those with mentally deficient children are able to spend longer periods of time on subjects, ensuring that no student will be left behind because the majority of other students is ready to move on. Colleges are also beginning to endorse the homeschooling factor of education, as many have begun to draft completely separate forms for applications from homeschool students. One director of admissions, Gary Mason, wrote that “[homeschooled students] tend to be highly-motivated, self-directed learners who are intellectually curious” (Mason 2).
This shows that those who are in charge of admissions to colleges are actually starting to recognize the academic potential of homeschooled students as significant. Many supporters of public schooling would argue that many parents who homeschool their children are not academically fit to do so, but would be shocked by what research has shown. In a study measuring 20,760 homeschooled students in every state, noteworthy researcher Gretchen Wilhelm stated that “those parents choosing to make a commitment to home schooling are able to provide a very successful academic environment”, with a “successful academic environment” being measured by test scores that the children obtained (Wilhelm 8).
This provides direct evidence for the claim that many parents who choose to homeschool their children are more than academically qualified to do so. Academics are one of the most important aspects of the development of children, and through numerous studies and observations one can see that the academic expectations are being more than adequately met by homeschooled students. Many members of the American public would seek to place introversion and less academic success at the heart of their issues with homeschooling, but according to the data presented could not be more wrong. While we certainly cannot blame the public alone for the perception of homeschooling as it has come to be today, it can be agreed upon that things need to change. Academics, social ability, and lack of bad influences are all things that make homeschooling a serious option as we begin looking at more and more ways to help keep America as one of the lower-tier first world countries in terms of education.
