"The home-schooled students tested about half a grade higher in math and 2.2 grades higher in reading"
Concordia & Mt Allison University study: “…if the set curriculum is structured and followed at home, some children today have better test scores in math and reading compared to students attending public schools.” Homeschool Gets Better Report Card
Personally, I have not seen a good reliable and valid study done by a homeschool group yet.
It isn’t likely to happen any time soon. Homeschooling is not a system that can be quantified in the same way that the public school system can. And even the studies done on public schools can’t account for things like family life, socio-economic status and developmental delays.
You can find some data at the http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2006/homeschool/ National Center for Education Statistics.
I agree- and that is why IMO studies are of limited value when all the variables can’t be accounted for.
However, homeschooling cannot be called a ‘system’ because not only are the laws governing HSing different in each state, families are free to use a variety and combination of methods and curriculum. There simply is no homeschooling system- it is a right that some parents have decided to embrace, especially when they believe their local schools are failing their children.
Traditional schools are ‘systemized’ in the sense that they have been required to adopt an approved curriculum, conform to certain standards, and work toward the content of nationally recognized standardized tests- especially those with state accreditation. However, the advent of school choice, experimental, and charter schools is going to muddy the waters somewhat for those looking for solid data on academic outcomes.
We do know a few things about the quality of education- parental involvement is definitely key, even more so than parental education. Teachers with strong communication skills and an affinity for children have been found to be more effective in the classroom, regardless of certification. But even those things don’t take into account the different developmental stages of individual children, who are still herded like cattle based on age, instead of on gender and other key factors to readiness. Education is a very complex subject, and attempted to boil it down just turn it into goo.
It is unfortunate that homeschool parents have had to fight for the right to direct the education of their own children, and that ‘studies’ have been done to try to prove that parents can successfully provide an education for their children outside of the traditional school. Compulsory education laws simply state that parents should provide their children with an adequate education- there is no language in the law that requires a child to learn, or every school in the nation would be breaking the law. They can’t guarantee outcomes, and neither can parents. Even public schools that receive an “Excellence” rating have anywhere from 20-30% of their kids performing below proficiency in math and reading, which are core skills.
However, homeschooling cannot be called a ‘system’ because not only are the laws governing HSing different in each state, families are free to use a variety and combination of methods and curriculum. There simply is no homeschooling system- it is a right that some parents have decided to embrace, especially when they believe their local schools are failing their children.
Traditional schools are ‘systemized’ in the sense that they have been required to adopt an approved curriculum, conform to certain standards, and work toward the content of nationally recognized standardized tests- especially those with state accreditation. However, the advent of school choice, experimental, and charter schools is going to muddy the waters somewhat for those looking for solid data on academic outcomes.
We do know a few things about the quality of education- parental involvement is definitely key, even more so than parental education. Teachers with strong communication skills and an affinity for children have been found to be more effective in the classroom, regardless of certification. But even those things don’t take into account the different developmental stages of individual children, who are still herded like cattle based on age, instead of on gender and other key factors to readiness. Education is a very complex subject, and attempted to boil it down just turn it into goo.
It is unfortunate that homeschool parents have had to fight for the right to direct the education of their own children, and that ‘studies’ have been done to try to prove that parents can successfully provide an education for their children outside of the traditional school. Compulsory education laws simply state that parents should provide their children with an adequate education- there is no language in the law that requires a child to learn, or every school in the nation would be breaking the law. They can’t guarantee outcomes, and neither can parents. Even public schools that receive an “Excellence” rating have anywhere from 20-30% of their kids performing below proficiency in math and reading, which are core skills.
[RPittman] If homeschooling is based on the premise that parents can do it as well or better, then it follows that homeschooling can be denied if public schools can do it better. Public schools are held to no such accountability of having to do it as well or better in order to exist. Public schools assert their right to exist without basing it on performance. Thus, homeschooling is a right regardless whether parents are doing it better or not. Parental choice is a right that does not need justification by outcomes. Do you understand my position?
That isn’t how I said it, but that is what I said. The law simply states that parents are required to provide an education. Outcomes are not a factor in the law, or they shouldn’t be, but the fact is that a homeschooled child in Ohio and a few other states who doesn’t score high enough on a nationally recognized standardized test will be required to attend a traditional school. There are no penalties if the child fails in PS, however. They often aren’t even held back a grade.
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