Homeschooling

Public schooling in the United States fails in providing a quality education for student in K-12. In 2015 the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA), which measures reading ability and math and science literacy among 15-year-olds in dozens of developed and developing countries, found that the United States is ranked 35th in math and 27th in science Desilver, D. (2016). The number one thing every parent wants for their children is for them to have access to the best possible education available. As a result of a low quality public education, parents are progressively looking for alternative ways of schooling. In particular, some parents have decided that homeschooling would better prepare their children in life. This paper will analyze both the pros and cons of homeschooling.

Education in our society is a very important factor in shaping our future. One’s future is depended on the education they receive and everyone is somehow affected by this. Children from the ages of kindergarteners to seniors in high school, college graduates, and stay at home mothers, are all shaped by the education the government provides us. There are many different ways to acquire an education some through private schools, public, charter, and being homeschooled. However, homeschooling is growing more in popularity than it has ever been.

This research paper analyzes data from case studies and peer reviewed articles to examine, whether home schoolers who are educated away from the public school are able attain the expected higher academic standards comparable to public school students (PSS). Additionally, socialization, which has plagued homeschoolers will be considered to be a part of this research., Subsequently, the search for answers about the homeschooling success had becomebecame more difficult, due to the abundance of misrepresented information and public opinions. Historically, Finally, those who have a basic knowledge of the homeschooling community, developed their assumptions based on limited exposure with parents who homeschooled. Unfortunately, parents who

While the American public school system educates the majority of students today, a fast growing population is beginning to accept homeschooling as an adequate alternative. Anyone with kids desires only the best education and experiences for them. Those who face this decision have to take in the plentiful list of differences and decide which will suit their family best. For years, most people saw homeschooling as an ineffiecent replacement to the government-provided schools already in existence. However, in the last ten years, studies have proved that homeschooling well equipps a student for college and beyond, changing the minds of many(http://www.usnews.com/education/high-schools/articles/2012/06/01/home-schooled-teens-ripe-for-college?page=2). In order to make this crutial decision between public or home school, one must account for the social and extracurricular opportunites, the educational aspect, and what role the family plays in education.

Homeschooling, and its rise in the past decade, is a hot topic of discussion in American society. “About 1.35 million children in the country are being officially homeschooled, making it a vital and expanding form of private education and political force in U.S. society” (Cooper & Sureau, 2007). The homeschool movement is growing rapidly because parents are researching their local educational systems and finding that it lacks in the fundamental standards and values they want to instill in their children. “It is odd that homeschooling, perhaps the ultimate form of privatization and withdrawal from, if not rejection of, the public education system, has now reached a level of unprecedented visibility, politicization, and publicization” (Cooper

An article from 2015 about homeschooling and public school stated that “it’s estimated that as many as 2 million American students are being educated at home.” There are several families that would prefer homeschooling over public school for several reasons, which will be discussed in this essay. The two topics that will be discussed are homeschooling and public school. There will be multiple topics discussed in this essay, such as pros and cons of homeschooling and public schooling, and which option would be the best option for certain types of families and students. These two topics will be contrasted by explaining which topic would be the better option for specific groups of people, and certain families. The purpose of this essay is to describe the advantages and disadvantages of home and public schooling. Also, the purpose of this essay to show statistics about which system of education would be best for certain families, specifically those who are low-income families, and want the best option for their children. Whereas public schooling is inexpensive and gives children a chance to make friends, homeschooling is the best option because it gives children a safe, and more compatible learning environment.

Research claims that homeschoolers usually exceed expectations in college compared to traditional-school students. According to Michael Cogan, author of “Exploring Academic Outcomes of Homeschool Students,” majority of admission staff located at different colleges believe homeschool students either meet or exceed expectations of traditional-school students (Cogan 19). These expectations include GPA, how many college credits were earned prior to enrollment, and how well they retain information. Homeschool students were also reported as to having significantly higher ACT-Composite scores. The average ACT-Composite score among homeschool students is a 27, while the average score among traditional-school students is a 25 (Cogan 24). Not only are homeschool students’ standardized testing scores higher, their GPA scores are usually higher as well. The average GPA of homeschool students is 3.64, and traditional-school students’ average GPA is between 3.54 and 3.44 (Cogan 24). In addition, homeschool students earn more college credits prior to enrollment than traditional-school students because few public schools offer concurrent classes (HSLDA). The

For the first 230 years of our history, parents, not the government, were in charge. Competence in reading, writing, and arithmetic was nearly universal at the time of the American Revolution. But by the mid-nineteenth century, a band of reformers led by Horace Mann of Massachusetts replaced our founding, free-market education system with a system of state-run education, with compulsory attendance and standardized curriculum. (Forstmann, 2001) Homeschooling has been around for a long time and is not going anywhere. It continues to increase as the year's pass, and it’s not slowing down. Many pioneers have fought for homeschooling, and new ones continue to surface. While the public education continues to downplay homeschooling, home educators continue to flourish in many ways by performing academically and becoming professionals in their field of study. The reasons parents chose to homeschool for religious reasons, low standard in public schools, academic advancement, and a safer environment. From my own experience with homeschooling, its beneficial for a variety of reasons. One reason would be one on one teaching according to the child’s learning style. When you compare this method to the public sector, children are receiving constant tutorial help from their parents. Receiving tutorial help doesn’t mean that the child will not know how to perform without assistance but prepares the child to study on their own and master the scope and sequence of studying. A child will have

Homeschooling is on the rise in America. According to a 2007 NHES study conducted by the U.S. Department of Education there are an estimated 1.5 million students actively being homeschooled up from the 850,000 estimated in previous study conducted in 1999 (NCES, 1). Once seen as a fringe activity usually associated with the religious right, homeschooling now encompasses many mainstream families looking for educational alternatives in the face of such issues as violence, peer pressure, and poor academic quality in many public schools. Detractors on the other hand claim that homeschooling is a less effective method of educating America’s youth citing academic and social issues. Despite critics’ claims to the contrary, homeschooling is an effective and viable method of education as its participants not only do well academically; they are well socialized and are successful in college and later life.

Despite home-schooling’s controversy because of the lack of teaching credentials for parents and socialization, homeschooling has big benefits for children. The first benefit is that while homeschooled, students receive individualized education. Parents spend all their time and attention to their children. Parents can devote all their time and attention to their children. Martin points out that parents understand their children best (Martin). Therefore, they can choose the best method to motivate their children to learn. “Parents are also able to evaluate their children on a daily basis and provide further instruction if needed” (Martin). Individualized education also provide necessary help as needed. As a result, homeschooled students achieve

In the ten-year period from 2003 to 2012, the number of American children 5 through 17 years old who were being home schooled by their parents climbed by 61.8 percent. There has been drastic increases in home education over the last several years. It is estimated that a total of 2 million students (2.3%) are home schooled in the U.S today. This begs the question, why home school?

Secondly, homeschooled students can receive a similar level of education or even better than those in a traditional school. Students can take online courses at home and have their parent assist them when needed. Online courses can provide all the necessary required materials to bring the student to success. Research has shown that homeschooled students have equal to or higher test scores than traditionally schooled students. McReynolds (2007) explains that homeschooled students are successful, “Nevertheless, a variety of studies suggest that by traditional standards, homeschoolers do pretty well. They tend to score higher than public school children on standardized achievement tests (Rudner 1999), advanced placement exams (Richman 2005), the SAT (King 2004) and the ACT (Golden 2001). Homeschoolers attend college at higher rates than public school students (Richman 1999)” (p. 37). McReynolds proves that homeschooled students can score better on a test than traditionally schooled students. This proves that homeschooled students can be just as

The term homeschooling refers to the practice of parents educating a child at home, rather than in a conventional public or private school setting. These children would otherwise be enrolled in elementary or secondary school. Homeschooling is seen in the United States today as a viable alternative to public school education. According to widely-repeated estimates, as many as two million American children are schooled at home, with the number growing at 15 to 20 percent per year (McDowell & Ray 2000, Lines 2000). Despite the rising prevalence of the subject, we are left without basic information on the nature of homeschooling in the United States. What motivations do parents have for choosing homeschooling — religion, concerns about school quality, or other motivations? What are the limitations that these families face? Lastly, what strengths do these children exhibit with homeschooling? The common argument in limitations of homeschooling is the issue of socialization in homeschoolers development. The counter-argument from homeschooling advocates is that homeschooling does not mean a hermit like existence for the children. The idea is that social skills do not have to be developed only with people who are the exact same age but experience of forming meaningful relationships social skills will get solidified. Some families feel judged by making the choice to homeschool even when it meets their child 's needs, although today they are becoming more mainstream ( Collom,

In today’s world, there are many different options for students to go to school. There is public school, private school, charter school, contract school, and home schools. The question on many people’s minds is “Why home schooling over any other schooling?” Since 1970s there has been a dramatic growth in homeschooling for student’s kindergarten to twelfth grade students. Although White gives effective arguments, and includes no obvious recall of evidence, she builds her credentials from subjects who have personally experiences, controversial evidence, and then by connecting White’s analysis to conclusions to her reader’s choice of choosing whether home schooling is a quality education.

Homeschooling, not very well known, presents a new and affordable way to educate children. “Home school is a term used to refer to the education of children by their parents or guardians in a setting other than a public or private school” (Anderman & Anderman, p. 467). It has never been a new thing; it just has not been as popular as it used to be (Lines, p. 76). With this topic meaning so much to groups for and against the right for homeschooling and what should be legalized or not, the debate still rages on from local to even national government entities. Both sides of the argument have valid points, but ultimately it is the choice of the parents. There are many types of ways to educate children and that decision is difficult for both