| Homeschool Academic Achievements |
By: Debra Dragon, Homeschooling Columnist
On 12/11/05
Whenever the topic of homeschooling is mentioned, people inevitably want to know how well the average homeschooled child is doing academically.
| "Some people argue that parents should not be legally allowed to teach their children in their homes unless they themselves have been educated and formally trained as a teacher." |
While standardized test scores are often used as the basis for evaluating academic achievements, the tests in of themselves are controversial as to whether they are testing the child’s knowledge, or just their ability to take tests. Nevertheless, over the years, hundreds of these studies have been conducted in an effort to compare the academic achievements of homeschooled children versus those who are traditionally schooled. The results are positive: one study of 5,402 homeschool students entitled: “Strengths of Their Own: Home Schoolers Across America”, released in 1997, indicated that, on average, homeschooled children outscored traditionally-schooled children by around 34 percentile points across all subject matters.
Most test score reporting agencies, including newspapers and official school reports, give an indication of test scores in relation to the ethnicity of the students tested. In a survey of public schools across the country, Caucasian eighth graders scored in the 58th percentile in math, and the 57th percentile in reading; while eighth grade minority students scored in the 24th percentile in the math category and the 28th percentile in the reading category. Strengths of Their Own studies indicated that there were no substantial differences between minority and white homeschooled student achievement, and, on average, all homeschooled students tested in the study, between the grades K-12, scored in the 87th percentile.
This study – as well as many others conducted over the years by the State Departments of Education, The Home School Legal Defense Association, The National Center for Home Education, and various other homeschooling and educational organizations – demonstrates that homeschooled children are actually achieving higher academic statistics than their traditionally schooled peers, making a strong case for the validity of the practice. The Home School Legal Defense Association,is an outstanding resource for finding out more statistical information on the academic achievements of homeschooled children versus traditionally schooled children, and also gives state-specific data to assist homeschooling families.
Some people argue that parents should not be legally allowed to teach their children in their homes unless they themselves have been educated and formally trained as a teacher. However, in 1990, a report entitled: “A Nationwide Study of Home Education: Family Characteristics, Legal Matters and Student Achievement” found that average homeschooler test scores were at or above the 80th percentile in all subject matters, while only 13.9% of the primary teachers of the homeschooled children (the children’s mothers) have ever been certified teachers. There was no difference in test scores based on the teacher certification status of the parents providing the education.
Homeschooling for your own children is a very personal choice, with many aspects to be taken into account. But studies show that the academic achievements of most homeschooled children are higher than that of the average traditionally schooled student, indicating that homeschooling is an effective way to educate our nation’s children in all subject matters.
|
|
|
|
