Posted on 07/20/2005 12:13:49 PM PDT by Little Bill
Why Homeschooling Continues to Grow
by Isabel Lyman — May 16, 2005
For evidence that the homeschooling movement is growing up, look no further than the crowd - and excitement - generated by the National Christian Homeschool Basketball Championships held in Oklahoma City.
The 2004 athletic event - in its thirteenth year - drew 240 teams from 26 states, featured over 600 games, and attracted college coaches eager to scout players. In attendance was Texan Debbie Verwers, the mother of Stephen Verwers, a homeschool graduate, who currently plays for Colorado State University’s basketball team. Upshot? The extracurricular athletic activities that exist for active home scholars is only one cultural indicator that homeschooling has graduated from its fledgling, countercultural beginnings in the 1970s into a more popular choice.
DOWN MEMORY LANE
The early days of homeschooling were not without their own buzz. Grant Colfax's admission into Harvard in 1983 (he was also accepted to Yale) attracted wide attention because he had been homeschooled by his bookish, hard-working mother and father - David and Micki - on a ranch in northern California. The teenager’s acceptance to the venerable New England institution was proof that a schooled-at-home (and homesteading) student could acquire the type of education necessary to gain entrance into one of the most selective schools in the world.
While home education wasn't a new phenomenon, young Colfax, as well as his adventuresome parents, served as the catalysts to awaken a sleeping giant. A generation of baby boomers, who were in the thick of parenting and who were dismayed at the bureaucratic mindset that had overtaken American public education, now had inspiration to take the educational road less traveled. The 'Colfax method' gained even more credibility when Grant's younger (and homeschooled) brothers - Drew and Reed - were subsequently admitted into Harvard.
Twenty years later the electrifying accomplishments of the Colfaxes have been slightly eclipsed by a new generation of homeschoolers, who are also crafting impressive vitae. For instance, when Calvin McCarter, age 10, a homeschooler from Michigan, won the 2002 National Geographic Bee, he became the youngest competitor to ever win the contest. Home scholar Kyle Williams has been a political columnist for WorldNetDaily.com, since he was twelve years old. After his book Seen and Heard was published, the then 14-year-old Williams weathered a media blitz that included television interviews with Bill O'Reilly, Pat Buchanan, Bill Press, and Judy Woodruff.
Besides winning academic contests and enrolling in Ivy League schools, homeschoolers have been elected to public office, managed successful businesses, played on national sports teams, made a mark in Hollywood, authored popular books, graduated from law schools, and served in the armed forces. They show no signs of resting on their laurels. For its 1999 competition, the National Merit Scholarship Corporation selected 137 homeschoolers as semifinalists, and their numbers have steadily risen each year. In 2004, there were 250 homeschooled students selected as semifinalists.
Even their small numbers, estimated by the U.S. Department of Education at approximately 1.1 million last year, only a cynic would find the achievements of homeschooled students unremarkable.
DEFINNING THE TERM
"Educating children under the supervision of parents instead of school teachers " (p. 1) is how Patricia Lines (1993), a home education researcher, has defined homeschooling. Brian Ray (2003), another veteran researcher, has written: "Some families organize homeschools like a conventional school, with structured daily activities. Others view all of life as an opportunity for learning and use a very flexible schedule. Most families provide educational experiences outside as well as inside the home.”
Homeschooling, like other grass-roots movements of the twentieth century, is largely a middle-American endeavor. Ponder this description of the 'typical' family: "…they are more likely than other students to live with two or more siblings in a two-parent family, with one parent working outside the home. Parents of homeschoolers are, on average, better educated than other parents - a greater percentage have college degrees - though their incomes are about the same. Like most parents, the vast majority of those who homeschool their children earn less than $50,000, and many earn less than $25,000" (“Homeschooling Here to Stay,” 2003).
Many families are are "kitchen-table" homeschoolers, which means that a parent, typically the mother, sits at a table or a desk helping the children with their studies. Some home educators think of their endeavor as 'family-schooling' or 'parent-funded' and want the practice to remain wholly independent of government money and control, an issue that is often debated by home education bloggers and activists.
But in an age of unprecedented technological innovation and mobility, one fact is clear: It’s relatively easy and cost-effective for a youngster to bypass institutionalized schooling and receive a well-rounded education. Online classes, homeschool cooperatives, tutors, internships, volunteer work, travel, home businesses, hobbies, sabbaticals, even the great outdoors - these serve as gateways to the examined, enriched life.
STRENGTH OF HOMEGROWN VERSUS MASS PRODUCED
One young Floridian - Jonathan Lord - has successfully combined several of these opportunities. The St. Petersburg Times reports, "Besides learning at home, Jonathan now takes math through a private tutor, creative writing classes at the co-op, chemistry through homeschooling classes offered at the Museum of Science and Industry in Tampa, and dual-enrollment classes in English and Spanish at Pasco-Hernando Community College" (Miller, 2003).
Other enterprising teens have used the flexibility of schedule to pursue extracurricular pursuits that range from the flashy to the altruistic. Emoly West, a homeschool graduate and college freshman, will be competing in this year‘s Miss Oklahoma competition. She has used past pageant prize winnings to pay for college tuition. At 17, Iowa homeschooler Kelby Fujan, passed the written test to obtain his airplane pilot's license while accruing almost 50 college credits. Sam Goodman, a young teen-aged homeschooler from Indiana, regularly volunteers at a community food bank and has earned an award for his service.
In contrast to public school students, who are grouped by age and not ability, who are expected to arrive and depart at particular times, and who are labeled “learning disabled” regardless of potential, homeschoolers can receive their instruction in a highly-individualized fashion, often beginning at an early age. Their parents have a clear idea where their interests lie and the style of learning most suited to them, without being hampered with worries about bullies, politicized curriculum, teachers’ union squabbles, or the air quality of the buildings.
Parents and students with a bent toward high achievement at the tertiary level have even come to view homeschooling as a ticket to success in college. Writing in Signatures, a publication of Anderson University, Maryann Koopman (2003) reports that the Indiana school admits a "fair number of homeschoolers each year." Jim King , director of admissions at Anderson, offers this: " ... homeschooled students are better prepared for the 'independent learning' atmosphere of college than the typical school student ...." (Koopman, 2003).
While these heartwarming stories have, no doubt, nudged families toward the school-free lifestyle, my own analysis of 300 newspaper and magazine articles revealed that the top four reasons to homeschool were dissatisfaction with the public schools, the desire to freely impart religious values, academic excellence, and the opportunity to build stronger family bonds. Those findings coincide with the reasons advanced by the National Home Education Research Institute, which includes “controlled and positive peer social interactions, quality academics, alternative approaches to teaching and learning, and the safety (e.g., physical, drug-related, psychological, emotional, and sexual) of children and youth” (Ray, 2000).
When it’s all said - and by now a countless number of articles, commentaries, and research papers have been written about homeschooling - perhaps the greatest lesson to be learned is how important the concept of liberty is to the delivery of education. Parents must have opportunity to do what is right by their children and not be limited by geographic location, punitive state laws, or societal prejudices. When freedom and choice peacefully exist, students thrive, and, ultimately, society benefits. As Dr. Lines (2000) has stated, "The hard evidence suggests that the vast majority of homeschooling families are more active in civic affairs than public school families."
It will be interesting to observe, in the coming years, what a generation of such civic-minded homeschooled individuals bring to the education reform debate.
References
Homescholing is here to stay. (2001, August 20). CBSnews.com. Retrieved from http://www.cbsnews.com/
Koopman, M. (2003). Homeschoolers pass the test and the torch. Signatures. Retrieved from http://www.anderson.edu/.
Lines, P.M. (1993). Homeschooling: private choices and public obligations.
U.S. Department of Education, Office of Research.
Lines, P.M. (2000). Homeschooling comes of age. Discovery Institute. Retrieved from http://www.discovery.org/.
Miller, M. (2003). Homeschooling: drop the stereotypes. St. Petersburg Times. Retrieved from http://www.sptimes.com.
Ray, B.D. (2000). Fact sheet IIb. National Home Education Research Institute. Retrieved from http://www.nheri.org/.
Ray, B.D. (2003). Home schooling. World Book Online Americas Edition. Retrieved from http://aolsvc.worldbook.com/ar?/co/ar260563.htm.
Cite This Article as: Teachers College Record, Date
I know that I do not believe that 90% abandon within the year. My daughter homeschooled her children until an opening became available in the private school. She did not stop homeschooling to return to government schools.
I think that stat is completely bogus. That would imply that tens of millions of people try homeschooling every year.
Not "the" solution but, with the proper amount of parental involvement, some government schools can be part of a good solution. We cannot simply put the kids out at the curb and expect the government to do what's right.
It's not as if every government school is unworkable. Not yet, anyway.
I wish I had home schooled. At a top rated school district here in Dallas, there is no spelling and very little grammer being taught. I received a thank you note from a daughter of a friend for a graduation present. She graduated in the top 4% of her class at a supposedly excellent public high school. She had misspelled words in her note! I was appalled, but they simply don't teach spelling anymore.
The numbers I saw at my former church were just the opposite; at least 90% of the familllies that started home schooling continued for several years, if not all the way through high school.
I am curious where that particualr stat came from.
22.7% of all the statistics you'll see or hear in any given day are pulled out of thin air.
"On the order of 90% + people who start home-schooling, abandon it within a year, not appreciating the tremendous amount of work it takes."
I've read on homeschooling extensively and have never come across this statistic. Frankly, I'm a skeptic. Could you provide a source? Thanks.
Just curious which district?
I think my kids will be going to a well-ranked public school with parents to counteract liberal bias and fix other maladies ready at home. Teachers are specialized in their abilities; frankly, I'm not good enough at every subject to teach my kids. I
scratch that last 'I'... a typo.
You seriously think teachers specialize in what they teach? Maybe in good cases.... but find any school with a vibrant sports program, and you'll find "Coach" teaching algebra.
In today's environment, there's much reliance on the spell checker. When my son was in elementary school, good penmanship wasn't taught. As a result, my son has the lousiest writing skills that I've ever seen. Printing is atrocious, but I absolutely cannot read his writing. One time I approached one of his teachers about the lack of his writing ability. She indicated that penmanship was not a sole subject to be taught and she did have to practically stand on her head to read children's handwriting but she managed. Such a cavalier attitude! I guess nowadays teachers don't have to worry with the advent of the computer.
No, I was thrown out of several very good prep schools for my inability to spell, my political views, and my inability to learn any other language, except English, and spell any better than the Bard.
My boys are 11 and 7 and currently enrolled in the local parochial school. The school only goes through the 8th grade at which point my wife and I must choose between the public high school, driving the kids every day (an hour one way) to a private high school large enough to offer all the extra-curricular activities the public school offers or homeschooling. My kids will want a chance to play sports and engage in other activities that only the local high school offers, but I fear for them in the govt. school. What to do?
James
Heh... I have a lot to live up to if I'm going to beat my parents, but that's a great way of looking at it.
Hey, as long as the school is educating your kids, and they're not exposed to more idiocy and evil than you can handle, I'm not pointing a finger of blame at you. Still, my parents homeschooled me... I can't imagine doing anything else for my kids. Won't ever get married unless my husband agrees on that.
Okay...decent anecdotal evidence. But anecdotal nevertheless.
On the order of 90% + people who start home-schooling, abandon it within a year, not appreciating the tremendous amount of work it takes.
Could you source that for me? Thanks in advance.
Personally, I don't want to be in a position to grade my kid. As a scientist, I'm concerned that schools aren't teaching basic math and science skills, but most of the parents I know are even less able to handle math.
Anecdotal evidence again. And I guess you run in different circles than I.
Homeschoolers have to be exceptional folks, and I applaud them. I don't see that as being a solution for everyone though...
I don't recall seeing anyone say it's the "only" solution....
I will await your reply.
FWIW-
I guess I believe that good parenting is the most effective tool against the disease plaguing public education.
I think people tend to do what's familiar to them. That's totally fine with me. If you have the resources, the stamina, and the ability to homeschool your children, I think you should do it. There are pros and cons to every scenario though, you've got to pick and choose what works for you. Good luck on the husband hunt, BTW.
What part of Beacon are you in? I used to live in Beacon Hills and attend Glenham Elementary and the Rombout Middle until we moved. I miss it there, although nothing about those schools particularly struck me as exceptional. Maybe things have changed since the early 90's.
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