Home Schooling Improves Academic Performance and Reduces Impact of Socio-Economic Factors

News Blaze.com ^ | October 4, 2007

[ChocChipCookie]

Home schooling appears to improve the academic performance of children from families with low levels of education, according to a report on home schooling released today by independent research organization The Fraser Institute.

"The evidence is particularly interesting for students who traditionally fall through the cracks in the public system," said Claudia Hepburn, co-author of Home Schooling: From the Extreme to the Mainstream, 2nd edition and Director of Education Policy with The Fraser Institute.

"Poorly educated parents who choose to teach their children at home produce better academic results for their children than public schools do. One study we reviewed found that students taught at home by mothers who never finished high school scored a full 55 percentage points higher than public school students from families with comparable education levels."

The peer-reviewed report, co-written with Patrick Basham and John Merrifield, builds on a 2001 study with new research and data. It examines the educational phenomenon of home schooling in Canada and the United States, its regulation, history, growth, and the characteristics of practitioners, before reviewing the findings on the academic and social effects of home schooling. The full report is available at www.fraserinstitute.org.

Hepburn said evidence clearly demonstrates that home education may help reduce the negative effects of some background factors that many educators believe affects a child's ability to learn, such as low family income, low parental educational attainment, parents not having formal training as teachers, race or ethnicity of the student, gender of the student, not having a computer in the home, and infrequent usage of public libraries.

"The research shows that the level of education of a child's parents, gender of the child, and income of family has less to do with a child's academic achievement than it does in public schools."

The study also reports that students educated at home outperform their peers on most academic tests and are involved in a broad mix of social activities outside the home.

Research shows that almost 25 per cent of home schooled students in the United States perform one or more grades above their age-level peers in public and private schools. Grades 1 to 4 home school students perform one grade level higher than their public- and private-school peers. By Grade 8, the average home schooled student performs four grade levels above the national average.

Hepburn said a growing body of new research also calls into question the belief that home schooled children are not adequately socialized.

"The average Canadian home schooled student is regularly involved in eight social activities outside the home. Canadian home schooled children watch less television than other children, and they show significantly fewer problems than public school children when observed in free play," she said.

The report concludes that home schooling is not only a viable educational choice for parents, but can also be provided at a much lower cost than public schooling. The report notes that in the U.S., home schooling families spend less than $4,000 per year on home schooling while public schooling in the U.S. costs about $9,600 per child.

"Canadian and American policymakers should recognize the ability of parents to meet the educational needs of their children at home, without government involvement," Hepburn said.

"While home schooling may be impractical for many families, it has proven to be a successful and relatively inexpensive educational alternative. It merits the respect of policy makers, the attention of researchers, and the consideration of parents."

The complete report, Home Schooling: From the Extreme to the Mainstream 2nd edition is available in PDF format at www.fraserinstitute.org.

The Fraser Institute is an independent research and educational organization based in Canada. Its mission is to measure, study, and communicate the impact of competitive markets and government intervention on the welfare of individuals. To protect the Institute's independence, it does not accept grants from governments or contracts for research. Visit www.fraserinstitute.org.

[Clintonfatigued]

“Poorly educated parents who choose to teach their children at home produce better academic results for their children than public schools do. One study we reviewed found that students taught at home by mothers who never finished high school scored a full 55 percentage points higher than public school students from families with comparable education levels.”

There are three things in our world which are infinite- God’s grace, outer space, and the number of reasons to homeschool.

[latina4dubya]

ping

[CaO]

Thank you, for posting this article. Some of the worst snobs I have ever known worked in public schools. I never thought the children uneducated parents had much of a chance with them. This article confirms my suspicions.

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Research shows that almost 25 per cent of home schooled students in the United States perform one or more grades above their age-level peers in public and private schools.

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Homeschoolers are likely healthier too. They very likely have fewer STDs and abortions. They aren´t a sick with colds and flu as often, or exposed as frequently to life threatening, antibiotic resistant infections.

Also....I personally have never met a fat homeschooler who has been homeschooled from the beginning. In fact, I can´t even recall meeting a chubby one. Yes, I know this is anecdotal, but perhaps organizations such a Fraser or HSLDA will stat looking into it.

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while public schooling in the U.S. costs about $9,600 per child.

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It cost MUCH more than $9,600 a year to educate a child in a government school.

NOT included in this $9,600 are the very generous health and pensions given to retired teachers, or the cost of county services used by the schools and not included in their budgets. (For instance, police surveillance of our government schools is NOT included in our state´s government schools´ budgets.)

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By Grade 8, the average home schooled student performs four grade levels above the national average.

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This means that the average homeschooled 8th grader has completed high school level work and is ready for college or serious vocational training.

My own kids entered college at the ages of 13, 12, and 13. By 15 all had completed all levels of calculus to Calc III by the age of 15. Two earned B.S. degrees in mathematics at 18. One recently finished a masters in math at the age of 20.

My kids are NORMAL! It is the institutionalized child who is artificially retarded in their academic and social development.

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parents who homeschool are committed to their children’s educations.

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I am bold enough to say that ALL academically successful children are homeschooled.

The only thing a school is doing is sending home a free curriculum for the parents and child to follow. I contend that very little actually learning happens in the school.

The parents are at home, around the kitchen table, checking spelling, grammar, reviewing math flash cards, insisting on neatness, reading with the child, and making sure the TV and video games are controlled. Once the child is well grounded in reading and basic math, it is the child who is educating himself. If it is an immigrant family, they usually have cousins, aunts, uncles or neighbors involved.

When I ask parents of academically successful children about their home life, I hear what is described above, as well as music and dance lessons, regular trips to the libraries and museums, and vacations planed to teach history. At the first sign of academic difficulty tutors are hired.

In other words, the children above are doing ··everything·· I did as a homeschooling mom. There is a difference though. Institutionalized academically children often have an “attitude” and, sadly, are fatter. I also suspect, but of course can not be sure, have more STD infections.

[wintertime]

No, the “rich” kids in the suburbs need the kids in the poor schools for purposes of providing an irrelevant comparison; namely, to create the impression that the suburban kids are doing well. In fact they aren’t.

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Exactly!

It is the homeschooling child in college at the age of 13 and graduating at 17 or 18 who is normal. It is the institutionalized child who is artificially retarded in his academic and social development.

It breaks my heart. I drive past a government prison-like school with its chain link fences, and prison buses in the drive, and I KNOW that the top 20% could be doing what my children did, and the others could be accomplishing so much more.

[SoftballMominVA]

According to the latest results on the ACT, although homeschoolers did outstanding on the verbals, homeschoolers performed below publically schooled children in the area of math.

The source for this information? The HSDLA site.

[MarMema]

Thanks for posting this!

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The source for this information? The HSDLA site.
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A link would be very helpful.

I am Costa Rica. Using slow computers with keyboards that are sometime set for German and other times Spanish

Surfing for your link is problematic at best.

[conservatism_IS_compassion]

ALL academically successful children are homeschooled.

The only thing a school is doing is sending home a free curriculum for the parents and child to follow. I contend that very little actually learning happens in the school.

I have no direct involvement in home schooling (unless we take your definition of it). But when I examined the issue, I saw that if PS education is of any value its graduates would be qualified to teach a child up at least to high school without breaking a sweat. Therefore the issue seemed to boil down exactly to the question of what happens when a parent without academic qualifications decides to homeschool? And I decided that if anyone was unqualified to teach elementary school and tried to homeschool, at a minimum that parent at least would learn a lot. So education would happen even in the worst case - and there was no guarantee that the child of such parent would actually learn in a public school, either.

Now when this study comes out, the worst case turns out not to be even that bad. Good to see. Bookmark.

[wintertime]

at a minimum that parent at least would learn a lot.

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Good point!

I learned a lot as a homeschooling mom, and I have a doctorate.