Homeschooling
Home education, also called
homeschooling or
home school, is the process by which children are educated at home rather than at an institution such as a public or private school. Prior to the introduction of compulsory school attendance in the 19th century, most education worldwide occurred within the family and community, with only a small proportion of the population attending schools or employing
tutors.
The terms "homeschooling" or "home education" may refer to instruction in the home under the supervision of correspondence schools called "umbrella schools" [example: Christian Liberty Academy]. A curriculum-free philosophy of homeschooling may be called
unschooling, a term coined in 1977 by
American educator John Holt in his magazine
Growing Without Schooling.
In the United States, homeschooling can be an option for parents who wish to provide their children with a quality of education they believe is unattainable in schools. At present, however, most children are institutionally schooled.
The foundations of modern home education may originate with the rise of government operated schools in the late
19th and early
20th centuries. The usual situation in rural areas before 1860 was that most children were taught farm chores and rudimentary arithmetic and spelling. Occasionally some families would pool and hire a traveling tutor, usually a young Yankee like
Stephen Douglas. In exchange for room and board he would provide a few months schooling for the children in the group. In this fashion
Abraham Lincoln acquired about 18 months of schooling.
A few famous figures such as
Abraham Lincoln,
Theodore Roosevelt,
Thomas Edison, and
Woodrow Wilson might be considered to have been home-educated, as they underwent little formal education. Home schoolers often attend college as colleges and universities do accept home school applicants.
Patrick Henry College in Virginia is particularly welcoming to home schooled youth with strongly conservative political and religious beliefs.
In the United States, the "curriculum in a box", or
All-in-one curriculum form of home education appeared in
1906, when the
Calvert Day School of
Baltimore, Maryland made such materials available through a downtown Baltimore bookstore and a
National Geographic advertisement. Within five years, nearly 300 children were making use of materials from Calvert's Home Instruction Department. In less than a century the materials became the basis for lessons for more than 350,000 children annually in more than 90 countries.
Australia & New Zealand
About 26,500 children in
Australia &
New Zealand are involved in home schooling.[
1]
Canada
As of 2001, it was estimated that 80,000 children are educated at home in
Canada.
Republic of Ireland
An estimated 250-350 children are officially registered as being educated in their home in the
Republic of Ireland.[
2], however it is believed that there may be as many as 1500 more who are not registered. The right to a home education is enshrined in the
constitution of Ireland.
United Kingdom
An estimated 50,000 children are considered "home-educated" in the
United Kingdom.[
3]
United States
In 2003 about 1.1 million children (up 29% from 850,000 in 1999) were home-educated in the United States, which represented about 2.2% of the children of school age.[
4].
As
educational choices become abundant through a vast array of educational products and services available, computers, and the World Wide Web, the idea of homeschooling in the U.S. is expanding in popularity and acceptance. Some state governments, like those in Alaska, California, Florida, Pennsylvania, Utah, and Kansas, sponsor home-education "virtual"
charter schools and/or reimburse parents who purchase curricula approved by the state. [
5][
6]
Families that homeschool in the USA are quite different demographically.94% are non-Hispanic whites (compared to 71% nationwide).97% of parents are currently married. (compared to 72%) 62% have 3 or more children (compared to 20%). Nearly all the mothers are stay-at-home housewives. 58% are Fundamentalist in religion (compared to about 10%)64% of fathers have college or postgraduate degrees (compared to 24%)Average income was $52,000 in 1997, (compared to $36,000)
Thus the profile is a group of well educated, high income white parents with several children and a possible strong commitment to fundamentalist religion.
(Rudner 1999) (Peer Review)According to a 2003
U.S. Census survey, the parents of 33% of homeschooled children cited religion as a factor in their choice. The same study found that 30% felt the regular school had a poor learning environment, 14% objected to what the school teaches, 11% felt their children weren't being challenged at school, and 9% cited morality. [
7]. [
8]
Unschooling
"Unschooling" is a term that can be used with two distinct meanings.
Some use the term "unschooling" as a simple way to describe methods of education that do not resemble instructional schools. These people are primarily indicating that they do not use textbooks and/or do not spend much time at desks. However, the parents definitely are in charge of the children's education and they may use a variety of resources.
The term "unschooling" as coined by John Holt indicates that the parents do not direct much of the children's education, but that the children are free to explore and grow and learn as they wish.
Efficacy
In the United States, homeschooling is the focus of a substantial movement among parents who wish to provide their children with a custom or more complete education, which they feel is unattainable in most
private schools or in the state governments'
public school systems. Some feel that they can more effectively tailor a curriculum to suit an individual student's academic strengths and weaknesses, especially children who are
gifted or have
learning disabilities. They believe that tailoring their children's education to them individually maximizes the benefit from the time spent on education, and that a homeschooled child may "get more done" in two hours a day than a traditionally schooled child will do in seven.
Additionally, since homeschoolers can work at their own pace, some advocates claim that the time that students will use their time better than schooled children.
Unique family needs
Other reasons include the allowance of more flexibility in adapting educational practices for children with
learning disabilities or illnesses, or for children of missionaries, military people, or otherwise traveling parents. Homeschooling may also allow for the introduction of more non-traditional studies, such as
Latin and
agriculture, focusing more on a child's unique gifts, such as art, writing, or mathematics; and providing more hands-on methods of learning. Homeschooling also is sometimes opted for when a child has a significant career hobby, such as acting, circus performance, dancing or violin.
Socialization
Some families feel that the negative social pressures of schools, such as
bullying,
drugs,
school violence, and other school-related problems, are detrimental to a child's development. Some such advocates believe that the family unit, not same-age peers, should be the primary vehicle for socialization. In this view, time spent on family vacations is a valuable part of the child's development, and should not be subject to the limitations of a school calendar.
Many homeschoolers interact with other homeschooling families through local groups and clubs. They also may gain socialization with other children through church groups, youth clubs, and extracurricular activities such as karate. Children in towns often interact with public schooled neighborhood children. Some even participate in public school sports or form homeschool leagues.
Although homeschooling is a different thing to different families and no "average" homeschooling child can truly be found as a representative, numerous blind studies have observed public school children and homeschool children playing or interacting side by side, and little difference has been noted in social skills except for a typical slight preference to the skills of the homeschooled [citation needed].
|
Number and percentage of homeschooled students, by reason for homeschooling: 1999, National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) |
Miscellaneous
*Providing a legal option for families who wish to abstain from mandatory
immunizations.
*Providing consistency in education for families that travel or move frequently.
*Many parents simply like the idea of teaching their own children rather than letting someone else do so.
|
The Internet has made information more accessible than ever. |
There is a wide variety of home education methods and materials. Home education families may adopt a particular educational philosophy such as:
*
Classical education (including
Trivium,
Quadrivium)
*
Waldorf education*
Charlotte Mason education
*
Theory of multiple intelligences*
Montessori methodOthers use a broad combination of ideas or allow the child to develop their own motivation, through what is known as
unschooling.
Because home education laws vary widely according to individual government statutes, official curriculum requirements vary. [
9]
Unit studies
Unit studies teach most subjects in the context of a central theme. For example, a unit study of
Native Americans could combine age-appropriate lessons in:
social studies, like how different tribes live now, and lived prior to colonization;
art, such as making Native American clothing;
history (of
Native Americans in the U.S.);
reading from a special reading list; and the
science of plants used by Native Americans. The following unit-study subject could change to some other broad topic of study.
Supporters say unit studies make excellent use of student time by combining several fields into one study time, and permit students to follow personal interests. Unit studies also permit children of different ages to study together. For example, in a Native American unit, a 10th-grade student might make a deer-skin coat for an art project, while a 1st-grade student might make construction-paper
tipis.
Home educators often purchase unit-study guides that suggest materials, projects and shopping lists, and supplement them with specialized curricula for mathematics, and sometimes reading and writing.
Special materials
Special materials focus on skill-building. Individual subject materials usually consist of workbooks, sometimes with textbooks, and an instructional guide. Many specialized subjects are only available in this form. Special materials are frequently used for math and
primary reading.
Critics say that some parents over-focus on skills while excluding
social studies,
science,
art,
history and other fields that help children learn their place in the world.
All-in-one curricula
"All-in-one" curricula, sometimes called "school in a box", are comprehensive packages covering many subjects, usually an entire year's worth. They contain all needed books and materials, including pencils and writing paper. Most such curricula were developed for isolated families who lack access to public schools, libraries and shops, or are overseas.
These materials typically recreate the school environment in the home, and are typically based on the same subject-area expectations as publicly-run schools, allowing an easy transition into school if desired. They are among the most expensive options for the home-educated, but are easy to use and require minimal preparation. The instructional guides are usually extensive, with step-by-step instructions. These programs may include
standardized tests, and remote examinations to yield an accredited privately-run school diploma.
Student-paced learning
Similar to All-in-one curricula are learner paced curriculum packages. Often times called paces, these workbooks allow the student to progress at an individualized speed. They allow the student to master concepts before moving on to the next subject, instead of being held back by the speed of the teacher and other students or rushing forward for the same reasons. Prices vary widely depending upon the publisher.
Community resources
Home educators take advantage of educational programs at
museums,
community centers, athletic clubs, after-school programs,
churches, science preserves,
parks, and other community resources. Secondary school level students often take classes at
community colleges, which typically have open admission policies.
Eclectic curricula
The majority of today's home-educated use an eclectic mix of materials. For instance, they might use a pre-designed program for language, arts or mathematics, and fill in history with reading and field trips, art with classes at a community center, science through a homeschool science club,
physical education with membership in local sports teams, and so on.
Unschooling
Unschooling is an area in which students are not directly instructed but encouraged to learn through exploring their interests. Also known as interest-led or child-led learning, unschooling attempts to provide opportunities with games and real life problems where a child will learn without coercion. An unschooled child may choose to use texts or classroom instruction, but it is never considered central to education.
Advocates for unschooling claim that children learn best by learning from doing. A child may learn reading and math skills from playing card games, better
spelling and other writing skills because he's inspired to write a
science fiction story for publication, or local history by following a
zoning or historical-status dispute.
Home education may have a financial impact on families in addition to purchasing school supplies and curriculum materials, as parents may refrain from employment outside the home in order to supervise the child's education.
Opposition to home education comes from varied sources, including organizations of teachers and school districts. One example is the
National Education Association, a teachers' union, which is the largest
labor union in the United States. They are on record as opposing homeschooling outright; though, in recent years they have not been as outspoken in this opposition. Opponents state concerns falling into several broad categories, including: academic quality and completeness; reduced government money for the publicly-run schools; socialization of children with peers of different ethnic and religious backgrounds; and fear of religious or social
extremism.
Gallup polls of American voters have shown a significant change in attitude in the last twenty years, from 73% opposed to home education in 1985 to 54% opposed in 2001 [
10].
Opponents view home-educating parents as sheltering their children and denying them opportunities that are their children's right, reducing the amount of government funds publicly-run schools would receive if more children were attending the publicly-run school, and providing an unfair advantage to home-educated children over students whose parents lack the time or money for home education. With regard to the latter point, however, parents choosing to homeschool often intend that to be the case.
Two recent studies by the
Home School Legal Defense Association, a home education advocacy group in the United States, dispute the claim that the academic quality of home education programs is substandard.[
11][
12]
Home education exists legally in many parts of the world. Countries with the most prevalent home education movements include the
United States, the
United Kingdom,
Canada,
New Zealand and
Australia. Some countries have highly regulated home education programs which are actually an extension of the compulsory school system, while others have outlawed it entirely. In many other countries, while not restricted by law, home education is not socially acceptable and, therefore, virtually non-existent.
In many countries where home education does not exist legally,
underground movements flourish where children are kept out of the compulsory school system and educated at, sometimes considerable, risk. Still, in other countries, while the practice is illegal, the governments do not have the resources to police and prosecute offenders and, as such, it takes place largely in the open.
Home education in the
United States is governed by each individual state and therefore regulations vary greatly from one state to another.
Academic findings
The academic effectiveness of home education is largely a settled issue. Numerous studies have confirmed the academic integrity of home education programs, demonstrating that on average, home-educated students outperform their publicly-run school peers by 30 to 37 percentile points across all subjects. Moreover, the performance gaps between minorities and gender that plague publicly-run schools are virtually non-existent amongst home-educated students.[
13]
Some critics argue that while home-educated students generally do extremely well on standardized tests[
14], such students are a self-selected group whose parents care strongly about their education and would also do well in a conventional school environment.
Some opponents argue that parents with little training in education are less effective in teaching. However, some studies do indicate that parental income and education level affect home-educated student performance on standardized tests very little.
Home-educated student curricula often include many subjects not included in traditional curricula. Some colleges find this an advantage in creating a more academically diverse
student body, and proponents argue this creates a more well-rounded and self-sufficient adult. Increasingly, colleges are recruiting home-educated students; many colleges accept as well as parent statements and portfolios of student work as admission criteria; others also require
SATs or other
standardized tests. Some opponents argue that home education curricula often exclude critical subjects and isolate the student from the rest of society, or presents them with their parents'
ideological world views - especially religious ones - rather than the worldviews (characterised as
secular humanism) sanctioned to be taught at state schools.
The results of home education with
gifted and
learning-disabled children have not been as thoroughly studied.
Social findings
In 2003, the
National Home Education Research Institute (NHERI) conducted a survey of over 7,300 U.S. adults who had been home-educated (over 5,000 for more than seven years). Their findings included:
*Home-educated graduates are active and involved in their communities. 71% participate in an ongoing community service activity, like coaching a sports team,
volunteering at a school, or working with a church or neighborhood association, compared with 37% of U.S. adults of similar ages from a traditional education background.
*Home-educated graduates are more involved in civic affairs and
vote in much higher percentages than their peers. For example, 76% of surveyed between the ages of 18 and 24 voted within the last five years, compared with only 29% of the relevant U.S. population. The numbers of home-educated graduates who vote are even greater in older age groups, with voting levels not falling below 95%, compared with a high of 53% for the corresponding U.S. populace.
*Of those adults who were home-educated, 58.9% report that they are "very happy" with life (compared with 27.6% for the general U.S. population). Moreover, 73.2% of homeschooled adults find life "exciting", compared with 47.3% of the general population.[
15]
The
Education Resources Information Center (ERIC), a U.S. government agency, has published multiple articles on home education. Here are excerpts from one which examined several studies on home-educated children socialization:
According to the findings, children who were educated at home "gained the necessary skills, knowledge, and attitudes needed to function in society...at a rate similar to that of conventionally schooled children."
and;
The researcher found no difference in the
self concept of children in the two groups, and maintains that "insofar as self concept is a reflector of socialization, it would appear that few home-schooled children are socially deprived, and that there may be sufficient evidence to indicate that some home-schooled children have a higher self concept than conventionally schooled children." [
16]
*
Accelerated Christian Education*
Attachment parenting*
Catherine Baker*
Deschooling*
Educational philosophies*
The Education of Henry Adams*
John Taylor Gatto* (GED)
*
Growing Without Schooling*
Proactive Academics*
School choice*
Waldorf education*
Washington Homeschool Organization*
Work at home parent* Vernon L. Bates; "Lobbying for the Lord: the New Christian Right Home-Schooling Movement and Grassroots Lobbying"
Review of Religious Research, Vol. 33, 1991
* Kyungseok Kang; "School Choice, Family Characteristics, and Home-School Relations: Contributors to School Achievement?"
Journal of Educational Psychology Volume: 88. Issue: 3. Publication Year: 1996. pp 451+
* Henry M. Levin;
Privatizing Education: Can the School Marketplace Deliver Freedom of Choice, Efficiency, Equity, and Social Cohesion? Westview Press, 2001
* Susan McDowell.
But What About Socialization? Answering the Perpetual Home Schooling Question: A Review of the Literature (2004)
* Susan McDowell and Brian Ray, eds.
The Home Education Movement in Context, Practice, and Theory: A Special Double Issue of the Peabody Journal of Education (2000)
* Bruce M. Mitchell, Robert E. Salsbury;
Unequal Opportunity: A Crisis in America's Schools? 2002
* Michael T. Peddle;
Does Government Need to Be Involved in Primary and Secondary Education: Evaluating Policy Options Using Market Role Assessment Garland, 2000
*
Lawrence M. Rudner. "Scholastic Achievement and Demographic Characteristics of Home School Students in 1998" Education Policy Analysis Archives Volume 7 Number 8 March 23, 1999 ISSN 1068-2341; detailed demographic analysis
* Marie L. Sterne; "Should Physical Education Be Required for Home-Schooled Children?"
JOPERD--The Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance, Vol. 68, 1997
* Mitchell Stevens.
Kingdom of Children: Culture and Controversy in the Homeschooling Movement (Princeton University Press, 2001)
* Theodore C. Wagenaar; "What Characterizes Home Schoolers? A National Study"
Education. Volume: 117. Issue: 3. 1997. pp : 440+. statistical study compares all home-schooled students (and their parents) with others; small sample size.
* Wentzel, K., Feldman, S., & Weinberger, D. "Parental child rearing and academic achievement in boys: The mediational role of social-emotional adjustment".
Journal of Early Adolescence, 11, (1991) 321-339
* Michelle Wichers. "Homeschooling: Adventitious or Detrimental for Proficiency in Higher Education"
Education. Volume: 122. Issue: 1. 2001. pp 145+.
USA / Canada / UK / France / New Zealand / Ireland
General
*
National Home Education Network (NHEN)*
A to Z Home's Cool - Inclusive and Comprehensive Information, Resources and Communities for Homeschool Families
*
Local Homeschool.com - database of local homeschool support groups.
*
National African-American Homeschoolers Alliance The largest and most comprehensive website and organization for
African American homeschooling families
*
Radio Free School, a radio show devoted to homeschoolers, MP3 archive available
*
Wonder Homeschool A parent-to-parent resource for holistic homeschooling, non-profit and ad-free
*
Returning Educational Choices to ParentsResearch
*
National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Links to homeschool research and reports
*
National Home Education Research Institute*
Homeschooling Grows Up: The largest research survey to date of adults who were home-educated.
* ERIC digests from US Dept. of Education
**
Homeschooling, by Patricia M. Lines, 2001**
Home Schooling and Socialization of Children**
The Scholastic Achievement of Home School Students**
Home Schooling*
Annotated bibliography of research on homeschoolingLegalities
*
Association of HomeSchool Attorneys (AHSA)*
National Home Education Legal Defence (NHELD)Canada
*
List of Canadian Homeschool Groups- List of homeschooling support groups and homeschool groups in Canada.
*
OFTP Website- The Ontario Federation of Teaching Parents
*
TLC- Unschooling and Homeschool Support in Burlington, Ontario - an informal group of homeschooling families who come together on a regular basis to share our life and learning experiences.
UK
*
HSLDA UK Webpage - Legal information and links to UK home education organisations.
France
*
IndigoExtra - provides information and links on home education in Europe, with a focus on France
*
Les Enfants d'Abord - A home-education organisation with information in English and French.
New Zealand
*
Home Education Foundation - The Home Education Foundation is a charitable trust established to encourage parents to take up the option of educating their children at home and to support them in their task.
Ireland
*
National Education Welfare Board- The national agency with responsibility for maintaining a register of home educated children.
*
HEN Ireland - The Home Education Network- Support and lobby group for home educators in Ireland.
*
Home Education in Ireland- Information and resources for current and prospective home educators in Ireland.
