SARAH SULLIVANLIBRARY 264 Pros and Cons of: Homeschooling

Department of Education Statistics: Homeschooling is Growing 1970s: Between 10,000 and 15,000 children, aged 5 – 18 were homeschooled in U.S. 1983: 60,000 to 125,000 children estimated as homeschooled. Rise due to increase of religion in U.S. and growing dissatisfaction with public schools. 2008: 1.5 to 2 million children estimated as homeschooled.

Considerations Why are parents choosing to do this? How will this affect academic performance? What effect will this have on the social development of adolescents and teens?

Main Parental Considerations 72%: Religious reasons. 21 %: Dissatisfaction with school environment. 17%: Academic considerations. 2%: Child has mental or physical problems. 4%: Other special needs. 14%: Other needs: travel, location, time, money, etc.

Academic Issues Home schooling standards vary dramatically between states. 3 Main methods of regulating homeschools: Yearly, standardized testing. Education requirements: Teaching certification and at least a high school education. Regular, periodic visits to classroom/monitoring students work. States have different combinations of thesesome are much stricter than others.

Legal Religious Exemptions Parents may obtain waivers so for the classroom monitoring and teacher education standards if they claim the state requirements interfere with their free exercise of religion. Problem: Secular homeschooled children more likely to have credentialed, teachers/academic monitoring. Religious homeschooled children more likely to have teachers w/o credential or high school education. Disparity in educational opportunities for children based on religious beliefs of parents.

Home School Conventional School Friends in a variety of age groupsolder & younger. Less aggressive/more cooperative in groups. More guarded with friends. Less likely to confide true feelings. Majority of friends in own peer/age group. More aggressive/competitive in groups. More likely to share feelings/problems with friends & teachers. Social Development: Home v. Conventional Schooling

Tweens (9 – 13) Teens (14 – 18) Missed friends. Felt left out of dances/other school activities. Worried about not knowing current fashions/trends. Happy socializing on internet & out of school. Liked not having to worry about clothes/fashion. Relieved not to have to go to dances/football games. Homeschool Perspectives: Tweens v. Teens

Online Resources U.S. Department of Education: Black Homeschoolers Magazine: Homeschooling Research: ncess.ed.gov/nhes The Secular Homeschool Community:

Sources Bergstrom, L., (2012).What effect does homeschooling have on test scores and socialization of children? Partial fulfillment for degree in Masters of Science Education at University of Wisconsin, Superior. Retrieved at: Greenfield, L.A., (2007). Religious homeschooling: Thats not a monkey on your back, its a compelling state interest. 9 Rutgers J.L. & Religion 4. Retrieved at: s/rjlr9&div=6&id=&page s/rjlr9&div=6&id=&page Medlin, R. G., (2000). Homeschooling and the question of socialization, Peabody Journal of Education, 75 (1&2), 107 – 123. Retrieved from: US Department of Education Homeschooling Study from 2007 (NCES ; Issue Brief, December 2008). Retrieved at: Yuracko, K.A. Education off the Grid: Constitutional Constraints on Homeschooling; 96 Cal. L. Rev. 123 (2008). Retrieved at: =true =true