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Back to the Future – Homeschooling in the 21st Century
By Neil Peterson | March 5, 2009
One of the toughest decisions parents have to make is in regard to their children’s education. In the past, for most Americans, the decision was straightforward. By and large, we sent our kids to public schools. Today the educational landscape has changed dramatically. Public schools have been caught in the political crossfire between factions competing to put their stamp on the educational agenda. As many parents have fled from the public school system, funding has been reduced leading to concerns about the quality of the education delivered by public schools. A recent focus on standardized testing has often led to dislocations of scarce resources and increased pressure on children to score well on tests. Now, with huge state budget deficits looming as a result of the current economic crisis, spending on education by states is further threatened.
In response to many of these concerns, homeschooling has emerged as the single fastest growing educational trend in the United States, and that trend is expanding worldwide. Recent research on homeschooling by Dr. Brain Ray points out some interesting facts. First the number of homeschooled children is growing at about 15 percent annually. Today, there are between 3 and 4 million homeschooled children.
However, homeschooling remains something of a mystery to most Americans – a hidden corner in the world of education. Parents have many fears about home schooling – for example:
- Kids who are homeschooled won’t be properly socialized because they have been educated in relative isolation.
- Homeschooled children won’t be adequately prepared for college or work life.
- Adults who were homeschooled won’t participate in community or political life.
In his study, Dr. Ray surveyed 7,000 adults who had been homeschooled and discovered the following:
- Ninety-five percent of homeschoolers had an adequate comprehension of politics and government, compared to 65% of U.S. adults.
- Seventy-one percent of homeschool graduates participate in ongoing community service activities, including politics, compared to 37% of adults in similar ages.
- Eighty-eight percent of HS graduates are members of organizations (community groups, church, or professional organizations) compared to 50% of U.S. adults.
- Significantly, 76% of homeschool graduates voted in a national or state election within the past 5 years, compared to 29 percent of similar U.S. adults.
The homeschooling scene today is very robust. Companies like Global Student Network and International Virtual Learning Academy provide provide curricula and online educational support services to families who are homeschooling. There are homeschooling magazine like Home Education Magazine and Practical Homeschooling, numerous vendors that provide extracurricular activities and events for homeschooled children asell as hundreds of support groups and blogs to help families.
One of the things about homeschooling that interests me is its potential effectiveness for helping kids with ADD and ADHD. There is growing anecdotal evidence that for some ADD / ADHD kids, homeschooling may provide a better learning environment than either public or private schools can offer. For families who are able to homeschool their kids, this may be an attractive educational alternative.
Homeschooling has a long history in America. It has morphed from primarily agrarian roots prior to the mid nineteenth century, to a fringe educational alternative in the 1960′s and 70′s, to use by Christian groups as an alternative to secular public education, and finally to today’s homeschooling which is diverse and mainstream. One thing we can be sure about – homeschooling will continue to change and no doubt get a 21st century makeover. All things old are new again.
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Topics: ADD & ADHD, Education, General, Overcoming disabilities, Politics, Sustainable living | No Comments »