The National Center for Education Statistics reports that there were 1.5 million American children homeschooled in 2007---an estimated 400,000 more than the previous study conducted in 2003. There are many myths about why parents choose to homeschool their children; but the simple fact is that as the perceived quality of the public school system in the country deteriorates, we can expect more and more parents to opt for homeschooling for their children.
Environmental Controls
Homeschooling gives parents better control over the environment in which their children spend their days. With the broad cross-section of students in public, private and parochial schools, it is impossible to prevent all negative events from occurring. Homeschooling parents are better able to control when and how their children receive exposure to drugs, violence, negative peer pressure and other issues facing children in modern society.
Religious Training
Homeschooling parents often give religious beliefs and values as the reasons for homeschooling their children. For Christian parents, this means that the Bible influences all parts of their children's curriculum. Public schools leave no room for religious training, and it is limited at best at parochial and private schools.
Inadequate or Different Education Standards
There are almost as many educational philosophies as there are school districts. Some schools believe in teaching to the lowest common denominator, while others teach to the standardized tests. Many parents who homeschool simply want their child to have a quality education that is not dependent on the school's standards.
Parental and Family Involvement
Florida Atlantic University professors Alyssa Gonzalez-DeHass, Ph.D., and Patricia Willems, Ph.D., note, "Parental involvement in public schools has been documented as academically beneficial by educational researchers, supported politically, and valued by many educators and individuals in the general public." Based on this belief, families homeschool to ensure that their child receives the best possible learning experience, and one where the parents and the entire family is involved.
Physical or Mental Health Issues
Children with physical handicaps, learning disabilities and mental challenges do not always do well in mainstream schools. Even if the child acclimates well and is able to stay up with the class, some parents feel that the other children or teachers may ostracize or ridicule them. In many of these cases, homeschooling may be a better alternative.
Other Special Needs
Children with rigorous schedules due to special talents or jobs, like musicians, athletes or actors, are not always able to keep up with a traditional school schedule. In these cases, homeschooling (or on-the-job tutoring) is the only viable option.
Finances, Travel, Distance
Not all homeschooling parents have an aversion to the school system in general---just the public school system---and their finances may not be able to accommodate a private or parochial school. Other parents may have jobs that require frequent relocation, like the military, or live in rural areas where schools are a long distance away. In these situations, homeschooling is often the only alternative to ensure a stable and acceptable education.
More Individualized Instruction
The Montessori system was the first education system to embrace the fact that children learn at their own pace and in their own ways. Most school systems are unable to cater to each individual child's needs due to the number of children involved. Homeschooling parents are able to adapt their teaching methods to their child's needs as the child grows.
Positive Socialization
Most homeschooling parents are not trying to keep their children from socializing with the outside world. They actively involve their children in positive socialization activities, like sports, field trips and play dates. What they are trying to protect their children from is negative socialization, such as succumbing to peer pressure, forming cliques and developing a dependence on other children for their own self-worth.
Better Adult-to-Child Ratio
Most schools have a teacher-to-child ratio of anywhere from 10 to 30 adults for each child. Homeschooling situations provide children with adult-to-child ratios that are much more conducive to effective, individualized teaching methods.
