More parents are opting to take control of their children's education, citing closer family relationships and educational freedom as two of many reasons. Opposition to the concept of homeschooling seems to emanate from traditional educational organizations such as the National Education Association (NEA), which contends that a traditional school education offers superior learning opportunities on a social and academic level. Proponents of homeschooling disagree, saying that effects of homeschooling on children are positive: home-educated children do better than traditionally schooled peers in academic achievement, socialization and adjustment to the "real world."
Academic Achievement
Homeschooled students fare 15 to 30 percentile points higher on standardized achievement tests than peers in public school settings, according to Brian D. Ray, Ph.D., former teacher in public and private schools and internationally respected homeschooling researcher. Because they are allowed to follow their own interests and passions, home-educated students are excited about what they are learning and doing. Success is not the goal, but a byproduct of the journey.
As for college readiness, researchers Paul Jones, Ph.D., and Gene Gloeckner, Ph.D., reported in another study that homeschooled students are just as well-prepared for college as traditionally educated students.
Social, Psychological and Emotional Growth
When homeschooled children are evaluated for social interaction, self-concept, self-esteem, and leadership skills, they typically score above the norm, states Dr. Ray. Contrary to common perceptions, students are not huddled over worksheets and textbooks at the kitchen table. They're taking part in activities outside the home with people outside their families. They take field trips, join church youth groups, play on sports teams, and volunteer in their communities. Homeschoolers tend to agree that home-education has brought their family members closer together. Teenagers in particular demonstrate positive growth in this regard. Peer pressure becomes a non-issue, and rebelliousness fades in the homeschooling setting.
Adjustment to the "Real World"
In general, homeschooled children become leaders in the communities they inhabit. They tend to hold more leadership positions in extracurricular activities and church than do traditionally educated students. In the work world, adults who were home-educated tend to be very independent, involved in their own businesses or in a professional occupation, and very family-oriented. According to Dr. Ray, the body of research on adults who were homeschooled indicates that when compared with the general population, they do more community service, attend more public meetings, vote more often and attend and achieve equal or higher success at college.
Effects of Homeschooling on Girls
Adolescent girls constitute a population historically at risk for falling short of their full potential, as found in a study by Harvard's Carol Gilligan and colleagues. But home-educated girls seem to find their voices, and their own identity, writes Susannah Sheffer, Editor of "Growing Without Schooling Magazine." In interviews with teenage girls, she found that girls feel empowered; they trust themselves and retain their self-confidence as they become adults. Sheffer attributes this positive trend to the great difference between homeschooling and traditional schooling with regard to relationships, roles, and expected behaviors.
A Note to Detractors
Keep an open mind. Discard what you may have heard or read about homeschooling parents--that they are hippies who couldn't adjust to conventional society, religious extremists, or antisocial on a grand scale. Homeschooling studies, and there are many, continue to disprove the biases about families involved in this movement.
