Home Schooling Rising
03/2015 Filed in: Homeschooling
According to the National Home Education Research Institute (NHRI), it is estimated that over 2 million children are not home schooled in America. That is about double the number of children homeschooled in 2000. To put that in perspective, public schools currently enroll a total of about 50 million children. Thus, the growing homeschool population now educates 4% as many children (free to the public!) as does the public education system with its 2010 average per pupil costs to taxpayers of $13,692 (more than double the inflation adjusted cost in 1975)…
According to the National Home Education Research Institute (NHRI), it is estimated that over 2 million children are not home schooled in America. That is about double the number of children homeschooled in 2000. To put that in perspective, public schools currently enroll a total of about 50 million children. Thus, the growing homeschool population now educates 4% as many children (free to the public!) as does the public education system with its 2010 average per pupil costs to taxpayers of $13,692 (more than double the inflation adjusted cost in 1975).
…. I'm not trying to lament the cost of public education, but I want to emphasize that homeschooling is a benefit to the public in many ways. Not only do these families save taxpayers over $27 BILLION annually, but they provide educations for their children that are superior to public school efforts on virtually every measure. Take some time to peruse the NHRI website to challenge any of your anti-homeschooling presumptions!
Today, NHRI released some exciting information about the success of African American educational achievement within homeschooled families. For multiple decades, many (if not most) public education initiatives have aimed at decreasing what has been termed "the achievement gap." This is the gap between the grades achieved by black and Hispanic students and their white peers. In spite of public education efforts, this disparity remains virtually unchanged. However, the recent NHRI study shows that within the homeschool population, black student achievement is not only virtually double that of their black peers in the public school, but it is also higher than the average white peer public school student!
Though grades are important, few homeschool parents make "grades" their highest priority. The efforts they expend to educate their children are largely motivated by the desire to nurture their children with the values and perspectives that their wisdom and experience has convinced them will lead to the best life foundations. Homeschooling is a act of love and provision. Similarly, I have found similar motivations among another group of families and educators… those that follow the "University Model." Under this model, children attend schoolroom classes 2 or 3 days a week (like at a university), then work at home with their parents on alternate days. The goal of this model is to not only provide an excellent academic education for children, but to enhance parent/child relationships and to facilitate the intergenerational transfer of parental values and perspectives.
Education researchers have long recognized the importance of parental involvement in education, but the public education system leaves parents with relatively menial roles that inspire little involvement. Proven results demonstrate that when parents really "own" the education of their children, great things happen!
…. I'm not trying to lament the cost of public education, but I want to emphasize that homeschooling is a benefit to the public in many ways. Not only do these families save taxpayers over $27 BILLION annually, but they provide educations for their children that are superior to public school efforts on virtually every measure. Take some time to peruse the NHRI website to challenge any of your anti-homeschooling presumptions!
Today, NHRI released some exciting information about the success of African American educational achievement within homeschooled families. For multiple decades, many (if not most) public education initiatives have aimed at decreasing what has been termed "the achievement gap." This is the gap between the grades achieved by black and Hispanic students and their white peers. In spite of public education efforts, this disparity remains virtually unchanged. However, the recent NHRI study shows that within the homeschool population, black student achievement is not only virtually double that of their black peers in the public school, but it is also higher than the average white peer public school student!
Though grades are important, few homeschool parents make "grades" their highest priority. The efforts they expend to educate their children are largely motivated by the desire to nurture their children with the values and perspectives that their wisdom and experience has convinced them will lead to the best life foundations. Homeschooling is a act of love and provision. Similarly, I have found similar motivations among another group of families and educators… those that follow the "University Model." Under this model, children attend schoolroom classes 2 or 3 days a week (like at a university), then work at home with their parents on alternate days. The goal of this model is to not only provide an excellent academic education for children, but to enhance parent/child relationships and to facilitate the intergenerational transfer of parental values and perspectives.
Education researchers have long recognized the importance of parental involvement in education, but the public education system leaves parents with relatively menial roles that inspire little involvement. Proven results demonstrate that when parents really "own" the education of their children, great things happen!
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