Posts tagged research/statistics
Homeschool Laws Revised in South Dakota
0The homeschooling laws have been revised–for the better–in South Dakota. Families no longer need to seek permission from the local school board to begin homeschooling. A recent study revealed that more than 2 million children are homeschooled in the United States, about 4% of total students. Repealing laws like this will make it even easier and faster to get started. Read the whole story here.
Great Homeschooling Articles on TODAY Show.com
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Last week TODAY Show.com ran a series of articles on homeschooling in America. I have enjoyed them and am thrilled to see the subject of homeschooling making it into the mainstream press… in a positive way. Not only should this make it easier for homeschooling families to gain acceptance (fewer blank stares and pursed lips when we admit that we educate our kiddos at home), but it may begin the homeschool discussion for other families. I hope you enjoy them as much as I have.
Lazy, Narrow-minded Homeschoolers
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If you’ve been a homeschooler for a nanosecond, you’ve probably encountered someone who feels the need to share their opinions about your family’s educational choices. A family member who thinks you’ve crossed over to the Dark Side. A friend who’s certain you’ve lost your mind. A stranger who thinks you must be part of some cult. That’s where I found myself yesterday… working at a booth… minding my own business… in McDonald’s.
Yes, McDonald’s is my office away from home. It’s where I go to write, edit and enjoy an incredible glass of sweet tea without my children. Each week, I have a few precious hours to get away, work on freelance jobs and contribute to our family’s bank account. Usually I pass the time well enough. Since I only have a few hours, I keep my head down and work. It’s kind of the editorial version of “drive it like you stole it.” I know that whatever I don’t get finished there must be written in between wiping noses, hineys and spills the rest of the week. So when someone interrupts this reverie, it’s a big deal.
Yesterday, a gentleman walked by and asked about Mickey D’s Internet service. I assured him it was working. He continued the conversation, asking what I was doing. I told him I write. I’m currently working on some curriculum.
“You’re a teacher?” he asked.
“Well, I’m a homeschooling mom,” I answered. “So yes, but this is for churches.”
“I’m not a big fan of the homeschooling thing,” he offered.
That’s when the whole conversation went south.
For the next 20 minutes, I was held captive as this man unloaded all his thoughts on homeschooling and those of us who choose it. According to him, homeschoolers are narrow-minded because we don’t seek out diversity. We work to keep our children close and never let them meet people who aren’t exactly like us. We’re lazy, he reasoned.
I laughed. “If there is one thing homeschoolers are not, it’s lazy.”
“Well, they take the path of least resistance,” he responded.
After a few tries to educate this man on what research has proven and what I’ve observed, I gave up. He didn’t want to hear that in addition to academically outperforming their public school peers,[1] homeschooled children are almost twice as likely to volunteer in a community service project as adults. He also didn’t care that they are also more likely to be politically and socially involved by voting, working for a political candidate and writing an editor or public official, than their non-homeschooled counterpart.[2] No, he was just stuck in his own observations of a select few.
As “Low Battery” flashed across my laptop screen, I began tidying my table and gathering my things. He continued talking right to the end. “Have a good day,” he finally said and left.
I shook my head and turned to leave. A man at a neighboring table chuckled, “I thought a conversation was supposed to be two-sided.”
“I’m surprised by how often it isn’t,” I said.
As I headed for home, back to my neighborhood of American families that are white, black, Latino, Asian and any mixture thereof (as well as others from Ethiopia, Nigeria and Eastern Europe), not to mention those who practice various religions—Evangelical, Catholic, Mormon, Greek Orthodox and secular, I thought about my upcoming week. I wondered how best to reach out to the family across the street that is struggling with substance abuse and domestic violence. I tried to figure out a good time to take a few of the neighborhood’s latch-key kids swimming before they go back to school (public school, that is), and I remembered that I still need to contact the community food outreach to ask if our family can volunteer.
Yep, it’s just another day as a lazy, narrow-minded homeschooler.
[1] Ray, Brian D., Ph.D., Homeschool Progress Report 2009.
[2] Ray, Brian D., Ph.D., Home Educated and Now Adults: Their Community and Civic Involvement, Views About Homeschooling, and Other Traits, 2009.
Photo: Lazy Dazy by H. Michael Karshis
New Homeschooling Dads
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The July 2010 issue of Parents
As I read the article, I found myself smiling at the new tug-of-war dads are feeling. I smile because moms have been feeling this pull for years. And for the homeschooling mom, we’ve chosen (or felt impressed) to add even more pressure to the mix. But instead of talking about how challenging it can be to parent, homeschool and keep a continual sense of peace, joy and calm in the midst of this sometimes crazy juggling act, I want to instead share a few of the statistics that Scott included in his article and consider what they could mean to the future of homeschooling. Just look at these numbers:
- “Fathers are now the primary caregiver for about one out of every four preschool-age children.” (U.S. Census Bureau)
- “Today, 28% of all American wives between 30 and 44 have more education than their husbands, while only 19-percent of husbands in that group have more education than their wives. (The remaining 53-percent have the same level of education as each other.)”
- “The U.S. Dept. of Education found that women received 57% of all bachelor’s degrees and 61% of all master’s degrees. They receive 51% of all Ph.D.’s.”
- “From 2008-2009, the unemployment rate increased 83% among men age 25 and over, compared with 57% among women age 25 and over.”
- “Twenty-percent of American men ages 25-54 didn’t have a job as of December 2009.”
- “As of February 2010, the top two professions among the unemployed in the U.S. were construction and manufacturing.”
What do these statistics mean to homeschooling families?
Well, with the rise of homeschooling’s popularity, I can’t help but think that we will see an increase in the number of dads who take on the role of primary homeschooling parent. As women receive more education and men endure a downturn in industries that are held primarily by them, we will most likely see more men coming home and more women pursuing more profitable career paths, all in an effort to support and care for their families.
In most of the homeschooling families I know, the moms work as least part time. In fact, according to the Homeschool Progress Report 2009, 19.4% of homeschool moms (almost 1 in 5) work at least part time. This number may very well increase in the face of a shrinking job market.
When the time comes, I hope that as a community we will welcome these newcomers with the same encouragement we received as newbies. It will be a chance for us to draw from their strengths and offer a smile, a pat on the back or even a cup of coffee when the situation arises. (Think about it, who wouldn’t love to have a construction-savvy dad teach woodworking techniques in co-op? I know several moms—myself included—who would be elbowing our way to the front of the class!)
We’re in this together, homeschoolers. Let’s do all we can to make sure we succeed the same way… together!
Are you a homeschooling dad? Please comment on your experience.
Does More Money Produce Better Academic Scores?
0If you’re like most Americans, you’ve bought into the idea that education must be complicated and expensive to be worthwhile. It must be handled by highly educated, well-trained, pragmatic individuals with lots of mass produced educational tools at their disposal. Well, the truth may surprise you.
Recent findings in the Homeschool Progress Report 2009 found that education has little to do with the amount of money spent. When compared with the average amount spend per child in our public schools, homeschool families are doing an admirable job. We are, in fact, a frugal bunch. Most of us have traded the financial comfort of a two income family in order to have at least one parent (a.k.a. educator) at home, at least part of the time. Some of us are armed with little more than pen, paper, a library card and our creativity to develop our children’s curriculum. And we like it that way! Just take a look at what the statistics say… they speak for themselves.
Homeschooling Statistics: Should Government Regulate Homeschools?
0Homeschooling is not for the faint hearted, and most homeschool parents take it very seriously. That’s why when the question of government regulation comes up, homeschoolers’ feathers get more than a little ruffled. Depending on the state, government regulation of homeschools can be low, medium or high. But does higher regulation automatically produce better results? Check out the results for yourself:
Homeschooling Statistics: Should Parents Have Teaching Certificates?
1“Do you need any qualifications to homeschool your children?” That’s one of the first questions that homeschoolers hear when someone finds out that they’re educating their children at home. And while individual states have different rules concerning this, the question illuminates a common belief—and possible fear—that correct teaching can only be accomplished by trained professionals. That’s why it’s comforting to know that homeschooling’s success is not dependent on parents’ education levels. Just look at the following statistics:
Homeschool Statistics: How Do Homeschoolers Measure Up?
2As convinced as homeschooling families are that their education choice is the best, it begs the question: How do homeschool students measure up against their public school peers? In 2009, Dr. Brian D. Ray of the National Home Education Research Institute (NHERI) in Salem, Oregon, answered that question.
In 2008 Dr. Ray studied over 11,000 participants from all 50 states as well as Guam and Puerto Rico. The purpose of the study, which was commissioned by the Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA), was to “develop a current picture of homeschool students and their families.”
Over the next several weeks, I’m going to publish many of Dr. Ray’s findings. As homeschooling parents and interested parties, you’re sure to find these statistics encouraging. Enjoy!
Homeschooling and Cyber Schools
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In the April 25,2010 issue of Parade magazine, there was a short article entitled “Who Should Fund Cyber Schools?” that I found interesting. According to the article, more than 175,000 students in 25 states attend public school from the comfort of their computers, and that number grows 30% each year. It estimates “that half of all high school courses will be taught on the Web in 10 years.”
The article reported that each time a student leaves a public brick-and-mortar school for a public cyber school, like K-12 Online Learning, districts are forced to send that student’s funding to the online school. John Halfhill, Superintendent of Pennsylvania’s Southmoreland school district, said, “In my district, we’re outperforming the cyber schools in almost every regard based on achievement data, yet we are funding those schools.”
This statement struck me as funny. Homeschoolers and private school patrons, in general, significantly outperform public schools, and yet we, the tax paying parents, continue to “fund” those schools with our taxes. So, Mr. Halfhill, welcome to our world.
Mr. Halfhill should also remember that school districts are not the ones “funding” the cyber schools, taxpayers are, and if students can receive a better or safer or more personalized education through public cyber schools, then why shouldn’t they? Why not give students a choice?
What do you think, homeschoolers? Let me know your thoughts.
Thousands of Public School Teacher Jobs at Risk
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Between the obvious benefits of homeschooling and the tenuous atmosphere surrounding America’s public schools, I’m more convinced than ever that homeschooling will continue to grow and become a major player in our country’s educational system.
Just look at the facts. According to a study conducted by the National Center for Education, homeschool students increased 29% from 1999 to 2003. The National Home Education Research Institute estimates that they continue to grow at a rate of 5-12% each year. But now with the latest news regarding the future of America’s public schools, I wouldn’t be surprised to see a surge in these numbers.
Arne Duncan, US Secretary of Education, has reported that as many as 300,000 teacher jobs may be cut across the nation this year. The reason? America’s weak economy has forced school districts to make due with less, thus cutting jobs and programs. And while last year’s stimulus helped save jobs last year, that money is gone.
“Not only do schools need to go on a diet, they need to adopt a whole new way of life,” said Michael J. Petrilli of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, a non-profit educational think tank. “This money is gone, and it’s not coming back soon.”
Ron Allen of NBC reported that New York will cut 15,000 teachers, Illinois another 17,000, and California will lose 22,000 jobs by June. The effects of this downsizing will resort in larger classrooms with some estimates as high as 40 students to one teacher. Programs for art, music and sports will also feel the ax.
While homeschooling may not be an option for all families, with America’s education system facing such a bleak future, it’s not out of the question for families who do have a choice to begin looking for alternatives. Check out the full story here.