Homeschooling by the numbers

[Nathon Detroit]

Here is a link to an interesting info-graphic about homeschooling.

Thoughts, comments?

 

[chatmaggot]

I would be curious as to what grade levels are covered under the "National Average Percentile Scores..."

There are some families that only homeschool through elementary school and then send their kids off to private or public schools.

Also...I would be curious as to what type of student data was used. For example, one of the arguments from public schools is that when scores are reported to the media etc... (i.e. standardized tests) all of their students are included. By "all" that includes those with mental disabilities. In my state those with disabilities must take the same tests as the general population. In like manner, how many of those that are homeschooled have mental disabilities.

Are parents with children with disabilities more likely to homeschool or send their kids to public schools?

 

[1PeaceMaker]

Interesting point, Chatmaggot.

But I have certainly noticed that homeschoolers have an advantage in that they have less stress and more freedom in choosing where they excel.

My sister has some pretty serious memory problems and learning disability. Public school gave up on teaching her to read in second grade, so my mom took her out of school and taught her at home until 5th or 7th grade, when she stuck her back into the mainstream school system, at her grade level. Nothing has ever been easy for my sis, but she wouldn't have gotten where she did without home education. No one, other than my mom, had the patience to follow through with the intensive education she required.

She was seven years older than me. I grew up during divorce and I couldn't hack public school after that happened. Mom realized I seriously needed to homeschool by grade 7. I had already been begging for it off and on for several years by then. I wasn't fitting in with the other kids (I was shorter than almost everyone and painfully withdrawn) and needed a quieter, less stressful environment to focus on learning. Homeschooling allowed me to go through high school with good grades in just 2 years.

 

[Jordan Fontenot]

I'm not surprised at the numbers. I was homeschooled, and my sister is homeschooled. I'm dyslexic, dysgraphic, been diagnosed with ADHD and even now in college I get A's and B's where as when I spent time in public school I got almost straight C's. My sister recently recieved a 32 on her ACT test. It doesn't take away from social skills either, it improves them in a lot of cases in my opinion. I have a friend with a rare form of autism. He's got a job working with politicians and at a resteraunt because his parents worked with him on developing social skills. The reason homeschooling improves students so well is because if focuses on what they NEED to learn. That is they don't waste time on what the student already knows, but spend more time on what they are struggling with. This can likely double learing speed if done correctly. The other thing to keep in mind is that parents care about there child's education and will work with them more than a teacher will. Even the most compassionate teacher cannot work with a student like their parent can.

Needlesstosay there are a lot of perks to homeschooling.

 

[1PeaceMaker]

I'm not surprised at the numbers. I was homeschooled, and my sister is homeschooled. I'm dyslexic, dysgraphic, been diagnosed with ADHD and even now in college I get A's and B's where as when I spent time in public school I got almost straight C's. My sister recently recieved a 32 on her ACT test. It doesn't take away from social skills either, it improves them in a lot of cases in my opinion. I have a friend with a rare form of autism. He's got a job working with politicians and at a resteraunt because his parents worked with him on developing social skills. The reason homeschooling improves students so well is because if focuses on what they NEED to learn. That is they don't waste time on what the student already knows, but spend more time on what they are struggling with. This can likely double learing speed if done correctly. The other thing to keep in mind is that parents care about there child's education and will work with them more than a teacher will. Even the most compassionate teacher cannot work with a student like their parent can.

Needlesstosay there are a lot of perks to homeschooling.

Interesting. See, I know a lot of homeschoolers in my life that are challenged in one way or another, and it seems to me like home education prevents them from getting emotionally locked up or neglected for being slow. And so many dyslexics can become better than average readers given the chance with the right learning environment. But how can that be done in a crowded classroom, or by making the kid go to "special" class, thus putting labels of limitation on them? :idunno:

 

[Jordan Fontenot]

Interesting. See, I know a lot of homeschoolers in my life that are challenged in one way or another, and it seems to me like home education prevents them from getting emotionally locked up or neglected for being slow. And so many dyslexics can become better than average readers given the chance with the right learning environment. But how can that be done in a crowded classroom, or by making the kid go to "special" class, thus putting labels of limitation on them? :idunno:

The reason I was pulled out of public school was because I invest too much emotion into everything I do, and I was always the kid who was picked on. If I had stayed in school I would have given in to pleasing all of my piers, and that would have made me miserable. I also couldn't focus on my schoolwork because I was too mentally occupied trying to be better and show off and be "cool" while still trying to overcome academic challenges. I think that the government has ruined the education system. If it was left to families and the private sector, we would all be so much smarter and be able to tackle more as a nation, instead of having a cookie cutter education and spitting out those, like me, who don't fit.

 

[1PeaceMaker]

You mean too much emotion for public school?

It's good to have passion, and then direct that passion like a laser beam for your calling. We shouldn't all express ourselves in exactly the same way, and that means we won't all learn the same way.

I'd love to see a study showing how many homeschoolers end up on the cutting entrepreneurial edge of business life. I would guess it's true that they are self employed more often because homeschoolers have minds accustomed to being free to explore and create, and they often pursue an adult life as unconventional as their educational environment.

Once an autodidact, always an autodidact.

 

[Jordan Fontenot]

You mean too much emotion for public school?

It's good to have passion, and then direct that passion like a laser beam for your calling. We shouldn't all express ourselves in exactly the same way, and that means we won't all learn the same way.

I'd love to see a study showing how many homeschoolers end up on the cutting entrepreneurial edge of business life. I would guess it's true that they are self employed more often because homeschoolers have minds accustomed to being free to explore and create, and they often pursue an adult life as unconventional as their educational environment.

Once an autodidact, always an autodidact.

Good point! Well what I found myself doing is using that passion in my people skills. I did theatre for 11 years and something in that furthered my people skills. I realized after some time that I wanted to use those people skills, and I decided I wanted to be a minister. The public school system could never prepare me for that. But my mother could. My church family could. I could given the resources. So I had 5 years of greek under my belt when I went to college. I had a clear understanding of church History and doctinal issues and everything I needed. I got to college and was able to build off of what I knew, and further specific skills. I found that my friends at college who were in public school had a hard time adapting from the "genaricness" of high school. They weren't used to taking classes that helped them on a specific, field-based level. They were so used to taking classes that were not applicable. Sure, they learned the system, and they were really good at taking tests and passing classes, but that's not learning. So going to college they had to re-train their brains into learning something applicable. I, on the other hand, already have my mind working this way.