Persuasive essay editing FINAL DRAFT

Running head: WHY NOT HOMESCHOOLS? 0

Why not Home Schools?

Northern Arizona University

3/30/2017

Homeschooling is a term that refers to “the education of school-aged children at home rather that in public or private school settings” (Green & Hoover-Dempsey, 2007). Homeschooling is a form of education that happens inside the home. Before education became compulsory during the 1700s, homeschooling was the main form of education of the majority of the people whereby it implies the concept of hiring a teacher, a move that was reserved for the elite. Meanwhile, during the early 1900s, compulsory education laws were adopted by almost all the states in America. However, these laws facilitated the decline in the number of homeschooled students (Cogan, 2010). Based on research done on homeschooling, it is essential to hear out the opinions of homeschool students in order to acquire a more dependable understanding of the context of homeschooling (Schalkwyk & Bouwer, 2011). In this paper, it is argued that homeschooling is arguably better than going to public schools because homeschooling offers parental involvement, flexibility and convenience; entices the students to learn at their own pace and inspires them to be creative; and innovative teaching and learning strategies are encouraged.

Homeschooling is a “parent-led” and “home-based education” that is originally conceptualized as an alternative form of learning. However, today, it is seen as a mainstream educational form in the U.S. and in other countries like Australia, Japan, Canada, Kenya, France, South Korea, the United Kingdom, and Russia (Ray, 2015). According to the National Center for Education Statistics, recent estimations indicate that the students who are homeschooled between 5 to 17 years old increased from 800,000 back in 1999 to 1,508,000 as of 2007. These numbers signify an 88 percent increase in homeschooled students in the U.S. alone (Cogan 2010). This statistics coincide with that in 2010, wherein the number of children being homeschooled in the U.S. rose to an estimated 2.04 million K to 12 homeschooled students (Ray, 2011).

There are numerous benefits discovered from the quality of education that homeschooled students achieve. For example, homeschooled students were found to acquire higher ACT scores, GPAs, and graduation rates in comparison to the students who were educated in traditional schools (Cogan 2010). Such finding proves that homeschooled students are ready to enter college and some are ever referred to as high achievers unlike those who went to traditional public schools.In relati on, there are many reasons that provide evidence that home schooling enhances the advantages of studying at the comforts of one’s home in contrast to attending traditional public schools (Lunienski, 2003). Majority of people who lack understanding about homeschooling question the socialization of homeschooled students. Advocates of the public school system also question the quality of education that homeschooled students receive. These doubts and expressed skepticisms are understandable, however, various studies and testimonials stand proof that homeschooling is a feasible form of education that is timely now that our world is fast-becoming globalized and technology-driven.

Home schooling has become a lifestyle that connects the family closer to one another. Advocates of homeschooling argue that the traditional education offered by public schools is a “separating force” due to the physical separation children experience during school days and from studying at night (Gardiner, 2012). In contrast, being homeschooled means having the flexibility in terms of schedule and activities, making it a possibility to prioritize the family and extracurricular activities.

One of the primary reasons why one must consider homeschooling is the importance of parental involvement. With homeschooling, parents not only invest on their children’s education but also improve parent-child communication. Parents also get to supervise their children’s homework better and provide educational adjustments and words of encouragements, especially where a child needs more (academic) attention. Some of the most common motivations for homeschooling include: psychological motivators, parent-focused, partnership-focused, role activity beliefs, valence toward schools, efficacy for helping children succeed in school, personal beliefs (e.g. values, ideology, pedagogy, and special needs), time and energy, and knowledge and skills (Green & Hoover-Dempsey, 2007).

Meanwhile, public school parents reasons they sent t heir children to a public school because of r ole activity beliefs, valence toward schools , effectiveness to succeed, time and energy, and knowledge and skills (Green & Hoover-Dempsey, 2007). These findings imply that parents’ decision to homeschool their kids are similar to parents whose children are studying in public schools. However, homeschool parents consider their personal involvement in their children’s education is very important. They want to play an active role and they feel that they are influential to their child/ or children’s future success.

Due to the lack of accurate information regarding home schooling, there are some myths that emerged as a result. many people who support traditional schooling believe that homeschooling prevents s the students from being social. Images of children locked up in homes with little outside interaction with the real world, along with supposed awkwardness, lack of so cial skills, and difficulty in relating to others come about. On the other hand, being a social misfit or students that lack sufficient social skills are not reserved to homeschooled students. There are also students attending public (and even private) schools that also suffer from such problems. In reality, the first generation of homeschooled students have actually developed and entered the colleges, universities, and the workforce without any problem.

In a study conducted by Dr. Ray, he claims that “ home schooling produces successful adults who are actively involved in their communities and continue to value education for themselves and their childr en” (Roma nowski, 2006). In fact, there are homeschoolers who get to attend colleges and universities both local and abroad, as well as Ivy League schools like Brown, Harvard, Princeton, Yale, and the U.S. Military Academy, just to name a few (Romanowski, 2006). Additionally, another convenience offered by homeschooling is that the families who are in favor of home-based education are independent from public, tax-funded resources for the education of their children. This entails American taxpayers to save more than $24 billion yearly because the children do not attend public schools (Ray, 2015).

For public school teachers, they are given a series of fixed ideas and methods that they use in teaching. Unlike homeschooling, this restricts them and their potentials to think out-of-the-box because their teaching modules and strategies are basically based on the traditional classroom setting. An example is how a public school district may apply a specific curriculum program that, in return, limits the educational motivations of teachers because they are compelled to abide by this standard (Thomas, 2016). In contrast, homeschooling allows parents to freely choose the curriculum and instructional design for their chosen academic programs.

Another advantage of being homeschooled is that it removes the common “one-size-fits-all classroom mentality” that results to compromised academic experience for students with different learning skills (Gardiner, 2012). Since home schooling allows the students to manage their own time, it fosters responsibility at an early age and helps ignite intellectual curiosity, critical thinking, and self-directed learning as the student progresses with each module.

Recent studies pr ove that homeschooled students do well academicall y and may actually exceed the achievements of students who attend public or private schools. In fact, according to Ray (2015), “The home-educated typically score 15 to 30 percentile points above public-school students on standardized academic achievement tests. (The public school average is the 50th percentile; scores range from 1 to 99),” and are actively recruited by colleges and universities (Ray, 2015). Moreover, homeschooled students have above average social, emotional, and psychological development, including positive peer interaction, self-concept, leadership skills, family cohesion, participation in community service, and self-esteem (Ray, 2015). This is due to the fact that majority of homeschoole d children still engage in both social and educational activities outside the home setting.

According to Kunzman (2009), the states in America have the legal right to necessitate homeschooled children to meet the fundamental requirements of regular school. However, proponents of homeschooling question the legitimacy of such regulation, most especially with regards to the best way to safeguard the rights of parents while maintaining a democratic society (Kunzman, 2009). There is the belief that the common strategies promoted by entities that target to heighten the regulation of homeschooling are mistaken. An example of this is how the National Education Association (NEA) argues that teachers of homeschooling should be certified by the state. Advocates of homeschooling, on the other hand, claim that parents (as the main teachers) differ from public school teachers (Kunzman, 2009).

Another argument that public school proponents suggest is that the materials used by homeschoolers should be regulated or controlled. However, this strategy would be futile since these steps like keeping a portfolio of the homeschooled students’ work, standardized tests, and monitor by outside authority cannot guarantee that lessons being taught every day. Furthermore, advocates of homeschooling attest that no government regulation or law would be successful because they cannot impose parents to agree to their conditions (Kunzman, 2009).

Other reasons that parents and their children have for choosing homeschooling over public school attendance are: (1) customized and individualized curriculum; (2) a safe, conducive learning environment; (3) increased academic motivation; (4) use of pedagogical approaches outside the realms of traditional schools; (5) enhanced family relationships; (6) guided social interactions; (7) absence of bullying, racism, abuse, physical violence, drugs and substance abuse, improper and unhealthy sexuality, and improper behavior; and (8) better acquisition of values, beliefs, and positive worldview for the homeschooled students (Ray, 2015).

Home-schools are better than public schools due to a myriad of reasons. With regards to the impact of homeschooling on academic achievement, evidences show that homeschooled students show no drastic difference in comparison with traditionally schooled students (Martin-Chang, Gould, Meuse, 2011). In contrast to homeschooling, the effectiveness of the teachers in public education has the greatest impact on the students’ academic success since it can be gauged according to test results of the students. Research reveals that the ability of the teacher to meet the students’ needs through instruction and leadership qualities have the most effect on the students but this does not ensure all students are given equal opportunities. Likewise, it has been discovered that students achieved lower test scores when they attended public schools longer. Moreau (2012) claims this is contrary to the academic achievement and test scores of homeschooled students. However, it is important to mention that homeschooled students who excelled in standardized tests ranked or scored higher because they were taught by their parents who were highly educated (Moreau, 2012; Martin-Chang et al., 2011).

Another advantage of homeschooling over attending public schools is that the parents, as the primary educators, can manage and monitor the values being taught to their children. This is similar to how pedagogues argue that public schools fail in educating their children. These parents see public schools incapable of connecting with their child or children in the best way to educate them. With homeschooling, instructions and lesson plans are personalized for every homeschooled student (Moreau, 2012).

Additionally, homeschooled students are able to proceed with the stages of transition from homeschooled to college life with ease. The three stages include separation, transition, and incorporation. For example, when comparing students who shifted from homeschooling to college life with students from public schools, it was found that homeschooling boosts the self-esteem of undergraduate college students. On the other hand, a study’s results reveal that students who went to public schools exhibited greater risk and tendency to experience depression (Moreau, 2012). Such findings disprove the typical stereotype that homeschooled students find it hard to socially adjusted and transition to college education.

While the public school setting tends to be boring, monotonous, and predictable, structured homeschooling provides opportunities for the students to perform beyond the common experiences of public school students. Some of the advantages homeschooling has over public school education are influenced by numerous factors, such as smaller class sized, individualized instruction, and increased time spent on studying core subjects. Results of standardized examinations point out that structured homeschooling advances the students’ development of his or her academic skills, exceeding those achieved by students attending traditional public schools. A major reason for this positive result is from the accelerated progress the homeschooled children receive during structured home-based education. However, it must be stressed that the difference in the academic achievement and performance of either homeschooled students or those attending public schools depends on whether it is structured or unstructured (Martin-Chang et al., 2011).

Lastly, homeschooling is steadfastly gaining popularity as more and more people become intrigued by or interested in it. Unlike homeschooling, public schools give frequent exams; have larger class sizes; and opens the possibility of experiencing bullying and witnessing violence.

In conclusion, homeschooling continues to be a controversial topic in America. Even though homeschooling is legal, numerous educators and lawmakers, including the National Education Association and National Parent Teacher Association, have made their objections and skepticisms known. On the other hand, they cannot discount the fact that homeschooling is better than going to public schools because it offers enhanced parental involvement, as well as flexibility and convenience, creative thinking among students, and innovative teaching and learning techniques. There are still more to learn about homeschooling, such as its influence on learning and how it can influence society in general. Nonetheless, more and more parents (and children) choose homeschooling over public school attendance on the basis of family motivation, independence, and belief that it is the best way for their children to learn and develop holistically.

In the end, the public school system may be the basis of the traditional educational system. However, parents and their children alike should be free to choose whichever form or method of education they find suits their wants and needs. Additionally, there is a need to address the broad and diverse backgrounds of students and how their educational goals and choices meet their needs. Bottom line, the main concern should be focused on education that maximizes the potentials of the students, and homeschooling offers this and so much more.

References

Cogan, M. F. (2010). Exploring Academic Outcomes of Homeschooled Students. Journal of College Admission, 208, 18-25.

Gardiner, B. (2012 April 10). My View: Why I chose home schooling. CNN. Retrieved from http://www.cnn.com/2012/04/10/us/education-my-view-why-i-chose-home-schooling/

Green, C. L., & Hoover-Dempsey, K. V. (2007). Why do parents homeschool? A systematic examination of parental involvement. Education and Urban Society, 39(2), 264-285.

Lubienski, C. (2003). A critical view of home education. Evaluation & Research in Education, 17(2-3), 167-178.

Martin-Chang, S., Gould, O.D., & Meuse, R.E. (2011). The impact of homeschooling on academic achievement: Evidence from homeschooled and traditionally schooled students. Canadian Journal of Behavioral Science, 43(3), 195-202.

Moreau, K. (2012). Specific differences in the educational outcomes of those students who are home schooled vs students in a traditional school setting. (Doctoral dissertation, Northern Michigan University).

Ray,B.D.(2009).Howdohomeschoolstudentsscore?Retrievedfrom http://nche.hslda.org/docs/study/ray1997/charts/figure2.gif

Ray, B.D. (2015). Research facts on homeschooling. Salem, OR: National Home Education Research Institute.

Schalkwyk, L.V., & Bouwer, C. (2011). Homeschooling: Heeding the voices of learners. Education as Change, 15(2), 179-190.

Thomas, J. (2016). Instructional motivations: What can we learn from homeschooling families? The Qualitative Report, 21(11), 2073-2086.