I received a comment on my recent post, On Academics and the S Word , from Amanda who asked, in part:

[do] just 25% of home schooled kids score at or above those of their private and public schooled peers?

Does not that mean that 75% percent score above those of home schoolers?

Actually, the statistic cited in the Fraser Institute study had this to say:

“Research shows that almost 25 per cent of home schooled students in the United States perform one or more grades above their age-level peers in public and private schools.” Grades 1 to 4 home school students perform one grade level higher than their public- and private-school peers.

So if 25% score 1 or more grades above same-aged peers, the other 75% are either at or below grade level. The study didn’t say where the other 75% are except to say that  

“By Grade 8, the average home schooled student performs four grade levels above the national average.”

Amanda went on to say:

“I do not feel like anyone can learn anything in a room with 35-40 “peers”, and I am trying to convince my husband to let me homeschool our daughter. If I could get some clarity on this statistic, that would help.”

I love to read any study that shows that homeschoolers excel. I love to see that the 2007 National Spelling Bee champion turned out to be a homeschooler. And I love it that the National Geography Bee champion also turned out to be a homeschooler. Yet, if you ask me why I homeschool, you may get a different answer each day of the week. There is so much more than academics going on. My kids probably will not win a national academic competition. I think one or two might go to college early, but one or two might not go at all. I want to teach my children how to learn, how to explore, how to interact with others. With those basics in place, they will be able to accomplish their goals.

The irony of the ongoing socialization question is that many (most?) homeschool families feel that they get more socialization by homeschooling than by sendin their children to school. Socialization in a more naturalized environment means children interact in a broad variety of contexts with people of all ages and stages of life.

Academic considerations are, of course, important, and many families will tell you that they love being able to work individually with their child(ren). And as we see in many different studies, that interaction makes a difference in what a child learns.

One other area that is important to our family and to many others I know is that homeschooling gives the opportunity to build and strengthen family bonds.

We get to go on field trips whenever we want (and the budget allows!).

As homeschoolers we can come to class in their pajamas. I had to throw that one in there because that fact seems to make it into nearly every mainstream article I’ve read.

There is so much more to homeschooling than excelling in academics. When making the choice to homeschool, the process of making that decision is different for everyone. If you are thinking about homeschooling, for whatever reason, hang in there and look around. Meet some families who homeschool and ask them how they got started. Finally, trust yourself. If you set out to truly do what is best for your child, you will be on a lifelong quest, and you will find the resources and the strength to continue.

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