Unschooling

I was getting lunch ready (we eat outside on the patio when the weather is nice), so I told Aaron to grab a hat for Camden because it was sunny outside. I came outside to see this... (This hat is 12-18 months, but Aaron thought he looked "hip")

Listed below are some research statistics on homeschooling that I thought were pretty interesting. I got them from my friend, Miranda, who was home schooled and is now in graduate school in Colorado. I'm sure some of you might be thinking... oh geez, she is going way too far with this whole parenting thing... but most of you know I've been a huge fan of homeschooling for years. It's not that I want to shelter my kids, but I think they will receive a MUCH better education than public school (yes, this is coming from a now former public school teacher!) People have pre-conceived notions of what homeschooling entails, but most homeschooling now does not consist of kids staying at home all day while their mother teaches them. There are home school programs now that have private classes, sports, student councils, proms, etc. I'm not saying that this is what I am going to do, but it's definitely something that I will consider. I know some other girlfriends are interested in homeschooling as well, so I thought these statistics would interest them.

A non-profit research group has released results from a study of adults who were homeschooled for at least 7 years. A small portion of their findings:

• 74.2 percent had attained some college courses or higher in their education. In the general U.S. population in the same age range, the number is 46.2 percent.

• 71 percent of the former homeschoolers are participating in an ongoing community activity, compared to 39 percent of all U.S. adults.

• The degree to which the respondents thought they could understand and affect society and government was also addressed. For example, fewer of the home educated (4%) than the general public (35%) thought that "politics and government are too complicated to understand."

• 1.7% had ever been convicted of a misdemeanor.

• Taking all things into consideration, 59% of the subjects reported that they were "very happy" with life, while 27.6% of the general U.S. population is "very happy" with life.

Some more info...

***Academic Performance

The home-educated typically score 15 to 30 percentile points above public-school students on standardized academic achievement tests.

Homeschool students score above average on achievement tests regardless of their parents' level of formal education or their family's household income.

Whether homeschool parents were ever certified teachers is not related to their children's academic achievement.

Degree of state control and regulation of homeschooling is not related to academic achievement.

Home-educated students typically score above average on the SAT and ACT tests that colleges consider for admissions.

Homeschool students are increasingly being actively recruited by colleges.

***Social, Emotional, and Psychological Development

The home-educated are doing well, typically above average, on measures of social, emotional, and psychological development. Research measures include peer interaction, self-concept, leadership skills, family cohesion, participation in community service, and self-esteem.

Homeschool students are regularly engaged in social and educational activities outside their homes and with people other than their nuclear-family members. They are commonly involved in activities such as field trips, scouting, 4-H, political drives, church ministry, sports teams, and community volunteer work.

***Success in the "Real World" of Adulthood

The research base on adults who were home educated is growing; thus far it indicates that they:

participate in local community service more frequently than does the general population, vote and attend public meetings more frequently than the general population, and go to and succeed at college at an equal or higher rate than the general population.

And a few more notes for the uninformed...

There are about 2 million homeschool students in the United States. There were an estimated 1.9 to 2.4 million children (in grades K to 12) home educated during 2005-2006 in the United States.

Families engaged in home-based education are not dependent on public, tax-funded resources for their children's education. The finances associated with their homeschooling likely represent over $16 billion that taxpayers do not have to spend since these children are not in public schools

Homeschooling is quickly growing in popularity among minorities. About 15% of homeschool families are non-white/nonHispanic (i.e., not white/Anglo).

A demographically wide variety of people homeschool – these are atheists, Christians, and Mormons; conservatives, libertarians, and liberals; low-, middle-, and high-income families; black, Hispanic, and white; parents with Ph.D.s, GEDs, and no high-school diplomas.