Pros and Cons of:
Homeschooling
SARAH SULLIVAN —LIBRARY 264
Department of Education Statistics:
Homeschooling is Growing

1970s: Between 10,000 and 15,000
children, aged 5 – 18 were homeschooled
in U.S.

1983: 60,000 to 125,000 children
estimated as homeschooled. Rise due to
increase of religion in U.S. and growing
dissatisfaction with public schools.

2008: 1.5 to 2 million children estimated
as homeschooled.
Considerations
 Why are parents choosing to do this?
 How will this affect academic performance?
 What effect will this have on the social development
of adolescents and teens?
Main Parental Considerations
 72%: Religious reasons.
 21 %: Dissatisfaction
with school environment.
 17%: Academic
considerations.
 2%: Child has mental or
physical problems.
 4%: Other special needs.
 14%: Other needs: travel,
location, time, money,
etc.
Academic Issues
Home schooling standards vary dramatically between states.
3 Main methods of regulating homeschools:

Yearly, standardized testing.

Education requirements: Teaching certification and at least a
high school education.

Regular, periodic visits to classroom/monitoring student’s work.

States have different combinations of these—some are much
stricter than others.
Legal
Religious
Exemptions
Problem:
 Secular homeschooled children more likely to
have credentialed, teachers/academic
monitoring.
 Religious homeschooled children more likely
Parents may obtain
waivers so for the
classroom monitoring
and teacher education
standards if they claim
the state requirements
interfere with their free
exercise of religion.
to have teachers w/o credential or high school
education.
 Disparity in educational opportunities for
children based on religious beliefs of parents.
Social Development: Home v. Conventional
Schooling
Home School
 Friends in a variety of age
groups—older & younger.
 Less aggressive/more
cooperative in groups.
 More guarded with friends.
 Less likely to confide “true
feelings.”
Conventional School
 Majority of friends in own
peer/age group.
 More
aggressive/competitive in
groups.
 More likely to share
feelings/problems with
friends & teachers.
Homeschool Perspectives: Tweens v. Teens
Tweens (9 – 13)
 Missed friends.
 Felt left out of
dances/other school
activities.
 Worried about not
knowing current
fashions/trends.
Teens (14 – 18)
 Happy socializing on
internet & out of
school.
 Liked not having to
worry about
clothes/fashion.
 Relieved not to have to
go to dances/football
games.
Online Resources
 U.S. Department of Education: www.edpubs.org
 Black Homeschoolers Magazine:
www.blackhomeschoolers.com
 Homeschooling Research: ncess.ed.gov/nhes
 The Secular Homeschool Community:
www.secularhomeschool.com
Sources
 Bergstrom, L., (2012).What effect does homeschooling have on test scores and


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socialization of children? Partial fulfillment for degree in Masters of Science—
Education at University of Wisconsin, Superior. Retrieved at:
http://www.minds.wisconsin.edu/handle/1793/61574;
Greenfield, L.A., (2007). Religious homeschooling: That’s not a monkey on your
back, it’s a compelling state interest. 9 Rutgers J.L. & Religion 4. Retrieved at:
http://heinonline.org/HOL/LandingPage?collection=journals&handle=hein.journal
s/rjlr9&div=6&id=&page
Medlin, R. G., (2000). Homeschooling and the question of socialization, Peabody
Journal of Education, 75 (1&2), 107 – 123. Retrieved from:
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/0161956X.2000.9681937
US Department of Education Homeschooling Study from 2007 (NCES 2009-030;
Issue Brief, December 2008). Retrieved at:
http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2009/2009030.pdf
Yuracko, K.A. Education off the Grid: Constitutional Constraints on
Homeschooling; 96 Cal. L. Rev. 123 (2008). Retrieved at:
http://www.jstor.org.libaccess.sjlibrary.org/stable/pdfplus/20439172.pdf?acceptTC
=true