"Train up a child in the way he should go; Even when he is old he will not depart from it." -- Proverbs 22:6.
High on the list of goals for the average Christian parent is to "train up" their children with the academic knowledge they need to succeed in the world, integrated with (and never compromising) the truth and values of the Christian faith.
Many Christian parents believe the best way to ensure that their children gain academic knowledge, yet still remain rooted in their faith, is through homeschooling.
A new study confirms the success of students who are homeschooled, compared to their public school counterparts. The P
rogress Report 2009: Homeschool Academic Achievement and Demographics, which surveyed 11,739 homeschooled students for the 2007–08 academic school year, reported that homeschooled students, on average, scored 37 percentile points above public school students on standardized achievement tests. The
Progress Report, the most comprehensive study of homeschool academic achievement ever completed, drew homeschoolers from 15 independent testing services, a
press release reports.
According to the release, the study also indicated that the achievement gaps evident among public school students did not exist among the homeschooled population:
Homeschooled boys (87th percentile) and girls (88th percentile) scored equally well; the income level of parents did not appreciably affect the results (household income under $35,000: 85th percentile--household income over $70,000: 89th percentile); and while parent education level did have some impact, even children whose parents did not have college degrees scored in the 83rd percentile, which is well above the national average for public school students. Homeschooled children whose parents both had college degrees scored in the 90th percentile.
Michael Smith, president of the Home School Legal Defense Association, believes that these results point to the commitment of parents who homeschool their children. He also indicated that homeschooling is a successful education movement that has the potential to become more prevalent in the next generation.
"These results validate the dedication of hundreds of thousands of homeschool parents who are giving their children the best education possible," Smith said. "Homeschooling is a rapidly growing, thriving education movement that is challenging the conventional wisdom about the best way to raise and educate the next generation."
What do you think about the idea of homeschooling? Do you/ would you homeschool your children? Why or why not?
Comments (5)
RC Sproul has a fantastic series on his Renewing Your Mind podcast right now about education. I highly reccomend it.
Oh, as for the question. I would if all the details worked out. I would like to form my children's world view via the Christian rubric.
If it is logistically possible, I would like to...
It takes a village to raise a child. That means the basic family unit is not enough. I'd like to see statistics concerning healthy social interaction between kids who attend public school and those who are home schooled.
These statistics prove that the public school system in it's current form needs to be reformed. There has to be a better way to educate our children. Perhaps smaller classes, more sensory education methods, etc. If academics had a way to be applied to the immediate living situation of the child instead of applied solely to paper and tests we'd see greater progress. A lot of people are discovering methods that keep kids social and still enrich them academically.
Homeschooling, IMO, is an escape from the flaws of a public school system. It may make for higher test scores but it doesn't necessarily make for better or even holistically smarter people. I'm not saying homeschooling is bad but I don't think it's the best answer. I think it helps to show some of the major flaws in the public school system though. It's helpful but I don't think it's greater than a few other options.
I love the thought of it. Just wish it was more aforable.