...1 Homeschool Spells Success: the Connection between Homeschool and Superior Achievement Dana Hilton Western Governors University Abstract: This paper explores the correlation between homeschooling and student outcomes by drawing upon research that indicates that the homeschool movement has created a generation of students who are uniquely prepared to excel in academic competition, higher education, and in the wider world and who, by extension, are poised to surpass their traditionally schooled peers Keywords: homeschool, John Holt, Raymond Moore, unschooling, educational testing, outcomes Homeschool Spells Success: the Connection between Homeschool and Superior Achievement Homeschooling, by its very nature, is a personal business: students receive personalized instruction in their own homes. But in recent years, homeschooling has moved into the public consciousness through the achievements of exceptionally gifted students of home schools. In her article “Homeschooling: Back to the Future,” educator Isabel Lyman cites one of the earliest examples of the success potential of contemporary homeschool students when she describes the 1997 victory of homeschool student Rebecca Sealfon at the Scripps-Howard National Spelling Bee (1998). According to Lyman, Sealfon’s success helped author homeschool’s move from the educational fringe to the mainstream (1998). Fourteen years later, Jeffery Blitz’s documentary film Spellbound brought homeschooled students’...
Words: 3440 - Pages: 14
...Children who attend public school are better socialized than those who are home schooled University of Maryland University College May 2, 2015 28288 Cardinal Lane Evans Mills, N Y 13637 USA Parent Body 10th Mountain Division Fort Drum N Y13625 USA Dear Parents, Please accept the following analytical report entitled ‘Children who attend public schools are better socialized than those who are homed schooled’. This report begins with a brief abstract which compares both the home and public schooling options being explored within the American society. The second section is the introduction which highlights the various attributes that parents hope to achieve for their children, followed by the overall analysis of the topic. The final segment is the conclusion which summarizes the entire report by reiterating the key elements of both home and public schooling, and will allow you the audience to make a decision that would be beneficial to your specific needs. I would like to say special thanks to Professor Amanda Richey for granting me the opportunity to research a topic that is of personal interest and I hope that you will all enjoy reading my report. Yours Truly, Cadien Vaccianna Table of Content Title Page 1 Letter of Transmittal 2 Table of Content 3 Abstract 4 Introduction 5 Literature review 6 ...
Words: 2784 - Pages: 12
...Public Schooling VS Home Schooling COM/156 March 16, 2014 Pam Eshelman Now, more than ever, parents are exploring the options available to them concerning the education of their children. This decision, though a personal one for every parent, requires looking closely at the different benefits, as well as drawbacks of the options available to them. It goes without saying that both schooling options have their pros and cons, but many parents often question which one is better for their children. There is far more to consider than one might realize, so let us explore some of the lesser publicized aspects of the public versus home education dilemma. Home schooling can give a more direct and focused, although public school can have benefits in several ways like a child’s social development. First, let us look at some of the benefits of the home school. I was given an opportunity to interview my aunt Robyn Jeffords who home schooled all 5 of her children and the information below is all accredited to her. Home schooling can be good for a child in many ways. A homeschooled child often has access to a more direct one-on-one instructional setting, allowing for a very personalized learning environment. Within this setting, the parent can tailor every lesson to the specific learning style of the student, for optimum understanding of the material. It also means that the student can move as quickly or as slowly as needed. If the material is mastered...
Words: 1929 - Pages: 8
...child, and in today’s economy education is more important than ever. Parents have increasingly paid more attention to the schooling process, and many parents struggle to choose the best option. Debates are raging across playgrounds and living rooms about which is better: public schools or private schools, or even home schooling. According to a 2009 Great Schools and Harris Interactive poll, nearly one in four parents are currently considering switching their child's school either from private to public or public to private as a result of the economy. They ask themselves, will their child have a better chance of getting into a better university by attending the prestigious private school? In what environment would my child thrive? Where will my child’s faith be nurtured best? There are many schooling options available out there, but the three main choices that parents are debating about are public schools, private schools, and home schooling. Each system has advantages and disadvantages. Weighing the pros and cons of each system will help the parent make an informed decision about which arrangement is the most advantageous. Many public school schools are impressive; others are passable. Public schools seem to reflect the economic realities of their location. Wealthy suburban schools will have more amenities than inner city schools. Think San Jose, California versus Detroit, Michigan; Windermere versus Bithlo. Most children in the US attend a public school and this is one of the...
Words: 1409 - Pages: 6
...type of school that their children will attend. They have the choice of sending their children to traditional school or teaching them at home, commonly referred to as home schooling, which is often conducted by use of a personal computer in the home. Home schooling provides a more direct approach of educating today’s youth when compared to public schools. Alternatively, public school offers children a greater chance of enhancing their social development and skills. There are many advantages of parent’s home schooling their children. These advantages include individual bonding time with the children, security of knowing that their children are learning, and more access to monitoring their children’s academic progress. Another added benefit of schooling involves modification of the curriculum to accommodate each student’s ability. Within the home school curriculum, a parent has the freedom to filter out subjects that they do not want their children to learn. According to (Kunzman) there has been an increase of 74% in homeschool attendance between the years of 1999 to 2007. It was also noted that this growth is twelve times that of public school attendance. Some disadvantage of homeschooling may include the need for a parent to remain in the home to instruct the child. This may cause financial difficulties for some families, especially if one of the parents had to stop work in order to instruct their children. As a result, the household budget may decrease, which may cause...
Words: 1121 - Pages: 5
...Public School versus Home School In the world that we have today we seem to have more options than we had in the past. One of those choices is the choice between home school and public school. Several factors can be involved when making this decision. One might ask his or herself; which choice of school is better? Public school is more effective than homeschooling because it allows children to communicate with each other and guides them in the right direction concerning their grades. As I previously said, there are many factors that should be looked at thoroughly in order to make a final decision on your choice of school. One of those factors would be self-discipline. Self-discipline is the action in which you are able to discipline yourself to complete tasks when needed too without anyone helping you. Self-discipline is sometimes hard to have especially as a child or young adult. It is not something that comes easy; it has to be worked on for some time. In order to succeed at home school, self-discipline is something that must be made. There will be many times that students will have assignments that need to be completed, but there are other things that the student really wants to do. If you do not have self-discipline, then you are not going to be able to accomplish the necessary things needed in order to succeed in home school. Public school is not as much of a challenge because you have an adult there to push you and get you motivated to succeed at all times. Sometimes...
Words: 1113 - Pages: 5
...choices of education. Amanda Shaffran Communication 220 Terri Shurtleff October 31, 2010 During his first major speech on education, President Obama said, “The future belongs to the nation that best educates its citizens” (Aasen, 2010, p.4). Education makes most people think of public schools and the structure of schools. The complaints of public schools or “traditional” schools are under- funded, overcrowded, unchallenging curriculum, and student peer pressure. Traditional schools also work in a fixed time slots and do not leave enough time for parents and children to have enough time together. Along with traditional schools being in a fix time, the curriculum is in set times, therefore, parents have turn to alternative education. Fixing the problems of educating children, the place of education is somewhere to start. For example, private schools that can be expensive with cost being around $400 per child, charter schools that basic curriculum is in the form of public schools but under no guidelines and accountability to the state, or homeschooling that has been taught for centuries in an environment based on student success. Homeschooling provides a better education than traditional school, through year-round education, one-on-one...
Words: 2247 - Pages: 9
...PUBLIC SCHOOL VERSUS HOME SCHOOL Lisa Cole As parents, we are all concerned about our child’s education; whether to home school or send our child to public school. Home school and public school each has their pros and cons, making it a hard decision for parents to make; socialization, arts and music, peer pressure, and time management. Socialization is a huge part of a person’s life, and the ability to teach our children at a young age is very important. When a child is home schooled, there is a less chance for socialization among peers compared to public school. In public school a child is able to socialize with peers their age, a variety of ethnicity, and cultures. There is a downside to public school, peer pressure. Homeschooled children are less likely to have to face peer pressure; violence, drugs, and alcohol. Children in public schools are taught at a young age about drugs, sex, alcohol, and violence. Public schools hire professionals to talk to our children in these areas. A child who is home schooled, it is up to the parent how the child is taught about drugs, sex, alcohol, and violence. Most parents are embarrassed to talk to their children about these topics and often get ignored. If a parent is not sure on where to begin there are doctors, pamphlets, and the library for books. Not only is socialization important; so is art, music, and sports. Art, music, physical education, and sports are more accessible in public school. Home schooled children are...
Words: 986 - Pages: 4
...for their children, but it’s their children’s education that always come first. There are always controversies and arguments about which schooling benefits the student’s learning the most. Most kids are put into public schools because it doesn’t require much money unlike homeschooling or private school. Many families struggle with poverty so public schools are the only options left for them. Money isn’t the only problem that people are facing, but whether or not the students are learning going to school. Does the different type of schools really determine how much the students learn? What are the pros and cons of public schools, private schools and homeschooling? What type of school is the ‘right’ school? According to the Institute of Education Sciences, folks reported having state funded school decision, more or less 25 percent went to a picked government funded school, while 67 percent went to their allocated school while the other 9 percent went to a non-public school. When it comes to how much the students are learning, is the school really the most important factor? Parents are the ones who mainly makes the decision in what schools are better for their child. Usually, private schools are mainly for religious purpose. They are quite strict, but I have Ngo 2 read articles in the newspaper that they have a better teaching system compared to public schools, but it varies for different people. Here in Tucson, public schools are very low ranked compared to other...
Words: 2002 - Pages: 9
...Homeschool VS Public School Shawn Banks University of Composition and Communication COM/ 155 February 19, 2012 Cari Kenner The issue of homeschooling versus public education has been an ongoing debate for a very long time. The decision between the two forms of education has plagued parents for an equal amount of time as well. For some parents, the choice is easy because the options are limited by funds and availability of the parent’s time. Academic environment can be an issue for some parents. There are also several health and safety concerns that parents must face too. One of the biggest concerns that parents contend with is the overwhelming difference in the social aspect between homeschooling and public education. Granted that both can accommodate a quality education to its students, there are many differences between homeschooling and a public education. For the most part, homeschooling your children are reasonably inexpensive. With the Internet, parents can get the curriculum for the grade level of the child for free. There are plenty of websites that offer this service. This leaves the price tag for the supplies that the child will need. If these are bought by bulk during the July/August back-to-school season, parents can save a ton of money. By doing these things the cost for homeschooling a child would be under fifty dollars per child. Public school, on the other hand, in some cases is quite different. Public schools across the country struggle...
Words: 1127 - Pages: 5
...outcomes remain unclear. The present study compared the academic achievements of homeschooled children with children attending traditional public school. When the homeschooled group was divided into those who were taught from organized lesson plans (structured homeschoolers) and those who were not (unstructured homeschoolers), the data showed that structured homeschooled children achieved higher standardized scores compared with children attending public school. Exploratory analyses also suggest that the unstructured homeschoolers are achieving the lowest standardized scores across the 3 groups. Keywords: curriculum, education, homeschooling, reading, unschooling The number of children being homeschooled in North America is growing at an unprecedented rate (Arai, 2000; Barwegen, Falciani, Putman, Reamer, & Stair, 2004; Brady, 2005; Cai, Reeve, & Robinson, 2002; Jones & Gloeckner, 2004a, 2004b; Ray, 2010). In the United States, best estimates place the homeschooling population above 1.5 million children (National Center for Education Statistics, 2008). Similarly, it has been suggested that homeschoolers account for almost 1% of all Canadian children (Davies & Aurini, 2003); however, it is likely that these estimates are too conservative (Basham, Merrifield, & Hepburn, 2007). In addition to religious convictions, dissatisfaction with the public school system is the most prominent factor in the...
Words: 7669 - Pages: 31
...Home Schooling: A Real Alternative Kevin Sumrall Research and Writing: ENG 215 Professor Kristen Shelton May 15, 2011 The times in which we live are becoming more competitive than ever before. How well one is prepared to step up and meet that competition is what education is all about. The mainstream opinion would say that the only way to the top is through public or even better; private schools. As most of us are already painfully aware, we all cannot afford private schools for our kids, especially if we have more than one or two children. Homeschooling has been viewed by many as a substandard choice, where many others are coming to realize that it is much better than any other choice they may have. There are as many as 2 million children being home schooled right now with a projected growth of 15 to 20% annually. The very high test scores for homeschoolers versus the public school students is one of the main points on the platform for the benefits of homeschooling. There is an alternative to public and private schools, and its right at home. There was a time, not so very long ago, when parents could send their kids down to the bus stop and never think twice about whether or not they would be safe and cared for and taught correctly all of the same things that they learned when they went to school. The sad truth of the matter is that most parents don’t know half of what their kids are being taught in school today. Most of the time, teachers are allowed to show kids movies...
Words: 1423 - Pages: 6
...2/17/2016 Reforming Chinese Education: What China Is Trying to Learn from America | Solutions Subscribe | Sponsor | Submit | Donate | Sponsors and Partners | About submit to reddit Login Skip to Navigation Idea Lab Features Perspectives Visionaries Your Solutions Community Global Volume 2 | Issue 2 | Page 3843 | Apr 2012 Reforming Chinese Education: What China Is Trying to Learn from America Cite this Article By Yong Zhao In Brief When Shanghai, China, was awarded the number one spot for educational achievement by the Program for International Student Assessment, a number of Western countries began to ask what had sparked the country’s rise. One answer is five Ernie French Anxious parents await their children's return from the gaokao college entrance exam in Beijing, China. Key Concepts China’s growth has been fueled by lowskilled cheap labor. As the population ages and labor costs rise, China must create more highvalue jobs, which are often connected with innovation. Recent education reforms seek to foster innovation and entrepreneurship. They include relaxing central control of the curriculum, retraining teachers, reducing student academic load, and broadening college admissions criteria beyond test results. Central to the reform debate is the College Entrance Exam, or gaokao, which has played a role in Chinese culture for centuries. Some educators have started to experiment but reforming the gaokao will require a deeper shift in Chinese attitudes...
Words: 3680 - Pages: 15
...------------------------------------------------- Top of Form Effects of Technology on Education By Anton Lebedev | Submitted On January 22, 2010 4 1 Education has changed significantly in the last twenty years. One of the main reasons education has undergone so many changes is because of technological development. In 1990, computers and other forms of technology served a minimal role in the classroom. Today, many if not most college students attend class with a laptop. I am writing about some of the biggest advantages technology gave to education. Technology has made research much easier. Before online Encyclopedias, Google Scholar, JSTOR, and other online research tools were available, students were forced to spend numerous hours in the library. With the new tools, students can conduct research faster in the comfort of their homes. With Google and other search engines, students can find relevant information faster and more efficiently. Also, there is no more need for intensive memorization as information is more readily available. New also technology allows for a faster, more efficient, and more interactive classroom experience. With Powerpoint presentations and projectors, there is no need for blackboards and whiteboards. With clickers, students can take quizzes during the classroom. These developments also help improve tutoring services. Online tutoring programs are becoming available. One-on-one in-home tutoring programs are also being aided these developments. Tutors...
Words: 11323 - Pages: 46
...A STUDY ON DRUG ABUSE AMONG YOUTHS AND FAMILY RELATIONSHIP 青年濫藥與家庭關係的研究 THE FINAL REPORT (FINAL version) February 2011 1 PREFACE The project on the study on “DRUG ABUSE AMONG YOUTHS AND FAMILY RELATIONSHIP” (“the Study”) is being undertaken by the Centre for Suicide Research and Prevention and the Department of Social Work and Social Administration at the University of Hong Kong (“the Consultant”). The research team comprises the principal investigator (PI), Professor Paul YIP, Director of the Centre for Suicide Research and Prevention and Professor of the Department of Social Work and Social Administration at the University of Hong Kong, and eight co-investigators (Co-Is), Dr. CHEUNG Siu Lan Karen (Demographer), Dr. Sandra Tsang (Social and Family Worker), Dr. Samson Tse (Focus group expert on mental health and drug abuse), Dr. Wong Oi Ling (Family therapist, Family Institute), Prof. Karen Laidler (Sociologist, expertise on assessing drug abuse problem), Dr. Paul Wong (Clinical psychologist), Ms. Frances Law (Social Worker), and Dr. Lilian Wong (Associate Consultant, Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Tseung Kwan O Hospital, Hospital Authority). We would like to thank Mr. Gary Ip, the research assistant of the Department of Social Work and Social Administration, Ms. Garlum Lau, the senior research officer 2 of the Department of Sociology, the participants and NGOs for focus groups and case studies for their kind and valuable support on this...
Words: 41279 - Pages: 166
