Homeschooling has seen a significant increase in the past decade, with the number of students doubled, according to the U.S. government and education researchers. It is estimated that, if the current trend of growth in homeschooling continues, the number of students being homeschooled will surpass 2 million in 2018.
So, why do parents choose to homeschool their children?
1. Make A Change From A Negative School Environment
The National Household Education Survey (NHES) which is conducted every four years by the U.S Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) has found that the highest rated reason parents choose to homeschool is the negative environment of their child’s public school. Over 26% of parents cited a negative environment as their most important reason, and over 90% of parents listed it as one of their reasons for making a change to homeschooling.
What environmental factors are parents concerned about?
Most parents are worried about their children being bullied. It can be hard for parents to tell if their child is being bullied at school or online by classmates, because it is not easy to see. Sometimes students might tease each other, steal food or money, hurt each other physically, or use mean words, and these things might not be reported by the children who experience them.
As kids getting older, bullying and their affects become more severe, due to growing social pressures at school. Poor grades, low self esteem, depression and bad sleeping habits can all be caused by bullying.
12. Dummy-proof
If you act as a private personal tutor for your child, they will likely see an improvement in their academic performance. The main reason for this is that you will be able to dedicate more time to helping them learn. However, it’s important to note that this isn’t guaranteed to work for every child.
Homeschool parents can test their children’s academic abilities against those of children in public schools.
You can expect your child to excel in all subjects. If you have particular subjects of interest (like science or history, etc.), you can expect your child to do well in it too, depending on how much time and attention you put on the subjects you deem important. You have the ability to make a difference in your child’s education, and it’s worth taking the time to invest in their future.
The data shows that homeschooled children perform better academically than those who attend public schools.
- The average homeschooled child scores higher on standardized academic achievement tests by 15-30 percentile points over public-school peers. (The average of public school students is the 50th percentile and scores range from 1 to 99.) (Ray, 2015).
- Your personal education doesn’t matter. Studies show that home-educated kids score higher than average on achievement tests regardless of their parents’ level of educational achievement or their annual household income.
- It’s also a fact that whether or not parents who homeschool have been certified teachers has no bearings to their kid’s academic achievement.
- Homeschoolers usually score higher than the average publicly schooled student on the SAT and ACT tests, which are used by colleges.
- Research shows that homeschooled students are increasingly being sought out by colleges.
3. Get A Higher Quality Education
The implementation of Common Core in many states, declining state education budgets, increased student enrollment, and other factors have led many parents to believe that the quality of education in today’s public schools has declined. The NHES survey noted that a “dissatisfaction with academic instruction” is the second highest reason why parents decide to homeschool their children.
Homeschooling gives parents the ability to choose what their kids learn, rather than being limited to the public school curriculum. A recent Career and College Readiness survey showed that less than half of high school students feel academically prepared for college. Other surveys have shown that college professors believe students are less prepared for college work than they used to be. In the last 10 years, the number of college professors who believed students were prepared for higher education has dropped from 28% to 14%.
Homeschooling provides parents with the opportunity to use a state approved curriculum and spend as much time as needed on each subject to ensure their children feel confident they have mastered the course lessons.
Kids who are homeschooled typically do better on standardized tests than kids who go to public school. According to research from Brian Ray of the National Home Education Research Institute, homeschooled kids usually score 15 to 30 percentile points higher than public-school students on these tests. This is true regardless of the parent’s income or if they have experience teaching. The results are even better for black homeschool students, who usually score 23 to 42 percentile points higher than black students in public schools.
4. Improve Your Children’s Social Interactions
Parents also homeschool their children to Keep them from being bullied or pressured by classmates to do things they don’t want to do.
Homeschooling parents can provide their children with an education by taking the course curriculum and making the world around them the classroom. While most public school students spend a lot of time in classrooms listening to lectures (over 150 days per school year), homeschool students have more activities that take place outside of the home. With a flexible homeschool curriculum, families are better able to go to museums, parks, and historical sites, and participate in community service activities as part of their daily learning.
Homeschooling in this manner often has a positive impact on emotional and psychological development in children. It also strengthens family connections when students homeschool with their siblings. In addition, kids gain a greater awareness of the world around them, and can develop a stronger sense of civic responsibility.
5. It Shrinks the World and it Helps
The experiences you share with your children expose them to opportunities that enrich their lives.
A happy and fulfilling life is always built on a foundation of many different experiences.
There is a link between childhood intelligence and adult openness to experience, including intellectual curiosity, according to research. Scientists followed several thousand people for 50 years and found that those who had scored higher on IQ tests at age 11 were more open to various experiences at age 50.
The ability to choose your child’s experiences is one of the best features of homeschooling. I find it very beneficial and exciting.
For example, homeschooling allows you to tour your State House and other government buildings. You can visit farms, manufacturers, offices, parks, museums, or any place your hearts desire. You can travel to various important demographic regions, meet the mayor, chief of police and/or fire, and various important people of influence. You simply make a call and say that you are a homeschool family and that you want a tour or make a visit—they say “Yes.” Everyone is always so helpful and receptive to the requests.
There are even more benefits to schooling than what was previously mentioned. You can attend conferences, follow someone around who works in a profession you’re interested in, and do anything else that you can think of, all for the sake of schooling.
Your kids will be exposed to experiences that will enrich them and that most kids who go to public school may never have.
You can receive school credit for all of these experiences!
Additionally, you will have opportunities to network with rare and key influencers in your area. This is always beneficial.
Educate Children During A Family Relocation To Another State Or Country
The U.S. government’s census data shows that younger Americans and families with children move the most and the farthest.
There are many families at Calvert who have to frequently move due to military or diplomatic positions. This can be difficult to cope with, especially when it takes them to different states or countries.
One of the most challenging aspects of moving is keeping up with schooling. One of the benefits of homeschooling is that the curriculum and lessons can be done from any location. This helps to ensure that there are no interruptions in learning.
In the case of Calvert, not only is the learning schedule flexible, but the lessons are also designed to be compatible with or exceed state and national guidelines. This ensures that kids do not take any steps backwards when moving from one place to another.
There are many reasons why parents choose to homeschool their children. Some parents feel that the public school system is not meeting their child’s needs. Other parents may want their children to receive a religious or moral education that cannot be provided in public schools. Some families travel often and find that homeschooling allows them more flexibility in their schedules.
An example of this is Calvert, where many students are athletes with busy travel schedules, or are involved in fine arts, music, and theater with schedules that would make traditional public school attendance impractical. The homeschool curriculum at Calvert is flexible, which allows parents to better manage their kid’s schedules.
Some parents elect to homeschool their children so that they can create a learning environment more tailored to their child’s needs and interests.
In many public schools, students are under a lot of pressure. They feel stressed because they have a lot of homework, they need to remember a lot of information, and they have a daily routine that doesn’t allow them to have any input into their learning. As a result, they don’t enjoy learning anymore.
Homeschooling parents who use Calvert have seen that they now have more time during the day to focus on activities and lessons that encourage learning. And our parent support group helps one another by providing recommendations for ways to take the curriculum to a higher level.
Why Should You Homeschool?
Homeschooling is gradually becoming a more popular educational choice for American families who want to provide their children with a better education.
There are many reasons why parents might choose to homeschool their children, and at Calvert, we understand that each family has their own unique reasons for doing so.
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