HOMESCHOOL EDUCATION: ITS CONTINUED SUCCESS OVER PUBLIC EDUCATION

On his deathbed, Peter Jefferson, the father of Thomas Jefferson, the third president of the United States, made two pleas for his son: he should get an education and not neglect exercise for “health and strength.”^[1] In his Biography of Thomas Jefferson, Merwins conveys that Jefferson would often “with gratitude” remember these requests, “and he used to say that if he were obliged to choose between the education and the estate which his father gave him, he would choose the education.”^[2] Neither a parent nor a child is ever wrong to prioritize education in their lives. Parents will always have the best interest in their child’s health and education. While Peter Jefferson was unable to provide it while alive, he made it clear what he wanted for his son. Education is one of those areas that parents are determined and willing to provide the best they can for their children. However, the current education landscape in America has become increasingly challenging to navigate as many options are available—from public education with many different standardized options to homeschool education with many methods tailored to fit a child’s needs. How can a parent tell if the school option they have chosen is high quality? Can that child feel safe and cared for in the commonly provided venues for education? Finally, will parents feel like their child is receiving the values and morals they espouse as a family? Although not all parents can homeschool because they may lack the means and time to devote to their child’s education, many parents have found that the reasons outweigh those drawbacks and have chosen to homeschool. Concerns for academic quality, unsafe school campuses, and the ideological agendas that now mostly direct what children learn are driving parents to select this alternative.^[3]

Parents deeply desire their children to succeed academically, and one of their primary concerns is whether they can provide quality education at home. A report in 2003 showed that 48% of parents chose to homeschool because they were “dissatisfied with academic instruction at schools.”^[4] However, parents may wonder if they can do any better. One concern and question they ask is how they can teach their children subjects they are not academically qualified to teach. While this could discourage them, there is instead an ever-growing community of homeschooling parents. Parents adapt by learning subjects they can, and those subjects that are harder to master they academically supplement with experts and tutors.^[5] Does this, however, help alleviate parents’ concerns about the level of education their children receive compared to what Public Education could provide? Parents have several options for their child’s education, ranging from multiple approaches of homeschooling to curriculums tailored to their child’s needs.^[6] Homeschool approaches range from flexible to structured home education that gives parents the confidence they can succeed in homeschool. However, the primary question is, does it provide them with a quality education? The results, for example, for one approach called classical education are exceptional. Students from a popular Classical Curriculum (Classical Conversations) outperformed national averages in both SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test) and ACT (American College Testing) testing.^[7] In addition, this is validated not only by a popular classical education curriculum; even ACT reports that homeschool student’s scores, in general, have trended upward between 2001-2019, and public school student scores have trended down.^[8] For the ACT, students can get a total score of 36; the national average for public school students is 20.3; homeschool students have an upward trending average of 22.9. In the SAT, homeschool students perform higher than the national average at 72 points above.^[9]It is undeniable that home education has a more significant effect on students’ test scores. While one of the main factors is parental concern for quality education, safety concerns are increasing even more.

Parents instinctively want their children to be safe and happy; even though they recognize that they cannot protect them from all of life’s difficulties and stresses, they will make every effort to mitigate them to help them grow up with a positive outlook in life. EdChoice, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization, did a survey in 2019 that revealed that 41% of parents chose to homeschool due to concerns about the safety of school campuses.^[10] These concerns go beyond physical security and include dealing with stress and overall happiness. Still, data has revealed greater happiness in homeschool students even as they faced a pandemic.^[11] In the area of stress, homeschool students are much less stressed than public district school students.^[12] Parents who chose to homeschool may take their children out of public schools due to safety issues like gun violence, immorality, drugs, alcohol.^[13] Yet, one of their concerns is how they will provide for the social needs to grow healthy relational and social skills. This concern also instinctively leads parents to provide those opportunities to their children; for example, on average, homeschool students participate in five activities outside their home.^[14] At the same time, parents have found that their children can still join in almost all public-school activities at the extracurricular level if they choose to participate.^[15] While the quality of education and the safety of their children is a crucial factor, parents have also prioritized the child’s morals, values, and beliefs as a determining factor in homeschooling.

The failure of the educational system to allow ideological agendas that go against the fundamental principles and morals of most parents is at the heart of parents’ decision to switch from public to homeschool education. In 2010, there was an estimated 2 million homeschooled students.^[16] There is now an estimated 4 to 5 million homeschool students in the United States.^[17]Why is there a continual increase in parents choosing to homeschool? In a study done in 2012, the National Center for Education Statistics reported that 77% of families decided to homeschool to provide “moral instruction to their children,” while 64% of families chose to homeschool to provide “religious instruction.”^[18]Parents have seen a moral deterioration in the Public Education System. It has concerned them that children are being exposed to diametrically opposed values that hinder them from developing a healthy identity, principles, and beliefs. Parents feel it is not the education system’s job to primarily instill those morals and principles. It is the job of the educational system to teach the basic knowledge required for children to excel in life. Barry Ashby cites a study done by the CATO Institute in his article Failing Public Education that describes the traits of students in public classrooms. He states that students do not have “‘a chronological and hierarchical grasp of facts and are often asked to develop esoteric thoughts’ without a clue of the subject.”^[19]He goes on to quote the study, revealing that students “do not think independently and are defenseless against subtle but growing forms of propaganda within our schools.”^[20] This is a direct result of an educational system that values ideology over truth. In his book An Introduction to Classical Education, Dr. Christopher Perrinshares that students are “not disembodied”; they are a “person with a soul and a heart.”^[21] Parents’ discernment has increased as they have observed the impact of public education on their children’s personality, values, and beliefs. However, parents are no longer willing to leave their child’s moral and ethical formation to the system. Public Education advocates have some reasonable concerns and ones that parents are well aware of in this decision-making process for their children’s education.

Sometimes money and time are two of the most valuable things parents have in raising their kids. According to Kate Barrington’s article, What Are the Benefits of Public School Over Homeschooling? Parents who send their children to public school have more free time to “just be a parent.”^[22] Among the list of benefits that public education offers, Barrington lists that a parent could end up spending “$1000 or more on a homeschool curriculum.”^[23] Undeniably, parents can sometimes have a difficult time balancing their roles as educators versus parents. At the same time, homeschooling can add up quickly as parents try to find the best curriculum that fits their child’s learning style and the flexibility they need to accomplish this goal. Yet, among the reasons that parents provided for choosing to homeschool in a 2016 study showed that 22% (considered it important) and 11% (most important) to homeschool because it offered more “family time, finances, travel, and a more flexible schedule.”^[24] Dr. Ray underscores in his report Homeschooling: The Research that homeschool is growing at a rapid rate among minorities.^[25]Minorities are most likely to be affected by financial constraints and inflexible work schedules, yet data shows that favorability for homeschool is growing rapidly among them.^[26] Public Education advocates have missed what parents consider essential in their child’s education. It is not necessarily “much-needed time apart” to allow the child to cultivate independence or give the parent a “break” that concerns them.^[27]Parents have realized that breaks or independence are not determining factors; those can still be cultivated in the context of homeschool life. They are increasingly seeing the need for quality, safety, and moral anchors to bring their child into an ever-changing world.

While not all parents will homeschool due to the lack of financial resources or time to dedicate themselves to their children’s schooling, many parents believe there are more compelling reasons to homeschool than these obstacles. Their concerns over educational standards, the safety of school communities, and liberal narratives that are now pushed on children far outweigh the cost of money and time. Statistically, parents are now giving their children a better academic education than public schools can provide. At the same time, a homeschool environment has significantly produced a greater level of happiness, community, giving parents flexibility, and all while reducing the stress and unsafe conditions found in public schools. Lastly, liberal agendas have been unmasked to the extent that parents can no longer ignore them and are ready to fight for their children’s moral and ethical future. Whether a child becomes the next president of the United States like Thomas Jefferson did as he followed his father’s request not to neglect his education, or they become an entrepreneur or the next homeschool parent. Two fundamental truths will never change: First, education is the platform upon which each child will grow to success. Second, parental involvement will have the most significant effect on that child’s education than any other option, and more parents are now choosing to exercise that role.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

DiPerna, Paul, Andrew D. Catt, Michael Shaw, and EdChoice. 2019 Schooling in America: Public Opinion on K-12 Education, Busing, Technology, and School Choice. EdChoice. EdChoice, October 1, 2019. EdChoice. 111 Monument Circle Suite 2650, Indianapolis, IN 46204. Tel: 317-681-0745; e-mail: info@edchoice.org; Web site: http://www.edchoice.org. Accessed April 21, 2021. https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=shib&db=eric&AN=ED600665&site=eds-live&custid=s8455325.

Isenberg, Eric J. “What Have We Learned about Homeschooling?” Peabody Journal of Education 82, no. 2–3 (January 1, 2007): 387–409. Accessed April 21, 2021. https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=shib&db=eric&AN=EJ772374&site=eds-live&custid=s8455325.

Laura Genn Liberty University. “To Parents of Homeschoolers: You’re Doing It Right.” Intelligencer, The: Web Edition Articles (Doylestown, PA), July 24, 2015. Accessed April 17, 2021. https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=shib&db=edsnbk&AN=16748F26AD69A410&site=eds-live&custid=s8455325.

Merwins, Henry Childs. Thomas Jefferson. Vol. 5. The Riverside Biographical Series. Boston; New York; Chicago; Cambridge: Houghton Mifflin Company, The Riverside Press, 1901.

Payne, J Scott, and Jeff Allen. “ACT Composite Scores Among Homeschooled Students Trended Up from 2001 to 2019” (n.d.): 2.

Perrin, Christopher A. An Introduction to Classical Education: A Guide for Parents. Camp Hill, Penn.: Classical Academic Press, 2004.

Ray, Dr. Brian D. “Homeschooling: The Research, Scholarly Articles, Studies, Facts, Research.” National Home Education Research Institute. Last modified January 15, 2021. Accessed April 30, 2021. https://www.nheri.org/research-facts-on-homeschooling/.

Romanowski Michael H. “Revisiting the Common Myths about Homeschooling.” The Clearing House79, no. 3 (January 1, 2006): 125–129. Accessed May 3, 2021. https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=shib&db=edsjsr&AN=edsjsr.30182126&site=eds-live&custid=s8455325.

Thomas, Jesse. “Perspectives of Homeschoolers Motivated by Religious and Moral Reasons.” Journal of Research on Christian Education 28, no. 1 (January 2019): 21–42. Accessed April 21, 2021. https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=shib&db=eft&AN=136379809&site=eds-live&custid=s8455325.

“Classical Conversations.” Homeschool Curriculum. Classical Conversations. Accessed April 30, 2021. https://www.classicalconversations.com/.

“Failing Public Education.” Industrial heating. United States: BUSINESS NEWS PUBLISHING CO, 2018. Accessed April 17, 2021. https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=shib&db=edsbl&AN=RN617044583&site=eds-live&custid=s8455325.

“Find Your Homeschooling Method – Homeschool.Com.” Last modified January 16, 2018. Accessed May 3, 2021. https://www.homeschool.com/homeschooling-methods/.

“Homeschooling in the United States: Results from the 2012 and 2016 Parent and Family Involvement Survey (PFI-NHES:2012 and 2016).” National Center for Education Statistics, December 19, 2019. Last modified December 19, 2019. Accessed April 30, 2021. https://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2020001.

“Public Opinion Tracker Deep Dive: Let’s Zoom in on Homeschooling Opinion.” EdChoice. Last modified March 17, 2021. Accessed April 30, 2021. https://www.edchoice.org/engage/public-opinion-tracker-deep-dive-lets-zoom-in-on-homeschooling-opinion/.

“Schooling in America: Public Opinion on K–12 Education During the COVID-19 Pandemic.” EdChoice. Accessed April 30, 2021. https://www.edchoice.org/research/schooling-in-america-public-opinion-on-education-during-pandemic/.

“Standardized Testing: How Do Homeschoolers Measure Up?” Global Student Network, October 22, 2017. Accessed May 3, 2021. https://globalstudentnetwork.com/standardized-testing-homeschoolers-measure/.

“What Are the Benefits of Public School Over Homeschooling? | PublicSchoolReview.Com.” Public School Review. Accessed April 25, 2021. https://www.publicschoolreview.com/blog/what-are-the-benefits-of-public-school-over-homeschooling.