Why Homeschool

1. Why Homeschool A Special Presentation Produced by Chef of Lafayette January 2007

2. Why Homeschool There are many questions today about homeschooling. Here are two key ones: • First: How do homeschool students score on standardized tests • Compared to Public School students of similar socio-economic background • Second: What about Socialization • Also, some Homeschool Tips

3. How do Home School Students Score? • One of the first questions Prospective Home School Parents ask is: • How do Home School Students Score on Nationally Standardized Tests? • Studies over the past 15 years have found answers to these questions. • Let’s compare home school student scores with those of Public School Students

4. How do Home School Students Score? • We’ll compare standardized test score results of Public School Students with similar test results for Home School Students • We’ll look at K-12 results for Reading, Language, Math, Science and Social Studies • And see if we can make any conclusions • We’ll start with Reading

5. How do Home School Students Score? Reading

6. How do Home School Students Score? Reading & Writing

7. How do Home School Students Score? Reading, Writing, Arithmetic

8. How do Home School Students Score? 3 Rs Plus Science

9. How do Home School Students Score? 3 Rs plus Science & Social Studies

10. Home School Students Score 80-87 Percentile in all subjects: Very High Scores withMinimal subject variation

11. How do Home School Students Score? 3 Rs plus Science & Social Studies • The overall results are remarkable • Home school students score at the 80th percentile level or above on standardized tests nationwide • Far above the national average • But you might say that homeschool parents are possibly above average in academic training, or contain mostly smarter family units. • So, let’s compare home school students in families of similar academic background

12. How do Home School Students Score: What about the Parents • Studies on Public School Students show that the Education Level of the parents of such public School Students is very important • Generally, the higher the education level of the parents, the better the performance of the student, in Public Schools. • Remember, this is for Public School Students and their parents.

13. How do Public School Students Score: What about the Parents • We will first examine the results of Public School students whose parents have four different levels of education: • Parents who have some High School • Parents who are High School grads • Parents who have some College • Parents who are college grads.

14. How do Public School Students Score: What about the Parents-Public School

15. How do Public School Students Score: What about the Parents-Public School

16. How do Public School Students Score: What about the Parents-Public School

17. How do Public School Students Score: What about the Parents-Public School

18. How do Public School Students Score: What about the Parents-Public School

19. How do Public School Students Score: What about the Parents-Public School

20. How do Public School Students Score: What about the Parents-Public School

21. How do Public School Students Score: What about the Parents-Public School

22. How do Public School Students Score: What about the Parents-Public School

23. How do Public School Students Score: What about the Parents-Public School

24. Public School Student Scores and Parent’s Education Level • A few Key conclusions • For Public School Students, the education level of the parents is a relatively accurate predictor of the results of the average public school student • The greater the level of education of the parents, the higher the average level of academic result of the public school student

25. Compare: Student Results by Parental Education Level-Public vs. Home School • Next, we will compare the results of Public School Students at each educational level • With Home School Students who had parents at the same educational level • Then make a few conclusions

26. Compare: Student Results by Parental Education Level-Public vs. Home School

27. Compare: Student Results by Parental Education Level-Public vs. Home School

28. Compare: Student Results by Parental Education Level-Public vs. Home School

29. Compare: Student Results by Parental Education Level-Public vs. Home School

30. How do Public School Students Score: What about the Parents-Public School

31. Compare: Student Results by Parental Education Level-Public vs. Home School

32. Compare: Student Results by Parental Education Level-Public vs. Home School • Key conclusions • For the Average Public School Student, the parent’s education level is a relatively accurate predictor of academic results. • The Higher the level of the parent’s level of education, the higher the average scores for public school students

33. Compare: Student Results by Parental Education Level-Public vs. Home School • Key conclusions • For the average home educated student, the parent’s level of education is not an accurate predictor of the student’s results • The average home school student scores at or near the 83.5 percentile, regardless of the level of education of the parents.

34. What about Socialization, Special Interests and Enrichment Activities? • Research has found that most homeschool students • are involved in a wide variety of outside activities, • interact with a broad spectrum of people, and • make positive contributions to their communities.

35. What about Socialization, Special Interests and Enrichment Activities? • What about Socialization in our present public schools? • “We’ve got a whole lot of falsehoods associated with schooling,” says Gary Knowles, a University of Toronto researcher. … We have … weird rites of passage that are quite dysfunctional”

36. What about Socialization, Special Interests and Enrichment Activities? The report continues: • “Knowles has found home schoolers to be more self-reliant and focused. ‘They’re able to move into adulthood with a much better sense of self and have a very good sense of what they want to do,’ he said.”

37. What about Socialization, Special Interests and Enrichment Activities? The report continues: “Where did we ever get the idea that 2,000 13-year olds were the ideal people with which to socialize other 13-year olds?”

38. What about Socialization, Special Interests and Enrichment Activities? • This is a question I would pose to all here: • What is the best social group for Junior High Students? • Is it other Junior High Students?

39. What about Socialization, Special Interests and Enrichment Activities? • Brown Alumni Magazine, “Homeschooling comes of Age,” January/February 2002: • “Homeschoolers are the epitome of Brown students,” says Dean Joyce Reed. “They are self-directed, they take risks, and they don’t back off.”

40. What about Socialization, Special Interests and Enrichment Activities? • “My parents decided to homeschool me because I had speech problems, and they didn’t want to expose me to the teasing of school children. They taught me from kindergarten through 12th grade. I loved my “school” experience, and I don’t believe I ever wanted to attend a traditional school, public or private. It gave me the opportunity to truly grow up with my 3 siblings.

41. What about Socialization, Special Interests and Enrichment Activities? • “And I was involved in many activities, including 4-H, Awana, Bible club, and volunteering at a local hospital. Today as a 2002 college graduate … I already have a job as a full time accountant. Looking back on my schooling experience, I was definitely prepared for college—emotionally, spiritually, and mentally. • Carrie Ireland

42. What about Socialization, Special Interests and Enrichment Activities? • How do you measure the success of “socialization”? • By Academic success? • By civic involvement? • By lifestyle choices? • Or by just plain happiness? • Let’s look at all 4.

43. Socialization and Academics • One result of successful socialization should be academic success. • A well-adjusted child should tend to have more academic success than otherwise. • Note that when we set forth a “tendency”, this does not always mean the correlation exists in every instance, simply that there is a tendency. • This should be indicated in overall statistics, but not necessarily in every individual.

44. Socialization and Academics • We have already reviewed the remarkable academic results of home schoolers in high school, but what about college? • Recent results of nationwide surveys provide interesting insights.

45. Socialization and Academics

46. Socialization and Academics

47. Socialization and Academics

48. Socialization and Academics

49. Socialization • To the extent that socialization is related to Academics, it would be fair to say that Home School students are well-adjusted • What about other areas of “socialization” • Civic Involvement • Lifestyle choices • Overall Happiness

50. Socialization and Civic Involvement