Homeschooling has taken off in recent years with more and more families opting to provide their children with customized, personalized education through the use of homeschooling as opposed to traditional schooling. There are numerous variations of homeschooling, and the choice to homeschool is wildly varied depending upon location, family lifestyle and financial background. The task of homeschooling parents is both daunting and rewarding, but this choice can have a lasting impact upon the lives of families and their children alike.
Within this article, we aim to better understand homeschooling, why it is becoming increasingly popular, and to estimate the current percent of children in America who are homeschooled.
What is Homeschooling?
Homeschooling is the practice of educating one’s children outside of traditional school systems. This can be performed in many ways, either by enrolled homeschooling academies, organized homeschooling programs, tutor-based instruction, contractor hired subject matter teachers, or independent homeschooling. Homeschooling is often seen as an appropriate alternative to traditional schooling due to the personalized and customizable nature of curriculum, the ability of parents to be more in control of day-to-day education, and the undeniable convenience of conducting classes in the home environment.
What are the Different Types of Homeschooling?
Previously we established simply what homeschooling is, but we have yet to explore the varied methods of homeschooling. Homeschooling can be enrolled and coordinated within a recognized homeschooling academy, such as the Calvert system, Seton’s Catholic Home School Academy, or other similar institutions.
The academy or school oversees curriculum and generally provides administrative guidance and feedback. Often, these schools are priced similarly to their traditional public schooling alternatives, but offer the flexibility and convenience of at-home classes and coursework. In addition, many loosely connected organized groups exist in many different regions of the United States.
This means that homeschooling families can join loosely interconnected groups of other homeschoolers in order to perform more collecive activities, gain access to resources, assess subject matter specialists, and cross-enroll children in larger classes and joint field trips. These organized programs exist in many different forms depending on the individual needs of each family in the region, and are often overseen by either a homeschooling organization or local religious institution.
Independent homeschooling is when parents assume the responsibilities of actually providing education to their children. This method of homeschooling is often seen as the most customizable and intense of the three options, as parents are now in charge of the entire process. Parents assume control of curriculum, assessment, recordkeeping, and act as both teacher and mentor within their home environment.
By every measure of control, independent homeschooling is the most difficult and rewarding of the three options available.
Why are Parents Considering Homeschooling?
The reasons why parents decide to homeschool their children are varied, but they generally relate to either the quality of public schooling or the lifestyle improvement that homeschooling can create. An ever increasing population is becoming aware of the inadequacies of the public school system in their locations. This can be due to overcrowding, disparities in resource accessibility for different economic backgrounds, or simply the inability of public school systems to provide appropriate education for their children.
As a result, many parents are turning to more personalized education solutions like homeschooling to provide better education for their children. Other families simply view homeschooling as a lifestyle shift that allows their children to remain immersed in a safe environment while they are learning.
Certain family travel lifestyles or work-from-home situations make homeschooling into a logical choice, as it allows these families to travel freely or pursue other objectives while still ensuring their children’s education is a priority.
What is the Current Percent of Children Being Homeschooled in the United States?
According to the United States Department of Education, the most recent data from the 2017-2018 academic year shows that 4% of children aged 5-17 in the United States were homeschooling.
This is a 0. 6% increase from the previous academic year and a steady increase that has been seen every year since the 2011-2012 academic year. The data collected also shows that the growth of homeschooling is most pronounced in the Midwest region of the United States, as well as the non-metro regions.
Interestingly, a larger proportion of non-metro homeschooled students had a traditional public schooling background. This data shows that although homeschooling still currently makes up a minority of the education market, there is a steady influx of families migrating to homeschooling education.
What are the Pros and Cons of Homeschooling?
Just like any other decision related to the education of one’s children, there are pros and cons to factor in when considering homeschooling as an option. Three of the big advantages of homeschooling are the customizable and personalized nature of curriculum, the intensive lifestyle shift that parents can make with their children, and the personalized feedback and 1-on-1 instruction that home-schooled children can experience.
Some of the cons to consider when weighing the possibility of homeschooling are the decreased socialization opportunities for children, the additional burden placed on parents to ensure that their children are properly educated, and the additional demands and pressures of taking on the additional responsibility of teaching. Ultimately, every family needs to consider their own lifestyle and background when deciding as to whether homeschooling is the right fit.
Are there Benefits to Homeschooling?
Despite the possible cons related to homeschooling, there are numerous benefits that children accrue through the process of being homeschooled. These benefits are often physical, mental, and even academic. Physically, homeschooled children often show improved reflexes due to the physical environment being a constant around them.
Mentally, homeschooled children have a better opportunity to learn self-discipline, since they are not in the environment of traditional schooling as much, but also can gain improved time-management skills since they are required to structure their schedule and organisation of coursework on their own. Lastly, the academic benefits to homeschooling are often the most quoted.
Studies have often reported on the academic growth of homeschooled children over traditional schooled children, and this has been attributed to the amount of individualized attention, the improved customized curriculum, and the lifestyle improvements that come about with homeschooling.
Conclusion
Homeschooling is a rapidly growing and ever-changing field. The reasons why parents choose to homeschool their children are highly varied and often come down to family lifestyle and the quality of available educational services. Today, the United States Department of Education estimates that
4% of all children aged 5-17 are currently homeschooled in the United States, and this marks a steady increase over the preceding school years. To weigh the choice of homeschooling, there are pros and cons associated with the decision, but also potential benefits that children can experience as a result.
Ultimately, each family needs to assess its individual needs when considering homeschooling as a possible alternative to traditional schooling.