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Research Results
Academic findings
The academic effectiveness of home education is
largely a settled issue. Numerous studies have confirmed the academic
integrity of home education programs, demonstrating that on average,
home-educated students outperform their publicly-run school peers by 30 to
37 percentile points across all subjects. Moreover, the performance gaps
between minorities and gender that plague publicly-run schools are virtually
non-existent amongst home-educated students.
Some critics argue that while
home-educated students generally do extremely well on standardized tests,
such students are a self-selected group whose parents care strongly about
their education and would also do well in a conventional school environment.
Some opponents argue that parents with
little training in education are less effective in teaching. However, some
studies do indicate that parental income and education level affect
home-educated student performance on standardized tests very little.
Home-educated student curricula often
include many subjects not included in traditional curricula. Some colleges
find this an advantage in creating a more academically diverse
student body, and proponents argue this creates a more well-rounded and
self-sufficient adult. Increasingly, colleges are recruiting home-educated
students; many colleges accept
equivalency diplomas
as well as parent statements and portfolios of student work as admission
criteria; others also require
SATs or other
standardized tests. Some opponents argue that home education curricula
often exclude critical subjects and isolate the student from the rest of
society, or presents them with
ideological world views, especially religious ones.
The results of home education with
gifted and
learning-disabled children have not been as thoroughly studied.
Social findings
In 2003, the
National Home Education Research Institute (NHERI) conducted a survey of
over 7,300 U.S. adults who had been home-educated (over 5,000 for more than
seven years). Their findings included:
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Home-educated graduates are active and
involved in their communities. 71% participate in an ongoing community
service activity, like coaching a sports team,
volunteering at a school, or working with a church or neighborhood
association, compared with 37% of U.S. adults of similar ages from a
traditional education background.
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Home-educated graduates are more
involved in civic affairs and
vote in
much higher percentages than their peers. For example, 76% of surveyed
between the ages of 18 and 24 voted within the last five years, compared
with only 29% of the relevant U.S. population. The numbers of
home-educated graduates who vote are even greater in older age groups,
with voting levels not falling below 95%, compared with a high of 53%
for the corresponding U.S. populace.
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Of those adults who were
home-educated, 58.9% report that they are "very happy" with life
(compared with 27.6% for the general U.S. population). Moreover, 73.2%
of home schooled adults find life "exciting", compared with 47.3% of the
general population.[15]
The
Education Resources Information Center (ERIC), a U.S. government agency,
has published multiple articles on home education. Here are excerpts from
one which examined several studies on home-educated children socialization:
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According to the findings, children who
were educated at home "gained the necessary skills, knowledge, and
attitudes needed to function in society...at a rate similar to that of
conventionally schooled children."
and;
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The researcher found no difference in
the
self concept of children in the two groups, and maintains that
"insofar as self concept is a reflector of socialization, it would appear
that few home-schooled children are socially deprived, and that there may
be sufficient evidence to indicate that some home-schooled children have a
higher self concept than conventionally schooled children."
Proponents argue further that the social
environment of traditional schools:
and that socialization in the wider
community:
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leads them to see adults, rather than
peers, as
role
models,
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better prepares them for real life,
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encourages them to be more involved in
youth, church, and sports organizations,
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helps them develop an independent
understanding of themselves and their role in the world, with the freedom
to reject or approve conventional values without the risk of ridicule,
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teaches children to deal with a variety
of situations and people,
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still provides for interaction with
conventionally-educated children after school hours in their neighborhood
and in other after-school activities.
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