Homeschooling - a Growing Alternative.

Homeschooling: A Growing Alternative.

Many parents today are assuming personal responsibility of their child’s education by choosing to home school, a growing alternative to public schooling. Across the United States, there has been an increase in the number of families who choose to school their children in the privacy of their own homes. Some parents withdraw their children or perhaps never elected to enroll them in public schools that were once considered the norm; reasons vary from safety, religious, moral issues to assuring their child receives a more personal approach to teaching. Regardless of the reason, homeschooled students are statistically outperforming their public school peers through advancing in academics.

Academically, the performances of home school students are the most impregnable aspect of their education. According to a study by the National Home Education Research Institute in 1997, on average, homeschooled students from Kindergarten through twelfth grade outperformed their public school peers by 30 to 37 percent across all subjects (Ray). Almost as surprising as the study by the Oregon Department of Education in 1998, which later issued statistics proving that there was no statistical difference between the academic proficiency of a child taught by state-certified teachers and those students taught by parents without a teacher’s certification (Swanson). Obviously, homeschooling has its academic advantages not to mention that similar studies also show no significant difference in the academic performance of students who live in various states who have rigorous homeschooling regulations as opposed to students who live in various states that have little or no homeschooling regulations. Even with major state regulations homeschooling shows no sign of statistic inconsistency.

There are various reasons for why parents do not want to send their children to a public school. According to the Department Of Education, the environments in schools are one of the major reasons parents elected to educate their children at home (ED) This includes such factors as safety, drugs and the effects of peer pressure. The academic environment of schools is no longer seen as safe and secure. Students now are faced with having to deal with social issues such as drug use, sexual promiscuity, peer pressure and violence.

Public schools have been inundated with an increase in violence on school property. The media, locally and nationally, are filled with stories of bomb threats, gang related fights, shooting and other acts of violence occurring at schools across America. One of the deadliest shooting in United States history occurred at Columbine High School in 1999, leaving fifteen people dead. In an attempt to insure the safety of their students, many local school boards have equipped schools with metal detectors and surveillance cameras. Some school systems have also opted to hire security guards as a preventative measure to reduce violent related crimes in our schools. Even with their best efforts school boards are unable to diminish fear and to assure parents and students alike that schools are safe to attend. The home is one institution that can provide this security.

Religious beliefs, morals and values are also reasons given for parents taking a non-traditional approach to education. The removal of prayer and God from public view in our schools has concerned many parents nationwide. The liberal media has only given us half of the story. The fact is that over 80% of Americans believe in God and many are outraged at the rejection of God from our schools. The result of this rejection of God has been seen in the lack of morals and values in our young people. Any thing goes from condoms to alternative life styles and teaching third graders sex education. The only choice parents seem to have is to remove their children from the public school system. Many parents see the increase in crimes and other social issues as a result of biblical principles being taken out of the textbooks and classroom. By instructing their children within the boundaries of their own homes, parents can insure their child’s morals, values