As you probably have
read in my blog before, we have decided that we want to homeschool when we start a family. For a month or so (when I had done what I could for the wedding and was just waiting on time to pass), I spent a LOT of time online researching the various homeschool methods, reading families' experiences, and exploring curriculums. Yeah, it will be quite some time before we have children old enough to homeschool, but I actually really enjoy that type of research and had a lot of fun figuring out what might be my approach in the future. When Peter Kim emailed me about a data visualization about homeschool that his team had created, I honestly felt like it didn't apply to me, seeing as we haven't even gotten married yet! But then I clicked on it.... and I was fascinated! I thought I would share it for anyone else interested!
Disclaimer: Please know that I'm not posting this to bash other types of schooling.... I merely find the success of homeschooling really fascinating and exciting. If we had the money, we would have seriously considered parochial school as an option, so I'm not shaking my fists saying all parents need to homeschool :).
Created by:
College At Home
What a great graphic! We are strongly leaning toward homeschooling too!
ReplyDeleteI would expect homeschooling rates to be higher. Not necessarily because public schools are incompetent, but because 100% of homeschooled kids have parents who are very invested in their educational success (they HAVE to be, if they're devoting their entire days to it) whereas ANY kid goes to public school. So all the kids who have rough home lives or are neglected or whose parents aren't that invested in their education or don't see the value in it, they're going to drag down the numbers for everyone.
ReplyDeleteI think there are pretty clear pros and cons to both and don't have a particularly strong preference for my own family (so we'd be basing it on what fits our lifestyle, not on what we think is best or most effective because in that sense I'm fine with either) but I definitely think the population sampled is going to be skewed because public school encompasses every student. I certainly had a different public school experience because of Mom and Dad than, for instance, most of my clients have.
I'm excited to read about the different types of homeschooling as you decide what fits best for your family, because it's definitely something I have no knowledge about. I do know that a ton of girls at Converse had been homeschooled and you would never know it from how they were socially. They weren't at all awkward or naive, and they blew that stereotype right out of my 18-year-old mind! If anything, they were just more focused and less rebellious than the rest of us. More modest, etc. As a teen I enjoyed getting out my rebellious-ish years, but as a parent, I can definitely see the appeal of seeing that type of kid as a product of homeschooling!! (And I'm friends with some of them on FB...they seem to have remained consistent in the way they live, etc. Like they never went crazy and rebelled or anything like that. They have happy, stable lives.)
Rachel, I agree that it's somewhat skewed, but I found it fascinating because there is a school (no pun intended) of thought out there that a parent without an education degree can't possibly teach their child the same or better as they could learn in a school. So this was sort of nice to see. But I see what you're saying too.
ReplyDeleteIf you knew ands saw what they teach 11 yr old middle school kids in health class your homeschooling decision would be a sure thing!
ReplyDeleteI am your newest follower..pls follow back if you can.
I agree with Rachel. Student success is all about parent involvement, no matter where they're being educated.
ReplyDeleteI have a major problem with the national average percentile scores. It's a flawed graph. OF COURSE the kids in schools rank, on average, in the 50th percentile - THEY ARE THE STANDARD BY WHICH THE PERCENTILES ARE BASED.
Also, I have a problem with saying that the graduation rates are stagnant. There is certain percentage of the population who doesn't succeed. This is just fact. And it is based largely on - SURPRISE! - parental involvement. When trying to get these students to graduate (I have some very unfortunate experience with this) you're faced with two choices: you can allow them to fail, or you can lower the standards so that they make the grade to get their piece of paper.
And let's not forget those very-very challenging kids, who are severely disabled, developmentally delayed, heavily medicated, in & out of juvenile detention, struggling with serious psychological & physiological challenges - - those kids are counted in the statistics. They count toward a school's performance, and are lumped in with all the others in the statistics.
In short, the statistics are skewed, and ignoring the incredibly important factor of parental involvement makes this graph - while inspiring for homeschooling families - very biased, and not terribly accurate.
:-) Sorry, Stacy. I know you'll be a great homeschooling mom, but the egregious bias against the public school system offends me.
I'm a product of public school and not anti public school at all. When I'm not in the car, I will give you the email of the creator. I think he would really appreciate your feedback!!! If the info is biased, or even just plain wrong, it definitely should be re-evaluated.... No sense in incorrect info.
DeleteSorry, I know YOU aren't anti public school. But the graphic is. I'm sure the creator is aware of the inaccuracies. There's a reason that marketing works: because at its most basic level it's propaganda. Twisting the facts serves to their benefit.
DeleteDo you mind if I share your comments w/ him via email? He asked for feedback when I told him I was going to post it.
DeleteThis is really interesting. One thing I like about homeschooling is some kids have "graduated high school" at 16 and from 16-18 they take a few community college courses a semester before they start college. I just thought that was a great idea/use of time and can save money and help them get adjusted to college life early.
ReplyDeleteBut I agree with what everyone else said that parent involvement is key. If these "homeschooled students" went to public school I'm sure they would have done just as well because their parents are involved in their education. I can say as a public school student there were TONS of times my mom had to teach/reteach me something that I didn't understand or was taught poorly.
I go back and forth between homeschooling and sending my kids to public/private schools. Part of me thinks it would be good but part of me freaks out and thinks i'll go crazy. A lot of it will depend on what kind of jobs I and my husband have when the time comes. I have plenty of time to worry about this though :)