As if we teachers didn't already realize it, more children are being taken out of public schools are are being home-schooled. For years parents were pulling their children out of schools because they wanted a more religious or moral education than was being offered in public schools. But in a recent survey a new reason has emerged why parents are choosing home-schooling: too much testing in public schools.
Really, what gave them that idea, the fact that it's in every newsletter we send home, it's on every school district website or is it that we are always sending home little hints and ideas on how to help your child test better. Is it because we talk about it at every conference we have with parents?
The 2007 survey by Education's National Center for Education Statistics added a seventh: an interest in a "nontraditional approach," a reference to parents, dubbed "unschoolers," who regard standard curriculum methods and standardized testing as counterproductive to a quality education. What a shock. You mean a parent who didn't take hours of education classes can figure out that we test children too much while our education leaders still think that the answer to improving education is to test more?
Good thing Barack Obama has appointed Arne Duncan, the former head of Chicago Public Schools who believes in one thing: testing and more testing. Yup, change we can believe in.
Some data:
The ranks of America's home-schooled children have continued a steady climb over the past five years, and new research suggests broader reasons for the appeal.
The number of home-schooled kids hit 1.5 million in 2007, up 74 percent from when the Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics started keeping track in 1999, and up 36 percent since 2003. The percentage of the school-age population that was home-schooled in-creased from 2.2 percent in 2003 to 2.9 percent in 2007.
The number of home-schooled kids hit 1.5 million in 2007, up 74 percent from when the Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics started keeping track in 1999, and up 36 percent since 2003. The percentage of the school-age population that was home-schooled in-creased from 2.2 percent in 2003 to 2.9 percent in 2007.
8 comments:
eh, i'm not so sure i'm all for this, unless they make these parents test etc..keeping ones child out of school to avoid things, is never the answer. plus would it not stunt the social growth? my son would hate to be home with mom all day, that's for sure!
i like charter schools as an alternative to public/private schools, but no i'm not sold on home schooling AT ALL!
There are pluses and minuses to doing it. Some parents really do a good job home-schooling others not so much. The parents that do a good/grat job are the ones who would be the great parents in a public school, they care about what their kids learn.
They do alot of socializing, many of them play sports. The tougher subjects, math, science, SS they often use certified teachers.
Charter schools are really tough to get started here in NashVegas, the state and school board make it very tough to get approved even though they have posted better, much better sometimes, than the public schools.
well i'd hate to see good teachers out of a job, because the kiddies are home with mom and or dad!!
i did forget about the "coming to public school" for gym etc...which makes no sense to me....just send them to school LOL!
i personally would not home school, i would not be good at it ;0
Your last sentence is the one every parent who wants to home-school needs to ask thmeselves, it's a lot harder than people think.
We started homeschooling last year and it is great. The amount of intangiables that are in school are too great to risk the future of the children.
MOM, A lot of people feel the exact same way.
I don't know much about this, but I think kids need that interaction with others...including other authority figures other then their parents....I knew a family that was home schooled and they were a little behind socially...They had to adjust a little when they got to college...I guess some of that is on the parents too. Great topic.
Awesome answer Beeze, i have to agree!!
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