Effects of Homeschooling on Children

Effects of Homeschooling on Children

Jason Tuggle, Maddie Fountain, Lyndsey Antos, Sabre Henderson, Daniel Spurlock, and Maya Thomas

Cons

PROS

INTRODUCTION

Conclusion

Homeschooling is a multifaceted issue.

According to the U.S. Department of Education, roughly 1,770,000, or 3.4% of students are homeschooled in the United States, and the rate in at which children are becoming homeschooled is rapidly increasing each year.

Even when you look at medical health, mental health, and academics in more detail, many potential pros and cons present themselves.

Parents who Homeschool Children Underestimate the Burdens of Educating

Homeschooled Children are at Higher Risk for Illness

Homeschooled Children Preform Better

on Standardized Tests

Since the last report taken in 2007, almost 300,000 more children are being taken out of the classroom and taught in a home setting.

Homeschooled Children Have Healthier Diets

95% of parents who homeschool their children believe that education about vaccines is important. (Thorpe, 2012).

50%-70% of parents who homeschool their children create their own curriculum instead of purchasing pre-made curricula. (Abell, 2002)

Parents who are considering homeschooling their children should think carefully about what aspects of education that they believe is most important. "What can my child gain? What can they lose?"

By taking a deeper look into the social, environmental, and educational aspects of homeschooling, we will have a better understanding of the positives and negatives that can be brought to the table.

Only 38% of parents who homeschool their children reported that their children were fully vaccinated.

Homeschooled children performed in the 75th to 85th percentile range for their grade level on national tests. (Rudner, 1999)

Parents who choose to homeschool their children still need to meet the educational standards of the state, but are often not held accountable. (Glanzer, 2008)

Homeschooled children consume less calories, trans-fats, sugars, and sodium than traditionally schooled children. (Cardel, 2014)

At the end of the day, parents must decide which path is best for their child.

Some pediatricians will refuse service to families who do not vaccinate their children, due to the high risk they pose to other infants, newborns, and immunosuppressed children in the facility. (Block, 2015).

Homeschooled children whose parents had a college degree performed better than those whose parents did not have a college degree.

Parents must determine how to instill autonomy in their child, which could be difficult when the parent is constantly present.

Homeschooled children consume more fiber, fruits, and vegetables than traditionally schooled children.

Many parents struggle to teach critical thinking skills, and to keep their children engaged.

Abstract

Homeschooled children performed an average of one grade level ahead of private school peers.

Homeschooled children had less trunk fat, lower fat mass, and lower BMI than traditionally schooled children.

Measles (preventable with the MMR vaccine), is highly contagious and can cause brain swelling (and in turn, brain damage), blindness, miscarriage in pregnant women, and death. (WHO, 2015).

References

Homeschooled children performed an average of two grade levels ahead of public school peers.

Abell, D. (2002). Homeschooling: An overview. Occasional Research Paper Series, 5. Retrieved from http://irapp.moreheadstate.edu/cerl/orp/

Block, S. (2015). The pediatrician's delimma: Refusing the refusers of infant vaccines. Journal of Law, Medicine, & Ethics, 43(3), 648-653.

Cardel, M., Willig, A.L., Dulin-Keita, A., Casazza, K., Cherrington, A., Gunnarsdottir, T., … Fernández, J.R. (2014). Home-schooled children are thinner, leaner, and report better diets relative to traditionally schooled children. Obesity, 22, 497-503. doi:10.1002/oby.20610

Glanzer, P. L. (2008). Rethinking the boundaries and burdens of parental authority over education: A response to Rob Reich’s case study of homeschooling. Educational Theory, 58(1), 1-16. doi:10.1111/j.1741-5446.2007.00272.x

Is homeschooling right for your child? (n.d.) Retrieved from http://www.educationcorner.com/is-homeschooling-right-for-you.html

Research on homeschooling investigates many constructs and spans a variety of fields. We have chosen to take a closer look into both the pros and cons of homeschooling, particularly in regards to medical health, mental health, and academics.

Homeschooled Children Have Insufficient Social Skills

On one side, it has been found that homeschooled children have healthier diets, are more emotionally stable, and preform better on standardized tests.

References

While homeschooled children have functioning social skills, they simply do not match up to other students who are not homeschooled. (Abell, 2002)

Homeschooled Children Are More Emotionally Stable

However, it has also been found that homeschooled children are at higher risk for illness and have insufficient social skills; additionally, parents who choose to homeschool their children often underestimate the burdens of teaching.

Murphy, J. (2014). The social and educational outcomes of homeschooling. Sociological Spectrum, 34(3), 244-272. doi:10.1080/02732173.2014.895640

Rudner, L. M. (1999). Scholastic achievement and demographic characteristics of home school students in 1998. Education Policy Analysis Archives, 7(8).

Smith, J.M. (2013). U.S. Department of Education: Homeschooling continues to grow! Retrieved from https://www.hslda.org/docs/news/2013/201309030.asp

Thorpe, E. L., Zimmerman, R. K., Steinhart, J. D., Lewis, K. N., & Michaels, M. G. (2012). Homeschooling parents’ practices and beliefs about childhood immunizations. Vaccine, 30(6), 1149-1153. doi:10.1016/j.vaccine.2011.12.019

World Health Organization (2015). Measles. Retrieved from http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs286/en/

Homeschooled children are not generally exposed to peer pressure, and so do not know how to handle it effectively. This can result in them being unable to stand up for themselves and make them more likely to be taken advantage of.

Homeschooled children tend to have equally, if not better, developed self-concepts than traditionally schooled students. (Murphy, 2014)

SUBTOPICS

Homeschooled children do not tend to suffer from low self-esteem, and are generally emotionally stable.

Homeschooled children are less peer-oriented. They have a harder time relating to others in their own peer group.

*Medical Health

*Mental Health

*Academics

Homeschooled children do not have to worry about "fitting in", peer pressure, bullying, or competition (educationcorner.com)

Homeschooled children can struggle to handle other cultures (and sometimes even typical life outside their home) if their parents failed to expose them to other cultures

Homeschooled children display less destructive behavior than public school kids.