Homeschool vs. Public School
Final Essay
Home Schooling: From Home to Harvard
We 're all familiar with the popular images of homeschoolers in America: Extreme fundamentalist families shutting out all other points of view. These stereotypes are touted freely by the popular media and conventional schooling experts alike. But they have little to do with the realities of homeschooling for most families today, and are rarely backed by factual data. The average home-schooled student scored “81 points higher on the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) than did the general population in 2000”. (Winters) At the National Spelling Bee in 2000, the top three winners were home-schooled. Studies show that, “home-schooled children also tend to score higher on basic skills testing than do public school children”. (Winters) According to the Wall Street Journal, “Evidence is mounting that homeschooling, once confined to the political and religious fringe, has achieved results not only on par with public education, but in some ways surpassing it.” (Reider) However, one subject continues to surface whenever the issue of home schooling arises. Public school administrators, teachers, and parents are all concerned about whether home schooling can be considered a good process of education. Therefore, I intend to prove that home-schooled children are properly socialized, fully educated and college admissions increasing acceptance rates of home schooled applicants prove that they’re prepared for the next level of education.
Supporters of public schools maintain that public school students learn to work well with others, including those of differing backgrounds, and that they can achieve greater independence by attending public school. Negotiating the communal spaces of schoolyard, classroom, athletic field, and laboratory prepares them for “real world” experiences, they contend. Critics of home schooling believe that home-schooled children miss out on these important opportunities. Without the chance to interact with
Home Schooling: From Home to Harvard
We 're all familiar with the popular images of homeschoolers in America: Extreme fundamentalist families shutting out all other points of view. These stereotypes are touted freely by the popular media and conventional schooling experts alike. But they have little to do with the realities of homeschooling for most families today, and are rarely backed by factual data. The average home-schooled student scored “81 points higher on the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) than did the general population in 2000”. (Winters) At the National Spelling Bee in 2000, the top three winners were home-schooled. Studies show that, “home-schooled children also tend to score higher on basic skills testing than do public school children”. (Winters) According to the Wall Street Journal, “Evidence is mounting that homeschooling, once confined to the political and religious fringe, has achieved results not only on par with public education, but in some ways surpassing it.” (Reider) However, one subject continues to surface whenever the issue of home schooling arises. Public school administrators, teachers, and parents are all concerned about whether home schooling can be considered a good process of education. Therefore, I intend to prove that home-schooled children are properly socialized, fully educated and college admissions increasing acceptance rates of home schooled applicants prove that they’re prepared for the next level of education.
Supporters of public schools maintain that public school students learn to work well with others, including those of differing backgrounds, and that they can achieve greater independence by attending public school. Negotiating the communal spaces of schoolyard, classroom, athletic field, and laboratory prepares them for “real world” experiences, they contend. Critics of home schooling believe that home-schooled children miss out on these important opportunities. Without the chance to interact with
Cited: Cogan, Michael F. “Exploring Academic Outcomes of Homeschooled Students” Journal of College Admission. 208. Dec. 2010 p. 18 Gaither, Milton “Home schooling goes mainstream” Education Next Reider, John , Stanford 's senior associate director of admissions, as quoted by Daniel Golden, The Wall Street Journal, Feb 11, 2000, pg. 1 Daniel Golden, The Wall Street Journal, Feb 11, 2000, pg