Home Schooling in North America. Introduction: Overview. Chapter 1: The
Development of Public Education in the United States. Chapter 2: Concept of ...
Home Schooling in North America
Homeschooling in America. Is It For You?
John A Brownridge, Ed.D.
Home Schooling in North America
Introduction: Overview
Chapter 1: The Development of Public Education in the United States Chapter 2: Concept of Homeschooling as a Viable Alternative to Public Education Chapter 3: The Methods and Objectives of Homeschooling Chapter 4: Supportive Research for the Implementation of Homeschooling Chapter 5: Political, Philosophical, and Social Opposition to Homeschooling Chapter 6: Implications and Considerations for American Parents
Home Schooling in North America
Introduction Despite on-going debate and discussion about one approach to education or another, the very concept of education itself is nebulous, simplistic, and naïve in the minds of most people. Education is one of those areas that tends to generate heated debate everywhere, and whether one is a politician, a concerned parent, or a professional educator, the direction and focus of public and private education is relevant and important. Much of the discussion and disagreement, however, is futile and unproductive, because the participants tend to speak unwittingly at cross purposes. One person’s understanding of education can be woefully inadequate when viewed from the perspective of another. Although education is a concern to everyone, two groups of citizens are particularly involved - parents who seek the most effective education for their children and professional educators who claim to provide it. Sometimes a communication gap between the two groups can lead to misunderstandings on both sides. On the one hand, parents often fail to recognize that teachers have been exposed to a lengthy university and professional training program in order to become qualified educators. Teachers understand education thoroughly, and they tend to think and talk about it as a wide, encompassing concept. On the other hand, teachers may wrongly assume that parents are aware of all the intricate components of a full education, and they may expect them to be knowledgeable about current innovation and development. If information is not shared and discussed, misunderstanding, frustration, and dissatisfaction will inevitably result. From the beginning, education in the United States has been regarded as the foundation on which to build a competent, prosperous, and law-abiding nation. Founding fathers recognized that education of the whole person was required, and if societal goals were to be reached, the emerging system of public education had to address, not only intellectual and academic development, but physical, social, aesthetic, moral, and spiritual development as well. America’s prestigious international reputation and the many remarkable examples of American achievement, both at home and abroad, show that this approach to education over more than two hundred years has been an unqualified success. Inevitably, flaws and failures occurred in the early American public education system and from the very beginning, some, parents and educators, as well as a few political leaders, were opposed to the free and compulsory approach adopted by federal and state governments. Some parents, especially wealthy ones, argued their right to decide what kind of education was most appropriate for their children. For some, the choice was a prestigious, fee-paying private school, but others felt they
Home Schooling in North America could provide an adequate education for their own children at home, and the right to homeschooling became a reality. The choice of homeschooling over public education was made by relatively few parents, and that trend has continued to the present time. For many parents, it is a question of religious values. When children have been raised with certain moral standards and religious beliefs, some parents fear that these values would be lost or compromised in a public school setting. A home education can afford a superficial protection against that. Others simply want their children to receive intensive attention in a small, secure group – a luxury that seems to be impractical in a large school environment. But whatever the reason, parents who undertake to educate their children in a homeschooling situation must be able to prove to authorities that their teaching competence and knowledge of the state-approved curriculum are satisfactory. A great deal of research on the effectiveness of homeschooling has been done in recent years and, as expected, the advantages of such an approach to education are balanced by a number of serious drawbacks. Parents who have opted for homeschooling tend to speak enthusiastically about their success-oriented children and the benefits of one-to-one instruction. And indeed, the most recent research does support many of their claims. Professional educators, however, are concerned about social issues and the development of good citizenship. They fear that children who are isolated from their peers during their most impressionable years cannot learn to deal adequately with the values, beliefs, and convictions of others, and this seems to fly in the face of good citizenship which is at the very foundation of American education. Parents today have many things to consider when making decisions about the best education for their children. Homeschooling has certainly proved itself as a viable alternative to the public education system, despite some glaring deficiencies, and nobody can deny the problems faced by many public schools. There are advantages and drawbacks to both approaches to education, but ultimately, the personality, the aptitudes, and the inherent learning styles of the individual child must be taken into account. For most children, participation in the American public education system is the best choice; long experience has proved that. But there may be sound reasons for choosing the home education route for children with certain unusual or compelling needs. Concerned parents need to take all considerations into account when making serious decisions about their children’s education. The consequences of their choice will be far reaching, and the onus is upon them to make their decisions honestly and wisely and to be mindful of their children’s best interests rather than their own. Chapter One
Home Schooling in North America The Development of Public Education in the United States
