Pros and cons of main schooling options -- Homeschooling

[Skylark]

There were lots of questions and discussions on the benefits and downfalls of homeschooling vs other schooling options.

Recently I got interesting (and precise!) information from my education support group (private network of parents), where different people contributed the points to pros and cons of 3 of the main schooling options: homeschooling, co-op schooling and public or private schooling. And thought to share some of the relevant points, since it can be a help in determining what style will work the best for you and your child.

These are factors that people have encountered, or that could be involved with each of these methods.
Of course, no single situation will benefit from all the pros, or have to deal with all the cons. How much these factors apply also depends on your approach to that method, such as how you home school or which school your children attend. This list is more of  an aid in your evaluations, not an absolute guide to what will or won't happen.

You can look at the factors for the option you are considering, and use them to help you think of aspects you might not have considered, or ask yourself if it's likely that you and your children will encounter these various positives and negatives, and how you will deal with them.

HOMESCHOOLING

(Parents conduct their children's schooling either completely within, or based out of, their home. Homeschoolers can also take advantage of tutors, outside classes, virtual/online schools, etc.)

Pros:
•   Affords maximum flexibility: Schedules can be adapted to meet the needs of students and parents while curriculum and teaching methods can be customized according to each child's needs, interests, and learning style.
•   Homeschooled children often progress quickly if they receive sufficient attention and challenges.
•   Greater freedom to focus on nurturing a child's talents.
•   Can provide more practical learning experiences.
•   Promotes well-rounded development of the whole person: Christian life and faith ( if you are giving Christian based education, like us), character building, life skills, academics, etc.
•   Gifted students can advance more quickly through their studies without regard to age or grade grouping. (Great for those of us who do early learning!)
•   Can be beneficial for some students with certain learning difficulties if they have teachers who are experienced in this area and can give them specialized help and attention.
•   Parents and/or teachers know and understand each student personally.
•   Even if parents don't personally do the teaching, the teachers are people they know and trust.
•   Parents are more aware of their children's scholastic progress.
•   Parents can freely integrate their faith, values, and beliefs into their children's education.
•   Parents get to choose what their children learn.—And when, or at what age, they learn it.
•   Can create a close child/parent bond which is especially beneficial for younger children, and which lays a good foundation for the teen years.
•   Less exposure to negative attitudes and behavior.
•   Social issues/complications (dating, peer pressure, bullying, etc.) are minimized and/or easier to handle.
•   Students are not exposed to education that is contrary to their faith and lifestyle unless their parents choose to include it. Unwanted political, corporate, religious, psychological, or behavioral agendas can be removed from a child's education.
•   Home education can provide stability of teaching and curriculum progression regardless of travel or country of residence. (Great for those of us who travel and move a lot due to our work!)

Cons:
•   Requires time to research curriculums, plan classes, teach classes, correct work, monitor progress, and document education.
•   It can be challenging to keep up with the variety of different ages, grades, and curriculums that may be present in a family.
•   Parents may require further training and study in order to keep up with the needs of the students.
•   The quality of teaching—especially in the more challenging subjects—may sometimes be lower than what is available from some of the other schooling methods. (This is not always the case, of course. There are excellent homeschool teachers. And with great aids that are available these days, it does not have to be the case!)
•   Familiarity between the parents and students can create lacks in a student's self-discipline and behavior, and may contribute toward lowered expectations on the part of the parents.
•   Because it is mostly conducted at home there's more chance for the activity of daily life to affect the quality of education.
•   Quality educational materials may be rare, expensive, or difficult to obtain in some countries.
•   It's difficult for a homeschool setup to provide the facilities (such as science lab, gym, playground and library) that a traditional school may offer.
•   May lack the equipment and specialized teaching required for some special needs students.
•   An active social life, team sports, and organized P.E. can be a greater challenge to incorporate or afford.
•   Some children may feel bored or unchallenged due to being in the Home a good deal of the time.
•   Some children may lack in socialization skills, due to spending most of their time in familiar surroundings with familiar people.
•   For some countries and nationalities, homeschooling may not provide the official documentation a student could require for future employment, college attendance, legal work, etc.
•   Legal impediments could exist in countries where homeschooling is a novel concept, or where there isn't provision for alternate forms of education.

Things to consider:

•   Do you have a desire for homeschooling?
•   Do you believe that by homeschooling you will be providing your children with a better education than they would be able to receive through other available methods?
•   For those with students of high school age, do you feel capable of teaching the more advanced subjects at home? If not, do you have a plan for how you will meet this need?
•   Will you be able to put in the time needed to research, order, and plan curriculums, teach classes, correct work, and keep up with documenting the schooling?
•   Is there a well-rounded homeschool curriculum available in the language your students study in? If not, are there good textbooks and other resources you could use to assemble one?
•   Are there legal impediments to homeschooling in your country? Or governmental requirements you would need to be prepared to comply with, such as annual examinations?
•   Will homeschooled students in your country be able to obtain certification or documentation of their education? Will this documentation represent a good standard of education?
•   Will a homeschool education be sufficient to enable a student to get a job or attend college if he or she wishes to do so in the future?
•   Will you be able to provide a well-rounded education? Consider access to outings, sports, science equipment, local language learning, art, music, etc.
•   Will you be able to provide sufficient opportunities for socialization and fellowship?
•   Is there a homeschooling support group you could join?


I found these very helpful. I will try to post similar list for other two schooling methods tomorrow, and hope it will be a help to others as well.

I, personally, think that combination of Homeschooling and outside classes probably will work best for us in the future. Some of the main reasons: we travel and move a lot due to our International Work; our schooling will be done in the languages, which might not be native languages of the country we reside, so education in those languages might not be available; I will prefer to have a strong belief system in place (ie Creation rather then Evolution, faith principals, Bible study, prayer, etc.); I would want my girl to study on her own pace, do what she is capable for, and not be in a certain "grade" just because she is a certain age...

So these are just some thoughts. But I thought to share these points in hopes they will be helpful

[KL]

Great post! Some very interesting points there! K2U!

[Tanikit]

Thanks, its good to think of both the positive and negative aspects. Surprisingly they did not mention that one parent needs to be a stay at home parent which prevents a double income.

My husband and I have been looking seriously into homeschooling as we do not feel that public schools in this country are an option and private schools are incredibly expensive and on top of that I suspect that my daughter will be too far ahead even in a private school to get much value from all the money we will have to spend to send her there.

The more we look the more we find families who homeschool near where we live and they are very positive about it.

[Skylark]

That's great! Which country you are talking about? Just curious 

Good point about stay at home parent. In our work we were able to combine working and schooling, and quite a bit of travelling. But it does take a lot of planning for sure. And the parents that does most of the teaching, does have to dedicate a reasonable amount of time for planning and teaching.

Valid and important point!

[Skylark]

Co-op schooling

Here is another, albeit not so common schooling option. I've been in a few situations where I've seen it working, and when it does work, I must admit results can be impressive. However, there are also plenty of "cons" and "things to consider"


Parents send their children to a parent-run cooperative school, or pool resources between two or more Homeschooling families for the education of their children. This method can also include tutors, outside classes, virtual/online schools, etc.

Pros:
•   Most of the pros for homeschooling will apply.
•   Students may be more inspired to learn and study alongside their friends and peers, and can inspire each other to learn and make progress.
•   More social interaction for students.
•   Increased professionalism. (Providing the school maintains a good standard in structure, scheduling, organization, punctuality, etc.)
•   Teachers' time and efforts will benefit more children.
•   Teachers are able to focus more fully on teaching, if they are in a setting removed from daily home life.
•   Teachers can concentrate on one or two grades, rather than multiple grades simultaneously.
•   More possibility for assistance, camaraderie, and mentoring amongst teachers. This can improve the quality of teaching and aid in preventing burnout.
•   Children can benefit from more variety in teachers.
•   More materials and facilities may be available through participating families pooling their resources.
•   Less familiarity.

Cons:

•   Some of the cons to homeschooling will apply—especially those related to whether the outcome of a non-traditional education is sufficient to prepare a student for his or her chosen future.
•   Requires considerable manpower, resources, and commitment from the families involved.
•   Requires considerable communication and organization between families.
•   Commuting to and from school takes time, coordination, and resources.
•   Costs for things such as facilities, transportation, and meals, in addition to the usual educational needs.
•   The need for uniformity and organization can remove some of the flexibility and individuality that homeschooling enables.
•   Potential for lack of  some parental involvement in education.

Things to consider:

•   Is it an option in your situation? Is there a co-op families school in your city, or other Homeschooling families near enough who would want to co-op?
•   Will the school deliver? Are enough personnel available to manage and staff it efficiently? Will it stay solvent, keep good records, and provide good education?
•   Do you believe that this school will provide your children with a better education than they would be able to receive through other available methods? Is the educational standard higher or lower than what you'd find in a traditional school in your city?
•   Are there capable teachers available for each of the grades or groups involved?
•   Is your family committed to provide the finances required for participation, as well as to fulfill any other school-related obligations (such as homework, additional tutoring, contributing personnel, etc.)?
•   Will you be able to devote the needed time and attention to communication and coordination of school-related issues that arise?
•   Will you be able to have frequent communication with the teachers and school in order to stay involved with your children's education, and provide your children with the necessary parental support? (Those tutored and teached by other teachers in the co-op school)
•   Is commuting to and from the school each day practical and safe?
•   Unless the school is registered and approved, the educational activities at the school will probably still be considered homeschooling, legally speaking. In this case, the homeschooling considerations would apply: Are there legal impediments to homeschooling in your country? Or governmental requirements you would need to be prepared to comply with, such as annual examinations?
•   What are your children's opinions on attending this school? Are they happy with the idea of attending, or do they have another preference?
(Many of the "Things to Consider" list for homeschooling will also be relevant here.)

Hope it helps! I am sure there are more points, but these are the ones that were mentioned so far, and they make pretty comprehensive list.

[Skylark]

Some really interesting info here, I got it from the private newsnetwork, so was not sure about link, but thought to share it with everyone...

The most comprehensive survey of homeschoolers in America in more than a decade found a large gap between students educated at home and those educated in public institutions.

In the nationwide study conducted by Dr. Brian D. Ray of the National Home Education Research Institute, homeschoolers were found to have scored 34-39 percentile points higher than the norm on standardized achievement tests. The homeschool national average ranged from the 84th percentile for language, math, and social studies to the 89th percentile for reading, reported the Home School Legal Defense Association, which commissioned Ray to conduct the survey in 2007.

According to HSLDA, anecdotal evidence of homeschooling's success has been backed by multiple research studies. However, it has been at least 10 years since any major nationwide study of homeschooling was done.

During that time, the number of homeschooled children has grown from about 850,000 to approximately 1.5 million, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.

"Homeschooling is a rapidly growing, thriving education movement that is challenging the conventional wisdom about the best way to raise and educate the next generation," commented HSLDA president Michael Smith in his group's announcement of the study Monday.

For the new study, touted as "the most comprehensive study of homeschool academic achievement ever completed," Ray surveyed 11,739 homeschooled students from all 50 states, Guam, and Puerto Rico, and drew from 15 independent testing services.

Aside from the academic results, the study found that the achievement gaps common to public schools were not found in the homeschool community. Homeschooled boys (87th percentile) and girls (88th percentile) scored equally well; the income level of parents did not appreciably affect the results (household income under $35,000: 85th percentile--household income over $70,000: 89th percentile); and while parent education level did have some impact, even children whose parents did not have college degrees scored in the 83rd percentile, which is well above the national average for public school students.

Homeschooled children whose parents both had college degrees scored in the 90th percentile.

"These results validate the dedication of hundreds of thousands of homeschool parents who are giving their children the best education possible," commented Smith.

"Because of the one-on-one instruction homeschoolers receive, we are prepared academically to be productive and contributing members of today's society," he added.

According to the study, 82.4 percent of homeschooling parents identified themselves as Protestant Christian, 12.4 Roman Catholic, 1.1 percent atheist/agnostic, 0.8 percent Mormon, 0.4 percent Jewish, 0.2 percent Eastern Orthodox Christian, and 0.1 percent Muslim.

The vast majority (97.9 percent) of parents in the study was also married and had an average of 3.5 children compared to the general population's average of 2.0 children.

The title of the study is "Progress Report 2009: Homeschool Academic Achievement and Demographics."

[Tanikit]

These studies are interesting. I want to homeschool my daughter and I would also love to have more children - I've always wanted at least three, but that may not happen.

It is often presumed that homeschooled kids do better because of one on one attention by their parents - smaller "classes" = better education. But then later in that article they say things like "97.9 percent of parents were also married" - obviously it is much harder for single parents to homeschool. I wonder if they were all happily married - how much does a parents relationship and the stability in the home account for well educated children?

The same with religion - most homeschoolers seem to have a faith and even base their homeschooling on that faith. How much does this contribute?

And what other factors affect the success of the homeschooling? Do most of these parents think that education is extremely important? - I imagine so.

It just fascinates me what makes children academically as well as socially and emotionally mature. I think its a lot more complex than just one-on-one instruction.

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