Learning at Home

▪ 2000

       Once considered an exotic novelty reserved for such groups as religious fundamentalists, foreign service families, and touring musicians, home schooling in the United States by 1999 was enrolling more than 1,500,000 students, up from an estimated 12,500 in 1978. In the 12 states with the most accurate counts, home schoolers totaled 1.5% of the elementary- and secondary-school students.

      The reasons for this rapid growth varied, but all focused on perceived deficiencies in traditional education. From one family: “We originally decided to homeschool because we felt that our public school was not providing an adequate education for our 2nd-grade daughter. As a well-behaved, quiet, passive child, she was used often as a buffer between disruptive children. Also, our daughter seemed to be ignored most of the time, while undisciplined children received most of the attention from the harried teacher. The class was chaotic, loud, and unproductive.” Others cited a lack of emphasis on teaching moral and ethical behavior, the threat of violence in the schools, and ineffectiveness in dealing with both learning-disabled and highly gifted children.

      Critics of home schooling contended that it did not adequately prepare students academically and socially. By 1998 only 37 states had statutes that set standards for home schooling. Home-school advocates, however, pointed to an average score of 23 by their students on the American College Testing Program (ACT) test, compared with 21 for those who were educated traditionally. Although some parents handled all of the teaching of their children, many others enlisted outside help for particular subjects, especially at the high-school level. Those with computers were able to benefit from the wide variety of educational software that had become available as well as the resources provided by the Internet. Also, some communities and schools were allowing home schoolers to use their libraries and computers. In regard to socialization, many home schoolers engaged in Boy or Girl Scouts, organized sports, and church and community activities. There was even an annual Not Back to School Camp, held in Oregon during the late summer. Each year more than 150 students arrived at the camp to attend lectures and workshops and share their learning-at-home experiences.

      Many parents who attempted home schooling found the task too difficult, especially those with children at each end of the learning spectrum, and they eventually gave up. The success achieved by others, however, made it likely that increasing numbers of families would be setting up classrooms in their homes.

David R. Calhoun

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