10 Reasons that Homeschooling Works! Homeschool Families.com

In a study done with 5,402 students in over 1,657 families, home schooled students scored significantly better than the average public schooled student–even when the state did not highly regulate home schooling or where neither parent was a certified teacher. With learning disabled students it has been shown that greater academic progress is made even where the parents had no special education training. In study after study, in every area, home schooled students fair as well as if not better than their publicly educated peers. There’s no doubt about it, home schooling works! Why?

1. Many early pioneers of public education thought that children learned best in natural environments. There was never a sense among researcher that children, especially young ones, should sit at a desk and do worksheets. Education at home, lends itself to this “natural environment.”

2. It takes less time to school one student than it does several, thus allowing for more in-depth study. Classroom teachers must teach so that their students master the concept. This usually means that they have to introduce the lesson, provide several activities to reinforce the concept (over the course of several days) plus evaluate whether or not all of the students grasped the concept and re-teach as necessary. Because there is only one student, the parent is able to easily see whether or not the concept is grasped and then move on.

3. Students get to talk more at home. Homeschooled students get to discuss ideas and have concepts constantly reinforced. For example, I recently read a book to my daughter about archaeology. Then we later that day found a fossil. We hadn’t read about it but it was related so we discussed fossils and paleontology. This kind of learning is natural, and happens consistently for home schooled students.

4. Students never fall behind. If there is an area in which a student struggles, the home schooling parent just keeps hammering away at it. The student is not made to feel badly, but just keeps working on the skill, and thus is able to build confidence in the absence of peer pressure.

5. Parents have a unique vested interest in their own child’s education. A parent that schools is likely to work harder on behalf of the child than a teacher–even a fantastic teacher.

6. One on one is the best way to educate students. This is why there is a push towards tutoring in schools.

7. Children are often allowed to study what they’re interested in. Research shows, that intrinsic interest in a subject is a strong indicator of academic success. In a school setting, the teacher tries to create interest in mandated subjects.
8. No one slips through the cracks. An attentive parent is not going to miss a child who reverses letters, or can’t see the black board.

9. Homeschoolers have better access to a variety of resources by “real experts.” For example, many home schooling families take advantage of things like museums and concerts performed by professionals.

10. Homeschooled students can have more “real life” experiences. Whether this be field trips or internships, the greater flexibility allows for a varied and rich experiences.