Homeschooling Statistics

Every child has the right to get education. Proper education molds children to become responsible citizens of tomorrow, who are aware about their duties and rights. In the US, besides public schools or private schools, there is a relatively less common system of education, that is the homeschooling. There have been intense debate about the effectiveness of normal schools and homeschooling. Time and again, stats related to this form of schooling have provided well-researched documents proving the efficacy of this method of imparting education. However, supporters of public/private schools have their own logic and arguments. The stats are surveyed by reputed statistics organizations and presented before public. These stats present information about advantages of homeschooling that help parents decide the way of teaching that is best for their children.

Vital Stats on Homeschooling in America
The statistics presented here have been picked from various sources, notably from the data available through homeschooling researcher, Dr. Brian Ray of NHERI (National Home Education Research Institute) and famed HSLDA (Home School Legal Defense Association), an organization for homeschooling supporters.

• There are approximately 2 million homeschooling children in the US (2008 - 2009 data).
• An estimated 1.5 to 2 million students studying in this form of education, in 2008 - 2009 are from standard K to 12.
• 15% of Non-Hispanic population is homeschooling their children.
• When scaled on a demographic map, homeschooling parents are from a variety of families and income levels including PhDs, atheists, low, high and middle income families.
• Near about US$ 50,000 is the income level of a homeschooling family.
• Almost 74% of homeschooled children have gone to colleges as compared to 44% of general population.
• 71% of homeschooled children have been found to be involved in at least one community service as compared to 37% of general population.

Benefits of Recording Homeschooling Data
Contrary to the popular belief that homeschooling is a choice of extremist parents or a fanatic approach towards education and schools, it has somewhat gained recognition, as now there are more parents opting for home schooling. This has become a popular trend in the educational system of the US, thanks to various researches and statistics that have highlighted the benefits of this relatively emerging trend in educational system of US. Nonetheless, those who believe homeschooling to be futile for the growth and future of children have their own views. Here we will skip the ongoing debate between the two schools of thought and we'll check out some benefits of this concept, that its supporters proclaim proudly.

• Many supporters believe that the most positive factor for homeschooling children is that they get individual attention of the teacher, whereas in classrooms the attention is divided among many students, often averaging more than the national average of student teacher ratio in the US.
• Flexibility in syllabus and management is much easier in this form of education. While a school teacher is restricted to complete the syllabus in stipulated time, irrespective of the fact whether students have actually grasped the concept properly, a homeschool teacher proceeds at the student's pace and is much more aware of the child's abilities.
• As per the intelligence level of the child, a homeschooling teacher is able to chalk out a strategy for addressing various issues of the child, without being concerned about others students waiting in the line. He concentrates on one student that improves the scope of better teacher-student interaction, a factor much missed in public/private schools. In schools, students weak in some subjects may lag behind due to fast completion of courses and time-bound schedule. This is a striking disparity in two forms of schooling.
• It is fun as the child can be taught as per the parents time schedule, and parents can be in total control of his studies, knowing what the child needs to be taught.
• For those parents, who have to travel extensively for weeks/months to foreign countries around US, homeschooling imparts much-needed liberty. The child can pack his textbooks and fly with his parents!
• Its students generally have no enforced rules and strict supervision to complete their homework or assignments. Students in other schools need to complete their work as they are afraid of being punished. This triggers a sense of oppressive duty for school students, that is detrimental to their future during college years as in college there would be no one to look after them. In college years, it's self-motivation and personal interest that drive students to pursue their courses diligently.

Almost all the arguments above have valid points that can compel any parent to think about this form of teaching. Those against this system give their verdict that it is a "socially inept" system for children, who miss out socialization skills. However, those on the other side of the table, validate this point to be vague as students who are home-schooled have sufficient time and opportunity to get involved in music programs, dance classes, painting/sketching classes and reading classes.

Lastly, since school educational system has been the traditionally accepted norm in society, the general inclination of layman is towards private/public schooling system. It's difficult to say which schooling system is ideal, as both sides have arguments favoring their views. The stats give valuable conclusion and insight about the growing educational trend in the US. With further statistics and information through statistical organizations, merits and demerits of homeschooling can be put forward with more thrust and impact. At the end, however, it's the ultimate choice of parents to decide what is best for their child.