Homeschool Research
I just read this post on Homeschooling Research Notes. I'm going to have to get a copy of the paper he discusses. Two points that I found very compelling:
Reasons for homeschooling:
Isenberg estimates that the most common motivator for homeschooling is to provide a better education for the child, while a “significant minority” of homeschoolers do so for primarily religious reasons, and around 14% do so because of a child with special needs.
Family variables affecting homeschooling:
•Isenberg finds that the more educated the mother, the more likely she is to homeschool her children in sixth grade or below.
I'm not sure why that second point is true, but I can guess based on my own experience: women who are well-educated do not feel intimidated by teaching their own children. If they feel there is something unsatisfactory about their child's education, they are not going to be afraid to take matters into their own hands.
Or, at least, that's the way it was/is with me.
(After I'm done with my thesis rewrite, I'm going to discuss some of what I've seen in response to the homeschool survey...and one thing I've noticed is that the majority of the people responding have bachelor's degrees and several have masters. I assumed this was because the people responding are computer saavy, which would jive with higher educational levels...in other words, hardly a representative group. Maybe it's more representative than I thought.)
Reasons for homeschooling:
Isenberg estimates that the most common motivator for homeschooling is to provide a better education for the child, while a “significant minority” of homeschoolers do so for primarily religious reasons, and around 14% do so because of a child with special needs.
Family variables affecting homeschooling:
•Isenberg finds that the more educated the mother, the more likely she is to homeschool her children in sixth grade or below.
I'm not sure why that second point is true, but I can guess based on my own experience: women who are well-educated do not feel intimidated by teaching their own children. If they feel there is something unsatisfactory about their child's education, they are not going to be afraid to take matters into their own hands.
Or, at least, that's the way it was/is with me.
(After I'm done with my thesis rewrite, I'm going to discuss some of what I've seen in response to the homeschool survey...and one thing I've noticed is that the majority of the people responding have bachelor's degrees and several have masters. I assumed this was because the people responding are computer saavy, which would jive with higher educational levels...in other words, hardly a representative group. Maybe it's more representative than I thought.)