Littlejohn 1

Dewight Littlejohn

Niki-Bliss-Carroll

Eng-112

10-24-19

What are the benefits or drawbacks of being homeschooled?

Homeschooling has become the norm for many families around the world. Questioning

about the lack of socialization, academic progress and the way the students are being taught may

become less questionable based on the findings of homeschoolers. According to Wayne a

previous graduate and advocate of homeschooling. Wayne emphasized on the fact that “positive

socialization” was one on the major benefits of being homeschooled (39). The law requires

everyone in the United States to go to school and receive an education at least until the student is

between the ages of 16-18 depending on the state. The comparison paper will prove that the

socialization, academic achievements, and education of homeschooled students in comparison to

public schooled student’s progression is on the same level or higher than public school students.

Socialization

Communication is how people communicate or talk to others. The forms of

communication have changed over time. The way the world is set up, everyone has to have

socialization skills. According to Wayne “research shows that homeschoolers tend to score much

better on all socialization indices than their public school counterparts, with better self-image,

fewer problem behaviors, less peer dependence, better communication skills, and greater ability
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to interact with adults and students outside their age cohorts" (39). The socialization for the

homeschool environment is different from public schools because the homeschooled students are

not around a class full of peers. The homeschooled students have the opportunity to socialize

with others through their hobbies and activities. Homeschooled students also have the

opportunity to socialize with others if their curriculum requires them to rotate to other venues for

homeschool. The socialization process also takes place at home often with the parent(s) or other

homeschool parents.

Possible benefits for homeschooled Students

In public or private school the class sizes can range from small, average or crowded. The

public school class sizes tend to larger than private school. When a student needs to ask

questions or needs extra time with the teacher it may be harder to get it because of the class size

and student to teacher ratio. According to Neal et al., “In a homeschool, the teacher-student ratio

for any given lesson is 1:1 or 1:2" (55). A student that is homeschooled can get more one on one

time with the teacher and receive all the help that that needed as opposed to private and public

schools because of the class sizes and teacher to student ratios (Neal et al. 55). Another benefit

for homeschooled students is "parents can quickly identify a student's areas of strength and

weakness, offering enrichment opportunities for the former and focused attention on the latter"

(Neal et al. 55).

Academic achievements and involvement of parent's comparisons between Schools

The world of education whether it is public, private or homeschool is a resource that can

aids in the success and education for the students. When homeschool was introduced many
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people didn't understand the concept of homeschool and what type of education was received by

the students. Society had perceived many misconceptions about the wellbeing of homeschooled

students academically and socially. Homeschooled, public school, and private school are some of

the many ways a student can receive their k-12 grade education. A study was done by Ray in

2015 with black students who were homeschooled compared to black students who were in

public school (94). The background information from the study informed the readers that black

students were the most unachieved versus any other race. The study gave background

information about who the test was being administered to which was 4-8 grade black

homeschooled students. Ray concluded from his study that "the Black homeschool students in

this study performed as well as or better than the national average of public school students of all

races/ethnicities, while Black students in public schools score, in general, far below average"

(96).

Continued……

Homeschooled students are being broadcast more and sought out by college just as public

school students. A research study that was performed by Barwegen, Falciani, Putnam, Reamer,

& Stair was given to 127 seniors (39). The group of researchers had a part within the survey that

surveyed the difference within the ACT scores from homeschooled students and public school

students based on the parents' involvement (Barwegen et al. 52). The ACT scores are used as one

of the academic measurements for school recruiters for students who are apply for a college. The

results from the study showed that the students who were homeschooled and the public school

had scored higher (Barwegen et al. 52). Lastly, a study was done by Cogan from a college in the

Midwest (21). The college’s average freshman class size was 1320. The results were taken from
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the database of the school for the 2004 and 2009 freshman class. The results showed that the

homeschooled compared to the non-homeschooled students had “high GPA's in their 1st and 4th

year of school" (Cogan 24).

Standout moments of homeschoolers Performance

Homeschooled and public school student’s academic success may now be able to be seen

from a level playing field. "At 17, Johanna was recognized as the first homeschool winner of a

$40.000 Ruth DeYoung Kohler Scholarship for Artistic Merit in her home state of Wisconsin."

(Neal et al. 54). "Eli, 19, a homeschool graduate who attends West Virginia University, was

named a 2006-2007 Goldwater Scholar in March." (Neal et al. 54). "Jonathan, 14, was the first

homeschooler picked for the Kelley Junior Executive Institute, a summer program at Indiana

University that identifies 50 high-achieving, primarily minority high-school students interested

in studying business" (Neal et al. 54). The standouts of the homeschooled students Johanna, Eli

and Jonathan allows others to see how far homeschooling has come and the academic progress

and achievements that can be accomplished through homeschooling.

Conclusion

The socialization, academic achievements and education of homeschooled students is on

the same level or higher than public schooled students. The information given by Neal et al.

about the achievements that was highlighted by 3 homeschooled students Johanna, Eli and

Jonathan. The study given by Ray in 2015 which showcases the results of black students on

academic tests and the drastic difference in scores from black public school and homeschooled

students. The information explained by Neal et al. about the student to teacher ratio for public
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versus homeschooled students and the homeschooled students teacher to student ratio, shows that

homeschooled students have the better ratio. The socialization skills of homeschooled students

and their progress of being taught by older adults and socializing with people throughout the

community which was referenced by Wayne in his 2019 study. Homeschoolers are thriving and

succeeding in their academics and socially. Homeschooling could be a good alternative for

education.
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Works Cited

Barwegen, Laura M., et al. "Academic Achievement of Homeschool and Public School Students

and Student Perception of Parent Involvement." School Community Journal, vol. 14, no.

1, 2004, pp. 39-58. ProQuest,

https://login.proxy039.nclive.org/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/195462

414?accountid=10163.

Cogan, Michael F. "Exploring Academic Outcomes of Homeschooled Students." Journal of

College Admission, no. 208, 2010, pp. 18-25. ProQuest,

https://login.proxy039.nclive.org/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/665263

474?accountid=10163

Neal, Andrea, E. W. McNerney, and José Schorr. "HOMESCHOOLERS: INTO

THE MAINSTREAM." The Saturday Evening Post, vol. 278, no. 5, Sep, 2006, pp. 54-

55,102,104. ProQuest,

https://login.proxy039.nclive.org/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/207622

628?accountid=10163.

Ray, Brian. "A Review of Research on Homeschooling and what might Educators Learn?" Pro-

Posições, vol. 28, no. 2, 2017, pp. 85-103. ProQuest,

https://login.proxy039.nclive.org/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/215471

3811?ac
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Romanowski, Michael H. "Revisiting the Common Myths about Homeschooling." The Clearing

House, vol. 79, no. 3, 2006, pp. 125-129. ProQuest,

https://login.proxy039.nclive.org/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/196880

614?accountid=10163. countid=10163, doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/1980-6248-2016-

0009.

Wayne, Israel. "BENEFITS OF HOMESCHOOLING." The New American, vol. 35, no. 3, Feb

04, 2019, pp. 37-39. ProQuest,

https://login.proxy039.nclive.org/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/218241

6331?accountid=10163.