The number of home schooled children in America continues to increase, along with a more diverse home schooling population, as parents’ reasons broaden for teaching their children at home.
One and a half million children were home schooled in 2007—a 36 percent jump since 2003, according to the Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics. Although moral or religious motivators most often prompt parents to home school their children, a 2007 National Household Education survey revealed growing ranks of parents specified interest in a “non-traditional approach” as a deciding factor to home school their children.
The survey noted that other reasons for an increase in home schooling include finances, a desire for more family time, and simply more flexibility with learning. Some parents argue the classroom curriculum is sometimes difficult to individualize in a way that is conducive to each student’s learning abilities.
What do you think? Is more home schooling a good thing?
With what is going on in this country and the world today, and the state of our public schools system, and expense of private schools, if I knew then what I know now, I would have home schooled all three of my children. My hat is off to those of you who do so, it is the hardest job in the world being a parent and then also educating your children, but well worth it in avoiding the current state of our educational system as it now stands.