I'm sorry to hear about your experiences.
However, when evaluating home-schooling as an educational choice, it is important to recognize that anecdotal evidence does not contribute to rational decision-making. The fact is that you could state, "speaking as someone who was ACTUALLY (home-schooled | public-schooled | private-schooled)" and follow with the rest of your description and it would resonate with some subset of people from each category.
There is a range of quality across all types of school choices. But, there's no evidence that supports eliminating home-schooling would improve education in the US.
-Brian
The socialization issue as it relates to home-schooling is a stereotype that is not supported by data. See for example, the study by Lee & Fox last year,
"There were no statistical mean differences found based on total scores of communication and socialization domains. However, in the separate analyses of each skill within the communication and socialization domains, differences in expressive language, written language, and interpersonal skills were found to be statistically significant according to the types of children's early education experiences. The major findings of this study are: 1) children who attended public prekindergarten scored lowest on expressive language skills, 2) children who attended public pre-kindergarten scored lowest on written language skills, and 3) children who attended public pre-kindergarten scored lower on interpersonal skills than children who attended child care or private schools or stayed at home."
My experience with our home-schooled kids is that they are able to socialize with their peers without any issues. I have observed that they seem to be better able to communicate with other age groups than their schooled peers, who spend all day with a single age group. But, I can't say that's not parental pride speaking.
The US has a long history of quality home-schooling. For examples, refer to the biographies of Teddy Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln. The resources for all aspects of home-schooling, including socialization, are phenomenal. Our local, secular, home-schooling group has 240 families that meet regularly, collaborate on educational content, organize tours and activities, etc. In addition, there are significant online resources.
For me and my wife, the decision to home-school was one of choice and selecting the best options for our kids and our family. We respect the decisions parents make regarding education for their kids and we respect their rights to make those choices, even when the decisions are different than ours.
There are many studies showing a decline in US competitive advantage when it comes to technical knowledge and education. I think we need to encourage alternative solutions to education, including home-schooling, as a means to staying competitive.
-Brian
Lee, J., & Fox, J.. (2009). Children's Communication and Socialization Skills by Types of Early Education Experiences. Journal of Research in Childhood Education, 23(4), 475-488. Retrieved January 30, 2010, from ProQuest Education Journals. (Document ID: 1807801961).
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I'm sorry to hear about your experiences. However, when evaluating home-schooling as an educational choice, it is important to recognize that anecdotal evidence does not contribute to rational decision-making. The fact is that you could state, "speaking as someone who was ACTUALLY (home-schooled | public-schooled | private-schooled)" and follow with the rest of your description and it would resonate with some subset of people from each category. There is a range of quality across all types of school choices. But, there's no evidence that supports eliminating home-schooling would improve education in the US. -Brian
The socialization issue as it relates to home-schooling is a stereotype that is not supported by data. See for example, the study by Lee & Fox last year, "There were no statistical mean differences found based on total scores of communication and socialization domains. However, in the separate analyses of each skill within the communication and socialization domains, differences in expressive language, written language, and interpersonal skills were found to be statistically significant according to the types of children's early education experiences. The major findings of this study are: 1) children who attended public prekindergarten scored lowest on expressive language skills, 2) children who attended public pre-kindergarten scored lowest on written language skills, and 3) children who attended public pre-kindergarten scored lower on interpersonal skills than children who attended child care or private schools or stayed at home." My experience with our home-schooled kids is that they are able to socialize with their peers without any issues. I have observed that they seem to be better able to communicate with other age groups than their schooled peers, who spend all day with a single age group. But, I can't say that's not parental pride speaking. The US has a long history of quality home-schooling. For examples, refer to the biographies of Teddy Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln. The resources for all aspects of home-schooling, including socialization, are phenomenal. Our local, secular, home-schooling group has 240 families that meet regularly, collaborate on educational content, organize tours and activities, etc. In addition, there are significant online resources. For me and my wife, the decision to home-school was one of choice and selecting the best options for our kids and our family. We respect the decisions parents make regarding education for their kids and we respect their rights to make those choices, even when the decisions are different than ours. There are many studies showing a decline in US competitive advantage when it comes to technical knowledge and education. I think we need to encourage alternative solutions to education, including home-schooling, as a means to staying competitive. -Brian Lee, J., & Fox, J.. (2009). Children's Communication and Socialization Skills by Types of Early Education Experiences. Journal of Research in Childhood Education, 23(4), 475-488. Retrieved January 30, 2010, from ProQuest Education Journals. (Document ID: 1807801961).