RE: [seul-edu] Home schooling question

["Petr R. Vicherek" <petr@ied.com>]

On Wed, 25 Jun 2003, Downes, Stephen wrote:

> Regarding the Home-Schooled SAT results...
> 
> This is a classic example of a misuse of statistics. The SAT figures are
> silent with regard to:
>    - Mean family income of home-schooled children versus other schooled
> children

   Is usually lower, because they are single income families
(one parent teaches home full time) who cannot afford private school

>    - The rate of learning deficiencies and attention disorders in
> home-schooled children versus other schooled children

  Might be higher, because many parents just take their children
home rather than have them stuffed with drugs

>    - The availability of internet access at home for home-schooled children
> versus the other schooled children

   Is great, because homes have more computers per student than schools

>    - The professions (white collar, blue collar or professional) of parents
> for home-schooled children versus other schooled children
>    - the class sizes for home-schooled children versus the other schooled
> children

  Are smaller than in schools, because few families have over 20 children.

> You may wonder why I make these points.
>
> Well, if the conclusion implied by the argument below holds, that
> home-schooled children in the SATs do better because they were
> home-schooled, then it follows that parents - who typically have no
> professional or teaching credentials whatsoever - are actually better at
> teaching that professionals who typically undergo years of university
> education in order to qualify for the same position. While I am in the main
> sceptical of credentials, this position is absurd - and therefore, the
> improved scores or home-schooled children are likely due to the relatively
> better socio-economic status their families enjoy, rather than any inherent
> value in the methodology.

  If you look at your arguments, then you'll see that either the students
enjoy internet, smaller classes and personal attention because they are 
homeschooled, or that they are homeschooled because of lower income or
attention defficiencies.
  Also, few parents would load their children with junk subject such
as "Social Sciences" or "cultural diversity" classes and would spend
the saved time on solid academics.

  Most of your factors are thus related to homeschooling situation.
  So, there is some truth in the statistics, afterall.

  From my experience with homeschooling:
  Not knowing how to teach is the third biggest problem, and takes a year
for the parents to learn. Of course, the oldest child suffers the most.
The first and second problem is lack of competitivenes among peers for
the students that need it and lack of authority equal to that of school
teacher.

  No one has such an interest in a child as his own parent. Just that
might make the parents better teachers, because they have the best 
motivation.

  Petr