John Stossel writes that a California appellate court ruling that parents have no constitutional right to homeschool their children, pinned its decision on the statement that “a primary purpose of government schools is to train schoolchildren ‘in loyalty to the state.”
Well isn’t that interesting …
And all this time I thought the purpose of public schools was to prepare our nation’s students for entry into the adult world.
I’d like to pull a section of Romanowski’s research article, Revisiting the Common Myths about Homeschooling.
Myth #2: Homeschooling Fails to Prepare Good Citizens
In August 2001, Time magazine raised the issue of citizenship and homeschooling by asking the question, “Is Home Schooling Good for America?” The concern was that homeschooling may turn out better students, but does it create better citizens? The argument was that homeschooling isolated students from the world, including political and social involvement. Furthermore, homeschooling centers on the best interest of the individual rather than public schools’ concern for the best interest for society as a whole.
Reality
Today, the first generation of homeschooled students have grown up and have entered America’s workforce, colleges, and universities. But, are they good citizens compared to the general U.S. population? A recent report, “Home Schooling Grows Up,” released by Dr. Brian Ray, argues that “home schooling produces successful adults who are actively involved in their communities and continue to value education for themselves and their children” (2003, 6). The study surveyed more than seventy-three hundred adults who were homeschooled, with more than five thousand of these being homeschooled for at least seven years.
Their responses and results demonstrate that homeschooled students are excellent citizens compared to the general U.S. population. For example, one element of being a good citizen is a person’s level of engagement in civic and political affairs. According to these findings, only 4.2 percent of homeschool graduates consider politics and government too complicated to understand, compared to 35 percent of U.S. adults. Ray demonstrates that homeschool graduates are more actively involved in their communities than the general U.S. population. The following statistics illustrate this point:
• Seventy-one percent of homeschool graduates participate in an ongoing community service activity, compared to 37 percent of U.S. adults of similar ages.
• Eighty-eight percent of the homeschool graduates surveyed are members of an organization (such as a community group, church, or professional organization) compared to 50 percent of U.S. adults.
• Homeschool graduates are more likely to contribute money to a political party and are more likely to work for a political party or cause.
• Seventy-six percent of homeschool graduates surveyed between the ages of eighteen and twenty-four voted in a national or state election within the last five years, compared to only 29 percent of the relevant U.S. population.
• Homeschool graduates are more likely to have participated in a protest or boycott, attended a public meeting, wrote, or telephoned a public official or signed a petition more often than the general population. (Ray 2003)
The bottom line: Homeschool graduates are actively involved in the political process and are more engaged as citizens compared to the general U.S. population.
These findings dispel the myth that homeschoolers withdraw from society and their civic responsibilities.
Homeschoolers clearly learn about the real world, possibly more than do their public school counterparts.
While the purpose of public education is to educate future citizens who take an active role in improving the social, economic, and political conditions in society,
Ray’s research indicates that public schools, not homeschooling, should be scrutinized for their efforts regarding “citizenship training. What about other aspects of adulthood, such as employment? Knowles (1991) surveyed adults who were homeschooled because of ideology or geographical isolation. None were unemployed or on welfare. Nearly two-thirds were self-employed. In addition, 94 percent of those surveyed stated that their home education prepared them to be independent persons, while 79 percent said it helped them interact with individuals from different levels of society. Knowles argues that because such a large percentage of those surveyed were self-employed, this provides evidence that homeschooling develops an individual’s self-reliance and independence.
It seems that homeschooling creates responsible and productive citizens, which is positive for both the individual and society. Children are benefiting from the homeschool environment and much can be learned from examining what homeschooling families are doing.
Knowles, J. G. 1991. We’ve grown up and we’re OK: An exploration of adults who were home-educated as students. Paper presented at the 13th National Conference of the New Zealand Association for Research in Education.
Ray, B., 2003. Home schooling grows up. Salem, OR: National Home Education Research Institute.
Romanowski, M. H. (2006). Revisiting the common myths about homeschooling. The Clearing House , 125-129.