Hello, , from NHERI and Dr. Ray.

Research does not tell us everything but it tells us a lot.

Research tells us that home-educated K-12 students score, on average, 15 to 30 percentile points above their public-school peers on academic achievement tests.

We are told by researchers that those who are homeschooled do as well or better than those in public schools in terms of social, emotional, and psychological development.

Several studies done to date suggest that the home educated fare as well or better in the "real world" of adulthood than does the general population.

Critics of the research say, Well, we don't know for sure that these studies have included representative samples of the home educated. They do not, however, provide any evidence that homeschooling is associated with "negative" or "bad" things. Nor do they typically talk about the studies that do suggest representative samples.[1]

So, research tells us quite a bit about parent-led home-based education and its correlates or effects.

A teachers union tells us, on the other hand, it is "reckless" to consider giving homeschool families tax funding for the homeschooling.[2]

Virginia's largest teachers union on Tuesday condemned GOP lieutenant gubernatorial candidate E.W. Jackson's promise to work for equal funding for home schooled children as a "reckless" proposal that would take $100 million out of the state's public school system.

The same teachers union claims that such tax funding of homeschooling "... would take $100 million out of the state's public school system."

Research and simple logic, however, show the fallacies and omissions of the teachers union claims and presentation.

First, since research continues to find homeschooling correlated with so many positive things and public-school teachers (i.e., the members of teachers unions) are "for" children and their education, why are the teachers and their union not vociferously promoting homeschooling for all children?

Second, if tax funding went to (private) homeschooling families, perhaps they would no longer be homeschooling but operating public-school-at-home programs (PSAH). In these, Mom (and sometimes Dad) serves as the unpaid teacher and/or learning facilitator for the State. That is, the State gets a nice portion of money while the parents work for free for the State. Maybe teachers unions should like this idea, and advocates of liberty and private homeschooling free from State control should fight this tax-funded "homeschooling" (i.e., PSAH).

Third, research shows the following for Nevada:

       . .. [T]he results show an annual potential cost savings in the range of $24.3 million to $34.6 million attributable to homeschool students, $101.9 million to $147 million attributable to  private school students, and $126.2 million to $181.7 million combined. These are the costs avoided by Nevada public schools by not having to educate the home- and private school students. These totals amount to an annual potential cost savings ranging from $327.48 to $471.64 per public school student" (p. 27). "Local educators should look at home- and private school students as an asset that can make increased monies available for their local schools on a per-student basis. Indeed, if all of the savings were used to enhance the education of the state's public school students, this would amount to an additional $327.48 to $471.64 per public school student" (p. 30). "The bottom line is that home- and private schooling is a "win-win" arrangement for both taxpayers and individual public school districts" (p. 32). [3]

So far, research and simple reasoning tell us that public-school teachers and their unions should be proactively promoting (private) homeschooling to help more children and reduce taxpayers' financial burdens.

 

--Brian D. Ray, Ph.D.
National Home Education Research Institute
http://nheri.org/
 
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[1] Ray, Brian D. (2013). Homeschooling associated with beneficial learner and societal outcomes but educators do not promote it. Peabody Journal of Education, 88(3), 324-341. Available soon from www.nheri.org.

[2] Whack, Errin. (2013, July 23). Va. teachers union blasts Jackson proposal for home schoolers as $100M tax hike. Retrieved July 26, 2013 from http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/virginia-politics/va-teachers-union-blasts-jackson-proposal-for-home-schoolers-as-100m-tax-hike/2013/07/23/2f8d6a8a-f3cb-11e2-aa2e-4088616498b4_story.html

[3] Wenders, John T., & Clements, Andrea D. (2007). An analysis of the economic impact of home and private schooling in Nevada. Home School Researcher, 17(2), 13-35. See http://www.nheri.org/home-school-researcher/volume-17-issue-2/an-analysis-of-the-economic-impact-of-home-and-private-schooling-in-nevada.html.