(Support research based on a sound worldview - donate.)

The judge interrupted proceedings and wanted to ask me a few things. This is unusual. Judges do not often ask me questions; the attorneys do.

He said, "Alright Dr. Ray, we all understand that homeschooled kids do just fine, or quite well in academics and test scores. What I want to know, however, is how are they going to do in the real world of adulthood if they do not experience bullying, tough things in life, and the real world of school and schooling schedules and so forth?"

I was a little surprised, my mind spun for a few seconds, and the Spirit helped me real fast. I said something like the following.

First, your honor, many people assume that home educated children and teens do not experience hard things, like mean people and bullies and schedules they do not like. The homeschooled often do experience such things.

Second, your honor, if your objective for young adults and adults is . . .

• 23% of 12th graders using marijuana during the past month,[i]
• 26% of 12th graders getting drunk during past month,[ii]
• 95% of people engaging in sex before marriage,[iii]
• 41% of children being born out of wedlock,[iv]
• 3% of 12th graders using cocaine,[v]
• 3.2% of the U.S. population under some form of correctional control (e.g., jail, parole),[vi]
• 80% of twentysomethings being less (Christian) spiritually active than when they were teens,[vii]
• 14% of American adults (32 million) not being able to read,[viii]
• 25% of students not graduating from high school,[ix]
• 42% of Americans not voting in the U.S. presidential election,[x]
• 2% of population practicing mainly homosexual behavior,[xi]
• about 40% of adults having a sexually transmitted disease (STD),[xii]
• 93% of teenagers watching TV or video 20 to 40 hours per week,[xiii] and
• adults watching TV or video 37 hours per week,[xiv]

then, by all means, put these children (involved in the court case) and all children through 13 years of State-run, government-controlled public schools.

The above statistics, the lifestyle of Americans presented above, and the behaviors the above numbers reflect are based on the fact that 87% of Americans have been attending public/State schools for many decades. Research is slowly emerging that different statistics are associated with parent-led home-based education (a.k.a., homeschooling).

If a person's objective for Americans is for them to "turn out" like the statistics above, then his objective will be met, probabilistically speaking, if all children are subjected to 13 years of government-run public schooling.

The judge nodded understandingly at me and the proceedings continued.

--Brian D. Ray, Ph.D.

  National Home Education Research Institute

P.S. NHERI receives no tax dollars like state university professors do to conduct their research and articles promoting State/public schooling. Your donations keep NHERI going. Every and any donation amount is important.

Two ways to help:
1. Send a check to: NHERI, PO Box 13939, Salem OR 97309 (using a check puts the largest percent of your gift to work at NHERI)
2. Donate online.

NHERI, PO Box 13939, Salem OR 97309, USA

Endnotes:

[i] http://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/high-school-youth-trends

[ii] http://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/high-school-youth-trends

[iii] http://www.publichealthreports.org/issueopen.cfm?articleID=1784

[iv] http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/360990/latest-statistics-out-wedlock-births-roger-clegg

[v] http://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/high-school-youth-trends

[vi] http://www.naacp.org/pages/criminal-justice-fact-sheet

[vii] https://www.barna.org/barna-update/article/16...

[viii] http://www.livescience.com/3211-14-percent-adults-read.html

[ix] http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2013/06/high-school-graduation-rate-hits-40-year-peak-in-the-us/276604/

[x] http://elections.gmu.edu/Turnout_2012G.html

[xi] http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2012/05/americans-have-no-idea-how-few-gay-people-there-are/257753/; http://williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/press/how-many-gay-people-are-there-in-america-nope-youre-wrong/  

[xii] http://health.usnews.com/health-news/news/articles/2013/02/14/more-than-110-million-americans-have-an-std-report

[xiii] http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080312172614.htm

[xiv] http://www.emarketer.com/Article/Digital-Set-Surpass-TV-Time-Spent-with-US-Media/1010096

2 4 ���CT