Hello, , from NHERI and Dr. Ray.
A report released today gives new insights on homeschooling in Canada. Researcher Deani Van Pelt provides an overview of research and then a keen focus on recent trends in Canada.[1]
Approaches to Homeschooling
Research continues to show that there is a great variety of curriculum that homeschool parents utilize. Second, there is also much
variability to approaches to teaching and learning. This includes co-operatives, mostly the family based out of the home, paid tutors, classes by volunteer teachers and paid teachers, and much more.
Reasons for Homeschooling
As with pedagogical practices, motivations for homeschooling
vary widely. Van Pelt finds things similar to what is summarized in this fact sheet by NHERI.
Academic Achievement
The researcher cites many classic and new studies on the academic achievement of homeschool students. For example, she mentions Ray’s 2010 U.S. nationwide study, “Academic Achievement and Demographic Traits of Homeschool Students: A
Nationwide Study” and Ray’s 1994 Canada study, “A Nationwide Study of Home Education in Canada.” She points out the limitations of various studies and directs readers to some newer studies with tighter methodological controls. The
newer studies tend to confirm what was found prior, that the home educated perform above the public school average.
How are they Doing in Adulthood?
Overall, they are doing well compared to those who graduated from public and private institutional schools. She cites a 2015 study
that found homeschool graduates earned significantly higher final grades in university calculus than students who attended all other school types.
Focus on Canada
Researcher Van Pelt focused on current regulation, enrollments, and fiscal impact regarding homeschooling in Canada.
Since 2007, at least five Canadian provinces have changed their policies or regulations related to homeschooling. Second, various changes have been made regarding funding and homeschooling. Overall, however, “[b]ecause the majority of costs associated with home schooling are born by the parents, home schooling results in a net financial saving to provincial
Governments” (p. 27).
Finally, the number of students being homeschooled in Canada has grown, notably. From 2006-07 to 2011-12, enrollment has increased by over 29%. She found that homeschool enrollment has increased in every province, except British Columbia. Van Pelt summarized that homeschooling enrollment in Canada has shown growth of over 5% annually from 2006-07 to 2011-12, to now include 21,662 registered
students.
Concluding Thought
Research Van Pelt included the following thoughtful note in her conclusion:
Home schooling seems poised to respond to the needs and
opportunities of our current society. Certainly, with the opportunities technology offers and the excellence our global economies demand, we are positioned to embrace more fully new possibilities for education less encumbered by the constraints of time and space. Expansions and growth in home schooling suggest that the way forward may not be as daunting as it once seemed. (p. 33)
This report on
Canada supports the idea that homeschooling continues to grow in numbers in North America, that the home educated are doing well academically, socially, and emotionally, and finding success in adulthood, and that modern homeschooling might offer valuable insights and hopes to both the general public and professional educators for the decades ahead.
--Brian D. Ray, Ph.D.
National Home Education Research Institute
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Endnotes:
[1] Van Pelt, Deani. (2015). Home Schooling in Canada: The Current Picture—2015 Edition. Vancouver, BC, Canada: Fraser Institute. Retrieved June 16, 2015 -- study
