Homeschooling On the Rise

[Annie]

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=519&u=/ap/20040803/ap_on_re_us/home_schooling&printer=1

Home Schooling Is on the Rise

Tue Aug 3, 7:11 PM ET

By BEN FELLER, AP Education Writer

WASHINGTON - Almost 1.1 million students were home-schooled last year, their numbers pushed higher by parents frustrated over school conditions and wanting to include morality and religion with the English and math. The estimated figure of students taught at home has grown 29 percent since 1999, according to the National Center for Education Statistics, part of the Education Department.

In surveys, parents offered two main reasons for choosing home schooling: 31 percent cited concerns about the environment of regular schools, and 30 percent wanted the flexibility to teach religious or moral lessons. Third, at 16 percent, was dissatisfaction with academic instruction at other schools.

The figures were released Tuesday.

"There's potential for massive growth," said Ian Slatter, spokesman for the National Center for Home Education, which promotes home schooling and tracks laws that govern it.

"Home schooling is just getting started," he said. "We've gotten through the barriers of questioning the academic ability of home schools, now that we have a sizable number of graduates who are not socially isolated or awkward — they are good, high-quality citizens. We're getting that mainstream recognition and challenging the way education has been done."

 

[5stringJeff]

If I was independently wealthy I would teach in a home school co-op. As it is we have our daughter in a private Christian school, and that's been great for her. The last standardized test she took (at the end of 4th grade) she had already passed the minimum high school senior standards in reading and language. Not bad for a 10 year old!