Preschool Lesson Plans: Will My Preschooler Succeed Academically and Socially?

Q.) Can Homeschooling provide the same level of education as the public school system?

A.) In 1997, a study of 5,402 homeschool students from 1,657 families was released. It was entitled, "Strengths of Their Own: Home Schoolers Across America." The study demonstrated that homeschoolers, on the average, out-performed their counterparts in the public schools by 30 to 37 percentile points in all subjects. New homeschoolers in the study were scoring on the average in the 59th percentile compared to students homeschooled the last two or more years who scored between 86th and 92nd percentile.

Q.) Is Homeschooling affordable?

A.) Another obstacle that seems to be overcome in homeschooling is the need to spend a great deal of money in order to have a good education. In Strengths of Their Own, Dr. Ray found the average cost per homeschool student is $546 while the average cost per public school student is $5,325.

Q.) Do I need to spend extra money to ensure my child receives the homeschool education he or she deserves?

A.) The 1998 study by Dr. Rudner of 20,760 students, found that eighth grade students whose parents spend $199 or less on their home education score, on the average, in the 80th percentile. Eighth grade students whose parents spend $400 to $599 on their home education also score on the average, in the 80th percentile! Once the parents spend over $600, the students do slightly better, scoring in the 83rd percentile. The message is loud and clear. More money does not mean a better education. There is no positive correlation between money spent on education and student performance. Loving and caring parents are what matters. Money can never replace simple, hard work.

Q.) Do homeschoolers place as high on standardized testing as students in traditional school?

A.) In South Carolina, the National Center for Home Education did a survey of 65 homeschool students and found that the average scores on the Comprehensive Test of Basic Skills were 30 percentile points higher than national public school averages.

Over 400 hundred homeschool students, grades K-12, were tested with the Stanford Achievement test at the end of the 1989-90 school year. The Psychological Corporation scored the children together as one school. The results found that the typical homeschooled students in eight of these grade levels scored in the "somewhat above average" range (61st to 73rd average percentile), compared to the performance of students in the same grade from across the country. Two grade levels scored in the "above average" range (80th to 85th average percentile.) It's very clear from this test just how effective homeschooling can be.