Criticism

Opposition comes from varied sources, including organizations of teachers and school districts. The National Education Association – a teachers' union, and the largest labor union in the United States is on record as opposing homeschooling outright, though in recent years it has not been as outspoken.



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Opponents state concerns falling into several categories: academic quality and completeness; reduced funding for public schools; lack of socialization with peers of different ethnic and religious backgrounds; fear of religious or social extremism; that homeschool curricula often exclude critical subjects; that parents are sheltering their children, or denying them opportunities that are their right such as social development, or providing an unfair advantage over students whose parents lack the time or money to homeschool.

There are studies that conclude that homeschooled students do extremely well on average on standardized tests. However, these studies generally compare voluntary homeschool testing with mandatory public-school testing, because the study organizers cannot require testing. Some states require testing for homeschooled students and some do not; many that do require testing let homeschooling parents choose from more than one evaluation method. The demographics of homeschooling are difficult to compare to traditional schools, or even to define. Agencies, parents, and studies may disagree as to which students "count" as homeschooled. Some people have argued that homeschooled students, especially those who are likely to be tested, are an atypical group whose parents care strongly about their education and would also do well in a conventional school.

Some scholars see potential civic dangers in certain forms of homeschooling. Robert Reich, for example, writes that homeschool can potentially give students a very one-sided view of things, as their parents may, even unwittingly, block or diminish all points of view but their own in teaching. This may make students unable to think for themselves or to adapt to multiple points of view. He also argues that part of being a citizen is having something in common with fellow-citizens, and homeschool diminishes that by reducing students' contact with peers. In short, while homeschooling can be good, Reich warns that those practicing it must avoid these dangers.

Gallup polls of American voters have shown a significant change in attitude in the last twenty years, from 73% opposed to home education in 1985 to 54% opposed in 2001.

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The celebrates Mother's Day on the second Sunday in May. So, this year would be May,11. Mother's Day was loosely inspired by the British day and was imported by social activist Julia Ward Howe after the American Civil War. However, it was intended as a call to unite women against war. In 1870, she wrote the Mother's Day Proclamation as a call for peace and disarmament.




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Unschooling - Cost to families

There may be a financial impact on families in addition to the purchase of school supplies and curriculum materials, as one parent (typically the mother) usually refrains from employment outside the home in order to supervise the child's education. Some compensate by running a business as a family, working from home, or enlisting the help of friends or relatives during the hours in which the adults are working.



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The tangible costs associated with homeschooling are as variable as the reasons and philosophical approaches. Scholastic Achievement and Demographic Characteristics of Home School Students in 1998, Lawrence M. Rudner, Table 2.12, tracked expenditures running from less than $200 to greater than $2000, per student. Notably, the three largest categories were the lowest three levels of expenditure. Students in the $200 or less category were in third – 17.9% of all students – $400-$599 was second – with 21.5% – the largest single category, at 33.8%, was the $200-$399 range. The highest 5 expenditure categories combined – ranging from $600 to $2000 per student – amount to 25.1% of the total, and only 2% of homeschool students lived in households that spent $2000 and over.

All of these levels were well below the U.S. national average expenditure for public school students in 1998; $6200-$6500 per student. The majority utilized less than 10% of public school expenditures.

The study did indicate a relationship between the amount of money spent on homeschool students and academic achievement.

Independent School

An independent school is a school which is not dependent upon national or local government for financing its operation and is instead operated by tuition charges, gifts, and in some cases the investment yield of an endowment.



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The terms independent school and private school are often synonyms in popular usage in the U.S. and in Canada. Independent schools may have a religious affiliation, but the more precise usage of the term excludes parochial schools and other schools with financial dependence upon outside organizations.

In England, Wales and Northern Ireland the more prestigious independent schools are known as public schools, sometimes categorised as major and minor public schools. Membership of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference is often considered as what defines a school as a public school, though this includes many independent grammar schools. When founded, such schools were indeed 'public', that is intended for those who could not afford education; they have long since lost their raison d'être. Detractors of present day public schools generally prefer the term 'private school'.

In Scotland, those schools which are not dependent on state funding are known as independent schools.

In Australia, where the term is also used interchangeably with private school, independent schools are the fastest growing education sector and over 85% of them have a religious or church affiliation. There are currently 1,078 independent schools catering for 491,000 students in Australia (as of 2006). Some independent schools are prestigious and enrolment highly sought after, with tuition fees to match, however since the 1980s the number of low-fee schools catering for 'average' Australians, and in some cases without any religious affiliation, has increased significantly. Independent schools in Australia make up nearly 15% of total enrolments while Catholic schools, which usually have lower fees, also make up a sizeable proportion (18%) and are usually regarded as a school sector of their own within the broad category of independent schools. Enrolments in non-government schools has been growing steadily at the expense of enrolments in government schools which have seen their enrolment share reduce from 78% to 67% since 1970. Australian independent schools differ slightly from those in the United States as the Australian Government provides funding to all schools including independent schools using a 'needs based' funding scheme based on a Socio-Economic Status (SES) score. The school's SES score is derived by selecting a sample of parent's addresses and mapping these to a Census Collector District from the Australian Bureau of Statistics Census. The household income & education data is then used to derive an SES score for each school, which places it on a sliding scale of funding entitlement. On average, funding granted to an independent school is 47% of that required to operate a government school, the residual being made up by tuition fees paid by parents.

from: wikipedia