English Research Paper.

The Effectiveness of Home Schooling

How does home education affect children? Are there valid concerns with home schooling, such as lack of socialization or inadequate teaching materials? Or are the common arguments against home schooling invalid? Maybe schooling at home is a good preparation for both real-life situations and secondary education. Early North American citizens certainly seemed to think so.
Linda Dobson, an author and the news editor of Home Education Magazine, writes about early American homeschooling in her book, Homeschoolers’ Success Stories. Home schooling in the United States of America was a common idea until the late 1800s, "Until then," Linda writes, "the mostly agrarian American society lived a family-centered lifestyle; education happened at home, if only by default." Young people learned necessary life skills such as growing food and making clothes through daily activities. Academic studies in reading, writing, and arithmetic took only a small portion of time compared with today’s students. "No laws existed, though, to compel attendance. The development of the modern educational system may be said to have been well on its way (over the objections of many teachers, parents, and public press) with the first state compulsory attendance law, courtesy of Massachusetts in 1852" (Dobson 1,2).

Home schooling in the United States as we know it today started in the 1970s. The main reason for this was a growing dissatisfaction among families with the schooling methods being offered within the public school system. According to the 2003 and 2007 National Household Education Surveys (NHES), "the three reasons selected by parents of more than two-thirds of students were concern about the school environment (88 percent), to provide religious or moral instruction (83 percent), and dissatisfaction with the academic instruction available at other schools (73 percent)" (United States). Some families simply wanted to spend time with their children while they were growing up. Karan Cook, a mother of eight children who began homeschooling in 1992 says, "My motive for home schooling was the Godly moral foundation that we could lay down at home and the opportunity to increase the cohesiveness and closeness of our family. I have two children with learning disabilities. I think they would have been extremely adversely affected by being in a regular school environment. Instead, they have flourished in their gifted areas" (Cook). Whatever the reason for being dissatisfied with the public school system, parents began exploring other options for schooling their children.

Home school certainly seemed to be plausible to some families, but many wondered about the legality of schooling children at home. Would either parent be required to have or obtain a teaching degree? Was it even legal to abstain from enrolling children in a public or private school institution? Even disregarding the legality issue, there were still more questions. How would you teach upper level high school classes? Were there even curricula available for a family wanting to home school?

The home schooling movement in Missouri started in the early 1980s. Charles Rogers, who inspired the founding of Families for Home Education, gives an account of the legality issue on the Families for Home Education web site. Many families, being dissatisfied with the education and wanting to be more involved with their children’s lives, began to consider schooling at home. Superintendents of school districts and the Department of Family Services didn’t know what to do. Why were young children being removed from the popular uniform schooling system to be schooled by their parents? And many of those parents had no college education of any kind! Outside of the traditional schooling system, how were these children going to have sufficient social interaction? They concluded that this had to be child abuse. Some parents were threatened with having their children taken away. Others actually had their children taken away for a short amount of time by the Department of Family Services. Many other families were harassed by Department of Family Services social workers (Rogers).

A lawyer was secured and brought up to speed on the issues with the home schooling movement. He recommended filing a class-action suit against the state of Missouri. Twenty-five families were found willing to go to court to appeal the legality of home schooling, and Families for Home Education was requested to be a signer of this suit. Two families were chosen to testify and appear in court. According to Rogers, "the purpose of the suit was to declare the Missouri compulsory education statute void for ‘vagueness’ and ‘overbreadth’" (Rogers 8). Ruling on the United States District Court case Ellis, et al., Plaintiffs, vs. O'Hara, et al., Defendants, Judge Nangle ordered that the portion of RSMo Statute 167.031 regarding instruction at home be voided. The Court transferred the responsibility of enacting a new statute to the Missouri Legislature. Senate Bill 795, dealing with the rights of parents and students in regards to education and schools, was passed in the legislature at the end of the 1985-1986 session. RSMo Statute 167.031 was revised to be more specific regarding home instruction. (Rogers)

In the current wording of RSMo Statute 167.031, commonly considered to be the ruling piece of legislature on the legality and restrictions of home schooling, there are some regulations. These include requirements that establish what ages a child is to be in some sort of schooling, as well as requiring that a log book be kept detailing the learning process. Also, within a given year, there are a specified number of hours that must be spent studying both academic and non-academic subjects (Missouri). The legal issues in Missouri are fairly minimal, and it remains one of the most free home schooling states in the country.

Finally, the legal difficulties surrounding home schooling in Missouri cleared up. Courageous parents began to search for curricula. A Beka Books quickly came to the forefront as the best-developed curriculum available to homeschoolers. According to the A Beka Books web site, this curriculum was started in the 1970s. The A Beka Books material was developed based on 20 prior years of teaching at Pensacola Christian Academy by Dr. Arlin Horton (Our Foundation). It was primarily used for Christian schools, but it was soon recognized as easily adaptable to the home school arena.

Once parents realized there were a few different curricula available for use with younger children, the began to seriously consider home education. Socialization remained a concern, since many of the children's friends were in the public schools. What would happen to these friendships if the children were pulled out of school, or never even attended a public school? Would the children grow up isolated, lacking the ability to interact well with their peers and adults? Susan McDowell, author of But What About Socialization? Answering the Perpetual Home Schooling Question: A Review of Literature, answers this question. After researching 24 studies on the socialization of home schoolers, she concludes, "It’s a non-issue today. All the research shows children are doing well" (Kim, 2-3).

Jennie von Eggers is a home school mother and the author of several educational materials. In an article for About.com, Jennie writes about the commonly asked question: aren't you worried about your children not getting enough socialization? "Many homeschoolers spend their day doing things such as; helping out with family business', running errands, going on field trips, visiting relatives and friends, doing odd jobs for neighbors and partaking in family responsibilities. As the "socially challenged" homeschool kids are out and about, partaking and interacting in real life situations, the government students are "socializing" under a controlled environment, behind four walls with a controlled group of people (also known as their peer group). Yes, the sales clerk that offered his unsolicited opinion on my choice to homeschool, was right! My kids are "socially challenged" by not going to public school!" (von Eggers, 1)

There are many home school organizations and support groups available to new home schoolers in Missouri. Statewide groups include the Christian Home Educator’s Fellowship and Families for Home Education. Regional groups include the Bolivar Area Home Schoolers, the Bootheel Area Home Schoolers Group, and several county-wide groups (Home Schooling). Once a year, a home schooling convention is held by the Southwest Home Education Ministry in Springfield, MO. New home schoolers can find a plethora of home school curricula available to them at this conference (SHEM).

Dr. Brian Ray has a Ph.D. in science education. He is the president of the National Home Education Research Institute, the author of four books on home schooling, and the editor of the academic journal The Home School Researcher (Dr. Brian Ray). In his book, Strengths of Their Own: Home Schoolers Across America, Dr. Ray found "homeschoolers, on the average, out-performed their counterparts in the public schools by 30 to 37 percentile points in all subjects" (Academic Statistics, 1). The Home School Legal Defense Association cites this on their web site: "According to the 1998 ACT High School Profile Report, 2,610 graduating homeschoolers took the ACT and scored an average of 22.8 out of a possible 36 points" (Academic Statistics, 13). The academic statistics alone show that home schooling is effective.

Some early home schooled high school graduates included Alicia Caperton and Jonathan Hardin. Alicia Caperton went on to attend College of the Ozarks, where she graduated 4 years later with a degree in Animal Science (Caperton). Jonathan Hardin currently attends Missouri State University, has received his Bachelor of Science and is expected to soon receive his Master of Science in Chemistry. He has already been accepted to the State University of New York, Buffalo, to study for his Ph.D. in Chemistry (Hardin). Both of these young people were home schooled from Kindergarten to 12th grade, and graduated in the 1990s. A credit to home education, both these students did well in school, and have been successful in their pursuits.

Although many parents are hesitant to begin home schooling, once they have begun they rarely regret the decision. Karlene, who has one child who has graduated from home school, and two more who are still in home school, states "We have been extremely pleased with our decision to home school. I would recommend home schooling to others as an excellent schooling option" (Smith).

Overall, most families seem to be quite satisfied with their decision to homeschool. Many high school graduates are doing extremely well in secondary/post-secondary institutions. A Dartmouth College (NH) admissions officer explains, "The applications I’ve come across are outstanding. Homeschoolers have a distinct advantage because of the individualized instruction they have received" (Home Schooled Students). Most of them hold good jobs, or are considered successful in life. Once the home schooling movement got under way, few parents seemed to have problems with socialization of their students. Kim Leith, a mother who home schools her 4 boys, was asked about the issue of socialization for her children. "Socialization was and is accomplished in daily life interactions between family members, extended family, neighbors, church family, home school events, etc. My children function well not only with peers, but also with adults" (Leith).

Colleges are recognizing that many home schooled young people are just as well prepared as their public-school counterparts. The "hard-work" ethic that many parents instill in their children by taking a direct, vested, and time-consuming interest in their lives and schooling is paying off. The number of home schooled students is still relatively small nation-wide (1.5 million) and the number of college applications from home school students is also comparatively small. Despite this, most colleges seem to appreciate the idea of home schooling, and are more than willing to accept these students into their programs (United States). In an article published in the St. Louis Dispatch, Georgiana Gustin writes about home schoolers applying to colleges. "Regina Morin, director of admissions at Columbia College, says the school is seeing more home schoolers apply each year. ‘They tend to be better than their public school counterparts,’ she said. ‘They score above average on tests, they're more independent, they're often a grade ahead’" (Gustin). Jon Reider, an admissions director at Stanford University, says, "Home schoolers bring certain skills-motivation, curiosity, the capacity to be responsible for their education that high schools don't induce very well" (Developing Homeschool).

Kim Leith says she "does not regret home schooling in the slightest." She does caution that "home schooling is not for everyone. Each family needs to look at the family situation and take the issue to prayer" (Leith). Morality and academic education are two of the most important issues in a child’s life. The decision of who bears the responsibility for a child's education is not one that parents should take lightly. In regards to socialization, academia, and legality, home schooling in Missouri can prove an excellent decision. Parents and children alike are pleased not only with the results of home education, but also the success the children gain as they move on in life. Home schooling, while perhaps not the right choice for everyone, has proven to be an excellent method for receiving a good education as well as being a training ground for dealing with real-life situations and challenges.

Works Cited

"Academic Statistics on Homeschooling." "Legal Research Supplement" HSLDA. 22
Oct. 2004. HSLDA. 12 Apr. 2009
http://www.hslda.org/docs/nche/000010/200410250.asp#iii.

Caperton, Alicia . Personal interview. 13 Apr. 2009.

Cook, Karan. "Homeschooling Experience." E-mail interview. 9 Apr.
"Developing Homeschool Admission Policies." The Ontario Federation of Teaching
Parents. 14 July 2001. The Ontario Federation of Teaching Parents. 13 Apr. 2009 http://www.ontariohomeschool.org/admissionpolicies.shtml.

Dobson, Linda. Homeschoolers' Success Stories: 15 Adults and 12 Young People Share
the Impact That Homeschooling Has Made on Their Lives . Prima Lifestyles,
2000. Exceprt.13 Apr. 2009 http://www.synergyfield.com/history.asp.

"Dr. Brian Ray Receives Award." The Home School Court Report: 13 pars. 12 Apr. 2009
http://www.hslda.org/CourtReport/V25N1/V25N105.asp.

Gustin, Georgina. "Homeschool numbers growing." St. Louis Post-Dispatch (MO) (03
Oct. 2007). Newspaper Source. EBSCO. Learning Resources Center, Springfield, MO. 13 Apr. 2009 http://search.ebscohost.com.my.otc.edu:8080/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nfh&AN=2W62W685242474&site=ehost-live.

Hardin, Jonathan. "Homeschooling Experience." E-mail interview. 11 Apr.

"Home Schooled Students Excel in College." HSLDA. 20 Sep. 2006. HSLDA. 14 Apr.
2009 http://www.hslda.org/docs/nche/000000/00000017.asp.

Home Schooling in Missouri. Home School Central. 14 Apr. 2009
http://www.homeschoolcentral.com/support/missouri_homeschool.htm.

Kim, Marion. "Researchers Say Socialization No Longer an ''Issue'' ." The Christian Post
26 May 2005. 14 Apr. 2009
http://www.christianpost.com/Education/Public_edu/2005/05/researchers-say-socialization-no-longer-an-issue-26/index.html.

Leith, Kim. "Homeschooling Experience." E-mail interview. 9 Apr.

Missouri. General Assembly. Missouri Revised Statutes. Chap 167. Section 167.301.
Pupils and Special Services. Aug. 28, 2008. http://www.moga.mo.gov/statutes/C100-199/1670000031.HTM

"Our Foundation." A Beka Book. 2008. A Beka Book. 13 Apr. 2009
http://www.abeka.com/OurFoundation.html.

Ray, Dr. Brian. Strengths of Their Own: Home Schoolers Across America. Salem: Natl
Home Education Research Inst, 1999.

Rogers, Charles. "Education Freedom in Missouri: The Recent Battle For Home
Education." Families for Home Education. 1984. Families for Home Education. 12 Apr. 2009 http://www.fhemo.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=26&Itemid=34.

"SHEM Home Education Convention." Southwest Home Education Ministries. 2009.
SHEM. 14 Apr. 2009 http://www.shemonline.org/Convention.htm.

Smith, Karlene. "Homeschooling Experience." E-mail interview. 12 Apr.

United States. U.S. Department of Education. National Center for Education Statistics
Issue Brief: 1.5 Million Homeschooled Students in the United States in 2007. Stacey Bielick. NCES 2009-030. December 2008. http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2009/2009030.pdf

von Eggers, Jennie. "Homeschool Kids are "Socially Challenged"." About.com.
About.com. 14 Apr. 2009 .

Free Speech, a Necessity

Stuart Taylor is a senior writer and contributing editor at Newsweek. He has co-authored a book on political correctness, has written for American Lawyer Media, lectured at Princeton, served as a reporter for various newspapers, and practiced law in D.C. He graduated from Princeton University and Harvard Law School.

Taylor claims that United States citizens’ First Amendment rights are being violated in campuses across the county by political correctness, the bias of the media, and universities’ speech codes. Taylor gives several examples of both republican and conservative public speakers who have been challenged by heckler's veto. In some cases, this went so far as the issuing of violent threats by the opposition. His three primary examples are varied, including speakers of both genders, and covering issues such as racism and feminism. Ward Connerly, an African American bussinessman, is a former University of California Regent with a strong libertarian philospohy (Ward). Linda Chavez is a Fox News Analyst who also served as the highest ranking woman in President Regan's Administration (Linda). Christina Hoff Sommers holds a PhD. In philosophy, and is known for her work authoring books that challenge the ethics of modern feminism. All three of the people cited have been heckled and abused numerous times while engaged in speaking and campaigning.

According to Taylor, "None of these efforts to silence Connerly, Chavez, and Sommers by heckler’s veto has ever been reported in any national newspaper" (Taylor 212). There are a few exceptions appearing in the Washington Times and handful of opinion articles in various newspapers. The media fails to recognize and report on the importance of these republican and conservative voices being repeatedly drowned on in liberal campuses.

Thor Halvorssen, founder of Foundation for Individual Rights in Education Inc. (FIRE), is an advocate of free speech for all – regardless of political affiliation, race, or sex. In a report released in 2007, FIRE found that "75 percent of schools surveyed maintain policies that clearly restrict speech that—outside the borders of campus—is protected by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution" (Report). Taylor, through Halvorssen, demonstrates that speech codes often have double standards biased against conservatives or Christians. Speech Codes are policies established on campuses that place restrictions on the students regarding the use of racist, sexist, etc. comments. While sometimes general, these codes can also be very specific. Halvorssen goes on to equate campus administrator's discipline of students to that of "military tribunals" (Taylor 213).

A valid concern against this total freedom of speech is the issue that "hate speech" can quite easily turn to "hate crimes" that could have been avoided had speech codes been in place to prevent the free use of hate speech in the first place. So is it better to restrict some phrases or insinuations in the hope that these crime will never occur? While one never knows how far a government will go, being cautious of restrictions on free speech is a wise idea. Most communist and fascist nations controlled the country and kept their power through the limitations on the voice of the common person. But let us assume for a moment that a federally instituted speech code was in effect. Would this stop a person who was boiling with anger from committing a hate crime against another person? In some cases it may very well expose the person before he commits a crime. But the chance of it significantly lowering the rate of hate crimes seems highly improbable.

It has long been debated what, if any, measures are appropriately taken against a citizen of the United States for exercising his First Amendment rights. Challenges arise as college administrators face the issue of denying freedom of speech not to a student, but a citizen. The full effects of these measures still remain in question. After the terrorist attacks of September 11th, 2001, FIRE released the following statement: "Liberty of opinion, speech, and expression is indispensable to a free and, in the deepest sense, progressive society. Deny it to one, and you deny it effectively to all. These truths long have been ignored and betrayed on our campuses, to the peril of a free society" (Halvorssen).

Campuses pride themselves on diversity and tolerance of alternate views while simultaneously placing restrictions on what students are allowed to say and do. Herein lies the largest fault against the United States citizens' First Amendment right: the right to free speech. Like all freedom, there will be a limited few who abuse it, but that creates no cause for restriction of the majority who respect it. While the premise of instituting speech codes to protect students and faculty from potential offense is an admirable one, it remains without due cause.

Works Cited
Halvorssen, Thor L. "Campus Tyranny." Boundless Webzine. 2001. Boundless Webzine.
5 May 2009 http://www.boundless.org/2001/departments/campus_culture/a0000505.html.

"Report: Unlawful Speech Codes Thrive at Schools Nationwide." "FIRE Press Release"
FIRE. Foundation for Individual Rights in Education. 5 May 2009
http://www.thefire.org/index.php/article/8702.html.

Taylor Jr. , Stuart, "It’s Time to Junk the Double Standard on Free Speech" The Blair
Reader: Exploring Contemporary Issues. 6th ed. Ed. Laurie G. Kirszner and Stephen R. Mandell. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2008. 23-29.

"Linda Chavez." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 4 May 2009, 20:59 UTC. 7 May
2009 <http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Linda_Chavez&oldid=287920610>.

"Ward Connerly." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 29 Apr 2009, 04:26 UTC. 7 May
2009 <http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ward_Connerly&oldid=286791464>.

"Christina Hoff Sommers." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 1 May 2009, 21:06 UTC.
7 May 2009 <http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Christina_Hoff_Sommers&oldid=287324043>.

My Essay for the Board of Trustee's Scholarship at Drury University

A Woman’s Choice

As a Bible-believing Christian, I consider life as sacred at all stages, including growth in the womb. Once the zygote is embedded into the uterine wall, it needs only oxygen and nutrients to develop into the fully-grown baby capable of life outside the womb. These nutrients and oxygen are just what you and I need to stay alive, develop, and grow.

I also believe God is intimately involved at an infant’s conception. The Bible says in Psalms 139:13b-14, “Thou hast covered me in my mother's womb. I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvelous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.”

Because of this, I believe abortion is wrong. The exception is in situations where failure to terminate the baby would result in the death of both the mother and child, when an abortion may save one of the lives.

Right alongside the issue of abortion comes Senate Bill 1173, also called the Freedom of Choice Act. This bill will codify the 1973 Roe v. Wade Court decision, eliminate and rescind all progress towards the sanctity of life that the States’ and the Bush Administration have attempted, and nullify laws currently in existence. Laws like: parental consent and notification laws, health and safety regulations for abortion clinics, and limits on public funding for elective abortions (thus, making American taxpayers fund a procedure that many find morally objectionable). This bill will also rescind what is referred to as “Freedom of Conscience”, which currently allows any heath-care worker to refuse to participate in any part of the abortion process if their faith or conscience prohibits it. This is a direct extension of “freedom of religion.”

I want to become a general surgeon. Although FOCA does not directly affect my area of health care, the potential abolition of “Freedom of Conscience” will most surely bleed over into the other areas of healthcare. It is probable that once FOCA is passed, eventually other areas of healthcare (including mine) will lose the ability to practice their freedom of conscience.

A remark frequently heard from the pro-choice proponents is: “Women have the right to choose what they want!” So what about the women in the womb, who can’t yet talk, but are very viable lives?

In Senate Bill 1173, the first finding of Congress was: “The United States was founded on core principles, such as liberty, personal privacy, and equality, which ensure that individuals are free to make their most intimate decisions without governmental interference and discrimination.” I do believe that Congress didn’t “find” very well. I think what they meant to say was “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.” Notice something missing? Life.

Always err on the side of Life. This allows for freedom of conscience, and also gives the unborn person a chance to live the life God gave them.