The COVID-19 pandemic has shone a light on the way we educate children. The disruption to our lives forced people to throw convention out of the window and rapidly adapt to how we work, study and interact, shifting the dial on the ‘norm’.
Homeschooling during this time is just one way that opened the door to new alternatives to help children learn and grow up to become productive members of society.
As a result of the pandemic, many Australian parent’s hands were forced to adopt a hybrid education style as children could not attend regular school, causing various disruptions to learning.
Now, Australians are returning to their normal lives. Still, for many parents, it has made them take stock of their children’s education, with around 20,000 children nationwide now being homeschooled.
In this article, we will look at the academic performance of homeschooling for students and how homeschooling is a legitimate alternative to conventional education.
Why Homeschooling?
Traditional classrooms and learning environments can be challenging for some children, especially when students with specific learning challenges may not be as responsive as others.
Some students feel deflated in larger classroom environments, unable to feel like they are moving forward or adding to their frustration, which can lead to withdrawal and demotivation. Homeschooling provides an alternative where parents can provide appropriate learning methods and materials tailored to their children’s needs.
Material and lesson plans can be customised to a child’s unique strengths and weaknesses, setting a learning pace that is more productive and beneficial – not at the pace that a traditional school dictates due to larger key performance indicators.
Having a parent and home school tutor who can focus on various educational philosophical approaches can help a child better develop in ways that more traditional schooling may not be able to deliver.
Academic Performance of Homeschooled Students
Studies have shown that homeschooled students perform better than their counterparts in formal institutional schooling.
Many factors contribute to these performance indicators, including environment, learning ability and economic background. However, the data shows that:
- 69 per cent of homeschooled students succeed in university and throughout adulthood
- Homeschooled students tended to perform above the average on standardised achievement testing
- Homeschooled students averaged between 15 and 30 per cent higher results than their public school counterparts
- The average performance of homeschoolers is 22.8 out of 36 points compared to the national average of 21.
- Homeschoolers have an average graduation rate of 67% compared to the 57.5% graduation rate for students from public schools.
While the peer-reviewed data above is within the context of the United States of America, it does highlight that students can benefit from homeschooling, and their chances of success are much higher.
Choosing to homeschool your child is very personal and depends on you and your child’s circumstances. However, comparing it to traditional schooling highlights that children will perform better in a more personalised environment.
Benefits of Homeschool
Personalisation and attention given to children in homeschooled environments allow children the time and space to articulate their thinking and communicate ideas in a much more intimate and encouraging setting than a classroom.
Learning Pace
Homeschool gives those students who feel frustrated and might be falling behind the breathing space to study at their pace, allowing students to retain information much better and giving parents a closer understanding of how their child learns.
Materials and Curriculum
Homeschooling allows learning materials and lesson plans to be tailored and actioned by online homeschool tutors and parents who understand their children more intimately. It then gives children a sense of purpose to be more productive and not feel like they are constantly falling behind because they are learning what they need at their pace.
Allowances for Special Needs
Well-structured homeschooling could be especially beneficial for students with neurodivergent conditions such as dyslexia, dyscalculia, and ADHD, where students can learn without disruption and from someone they feel comfortable with.
Homeschooling can be a personalised and engaging learning experience for families committed to providing their children with a high-quality education.
Lions Education: A New Approach
In the past, homeschooling has been negatively portrayed due to misinformation. While the concept may not suit every family or child’s needs, sufficient evidence suggests that children can benefit academically from this type of education in many ways.
It ultimately depends on family circumstances and the child’s needs, but if you are considering homeschooling your child, why not consider Lions Education homeschooling?