Home education: Socialization not a problem

Since the re-emergence of the home-school movement in the late 1970s, critics of home-schooling have perpetuated two myths. The first concerns the ability of parents to adequately teach their own children at home; the second is whether home-schooled children will be well-adjusted socially.

A new study should cause many critics to rethink their position on the issue of socialization. Not only are home-schoolers actively engaged in civic life, they also are succeeding in all walks of life. Many critics believed, and some parents feared, that home-schoolers would not be able to compete in the job market. But the new study shows home-schoolers are found in a wide variety of professions. (...) this new study clearly demonstrates home-school parents are on the right path.Read it here.

News round

Local MPs Tom Brake and Paul Burstow yesterday received a petition from concerned Home School educators in the London Borough of Sutton who are worried about the recommendations of the Badman Report. Read it here.

Petition - Badman Report (Birmingham, Yardley)- Badman Report (Birmingham, Yardley) 10.4 pm John Hemming (Birmingham, Yardley) (LD): I was impressed on Saturday by this petition, which came from people who share my concerns about the state wrongly intervening in family life. More here.

The government response to the online petition to reject the Badman Report is now available here. It states that "the recommendations set out by Badman are proportionate and reasonable."

Meantime, the home-ed families e-petition just got into the top 75 out of about 4,700 e-petitions. If you haven't signed it yet and would like to do so then you can do it here.

A Study Shows Home-Educated Become Model Citizens - find out more here. The study Fifteen Years Later: Home-Educated Canadian Adults is available in full form and as a synopsis here.

Homeschooling: Natural learning key to success

"(...) home education is natural learning. It allows people to work from strengths, free of unnecessary blocks to learning. With a wholesome, supportive atmosphere, the students can explore subjects with open minds, free of worry that short-circuits the brain's natural learning process."

Read it here.

Outstanding results on national tests

"There is new research showing that the average home-schooler who takes standardized achievement tests is doing very well. (...) In a sentence, home-schooling is a recipe for academic success."

Read it here.

Dr Thomas interview at HESFES

From Education Otherwise's YouTube channel:

Dr Thomas is a developmental psychologist, author and a Visiting Fellow at the Institute of Education. Interviewed at HESFES, Dr Thomas explains about his research into how children learn and his investigation into autonomous, or informal learning.

Homeschooling study

A study has found that home educated children score well above mainstream school kids.

Read the news here, or he report here.

From Extreme to Mainstream

This paper establishes that "home schooling is a thriving educational movement both in Canada and the United States, [and] that the academic and socialization outcomes for the average home schooled child are superior to those experienced by the average public school student."