New Concordia University Study Confirms the Benefits of Homeschooling

Derek works hard on his pre-k tracing curriculum

Good news for the homeschooling community: Yet another study confirms the academic benefits of homeschooling! A recent study by Concordia University and Mount Allison University found that structured, curriculum-based homeschooling gives kids an academic edge.

The study examined the standardized test results of children ages 5-10 years old and assessed their reading, writing, and math skills (etc). Homeschooled students had superior test scores on all subjects. Concordia Department of Education professor Sandra Martin-Chang contributes this advantage to several factors, including more time spent on core subjects( reading, writing, math), smaller class sizes, and individualized instruction. Maternal education levels and family income did not affect the results, as homeschooled students of various socioeconomic backgrounds and parental education brackets performed spectacularly well.

Unfortunately for the unschoolers, they didn’t perform as well as either traditionally homeschooled children or public school kids. Children taught in a structured environment rocked the socks off of the tests and left their unschooled peers in the dust. Unschoolers did not exhibit the achievements associated with homeschooling.

We are a very structured, curriculum based homeschooling family and have seen first-hand how the kids thrive with personalized attention. It’s awesome to be able to work at their speed and push them to the fullest extent of their abilities. I know quite a few families who prefer not to follow a schedule, but it really does work for us. I don’t think we could do the unschooling thing. I’m far too academic for that. I love textbooks and workbooks (as well as all sorts of projects, programs, outings, and hands-on-activities to make them exciting!).

Although the study was pretty small, the results are still pretty great . It’s always nice to see studies prove what we already know: homeschooling is awesome! Kudos to all you homeschoolers out there! You are giving your kids an awesome start to life. Bravo/ Brava!

Resources:

Structured Homeschooling Gets an A+: http://www.physorg.com/news/2011-09-homeschooling.html

High Marks For Homeschooling, A Small Study Finds: http://healthland.time.com/2011/09/15/high-marks-for-home-schooling-a-small-study-finds/

New study confirms homeschoolers outperform public schoolers and unschoolers (homeschoolcommunity.wordpress.com)
Homeschool, but Not Unschool, Superior to Public School (reason.com)
Home-schooled students keeping up with school-taught peers: Study (canada.com)

homeschoolinghelicoptermama We're a family of 6 on a homeschooling adventure!