Parents Taking Control Of Their Childrens Education :: essays research papers

Never before in the United States have parents been so disgruntled about their children's education. The main reason behind this massive disruption is that public schools are not living up to parent's standards. Therefore, parents are taking their children's educations and futures into their own hands, and doing so quite efficiently. Many parents are turning to ["an alternative"] means of educating known as home schooling. Home schooling is simply ["education of school- aged children at home rather than at school."] Parents are choosing home schooling over public because public schools are not meeting their children's academic, individual, and handicap needs. First, parents are choosing home schooling over public schooling because public schools are not meeting student's academic needs. [Parents expect their children will learn to read, write, and acquire basic math skills by the time they graduate.] However, public schools throughout the United States are failing to teach these basic achedemic skills. Recent studies show that [" Of the 2.4 million who graduate, as many as 25% cannot read or write at the eighth grade level or "functionally literate," level, according to some estimates."] This is a tragic statistic for a nation claiming to be so developed. There are more opportunities to education in the United States than any other country in the world, yet evidence shows that the United States ranks [" at the bottom of 19 industrial nations in reading, writing, and arithmetic."] In addition, students are ranking lower than ever on Academic Achievement Tests (ACT). Children who attend public schools rank in the [" 50th percentile."] whereas, home schooled children [" typically score at the 65th to 80th percentile...."] To add to these statistics, [" in December 1989, the education press reported the amazing news that children schooled at home seemed to be five or even ten years ahead of their formally trained peers in their ability to think."] These statistics prove that home schooled children are doing better in math, science, reading and writing, compared to children attending public schools. Secondly, parents are choosing home schooling over public schooling because public schools are no longer taking student's individual needs into consideration. Since students are taught lessons based on an academic calendar year, they are expected to be able to complete specific tasks by the end of that year. When students fail to meet these expectations they are required to repeat the same grade the following school year.