HIGHER SCORES

National Post
March 12, 2004
Home-schoolers score higher than norm
Comprehensive report: Desire to shape values, beliefs motivates parents
By Sarah Schmidt, CanWest News Service

OTTAWA - Most home-schooled students academically outperform their peers in public schools, but it is the ability to teach particular beliefs and values that is the greatest driving force for parents who educate their children at home, Canada's first comprehensive study on home-schooling has found.

The report was jointly commissioned by the Home School Legal Defence Association of Canada (whose slogan, borrowed from its U.S. counterpart, is, "Advocates for Family and Freedom") and the Canadian Centre for Home Education and involved 1,800 families with 3,800 home-educated kids. The study paints a picture of well-adjusted families and academically successful kids.

Most of those who opt for home-schooling identify themselves as Christian (85%), some 10 points higher than those in the general population who identify themselves as Christians, according to the 2001 census. Ninety-six per cent of home-educated kids live with both parents, who tend to have larger families than the norm. The mean number of children living in home-educating households is 3.3, far higher than Canada's fertility rates, never higher than 1.7 children per woman since 1981. [FERTILITY AS DESTINY!!! - TB] The parents also tend to be better educated than the Canadian norm, the study found. And 11% of mothers and 5% of fathers are certified teachers.

The report says the greatest parental motivators for home education were: the ability to teach particular beliefs and values; the push for direct influence on the moral environment of the child; and the desire for more parent-child contact. Individualized learning plans and the ability to accomplish more academically were also judged to be important, but to a lesser degree. Other factors include perceived lack of appropriate curriculum in schools, use of drugs and alcohol in the school system, physical, emotional and sexual safety of the child, violence and lack of discipline in schools and frustration with a public school. In home-schooling, the parent assumes the function of teacher, and develops lesson plans for any grade from kindergarten to high school according to provincial curriculum guidelines.

The report found most home-schooled students outscore their counterparts in public schools on the Canadian Achievement Test. It also found home-schoolers are well-adjusted and engaged in their community. "They're doing much better than the Canadian norm," said Deani Van Pelt, author of the report.

Among the reports findings:

- In Grade 3, home-schoolers performed on average better than 70% of their peers in the regular school system on the language test, 76% on the reading test and 81% on the math test.

- In Grade 6, home-schoolers performed on average better than 66% of their peers in the regular school system on the math test, 75% on the language test and 80% on the reading test.

- In Grade 9, home-schoolers performed on average better than 72% of their peers in the regular school system on the math test, 81% on the language test and 85% on the reading test.

"You get one teacher with five students who's very committed. How does a teacher try to teach 30 and compete with that?" said Jack Baribeau, a father of five home-schooled children ages seven to 14. "Each child learns a little bit differently, and we're able to adjust the curriculum to the personality and temperament of each child."