Travis, Fine reduce the average public classroom size to provide one teacher for every 2 or 3 students, like home-schooled kids, and see if you don't get similar results.
On Aug 13, 3:56 pm, Travis <[email protected]> wrote: > More proof of the destruction the teacher's unions have caused the public > schools. And of the feds interference in the states rsponsibility. > > > > On Thu, Aug 13, 2009 at 3:22 PM, Zebnick <[email protected]> wrote: > > > WTF are you talking about? > > > On Aug 13, 4:19 pm, VT VirtualTruth <[email protected]> wrote: > > > More proof that 'no child left behind' has left behind an entire > > > generation....... > > > > On Aug 13, 4:16 pm, Bruce Majors <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > New Nationwide Study Confirms Homeschool Academic Achievement > > > > * > > > > > Ian Slatter > > > > Director of Media Relations > > > > > August 10, 2009 > > > > * > > > > > Each year, the homeschool movement graduates at least 100,000 students. > > Due > > > > to the fact that both the United States government and homeschool > > advocates > > > > agree that homeschooling has been growing at around 7% per annum for > > the > > > > past decade, it is not surprising that homeschooling is gaining > > increased > > > > attention. Consequently, many people have been asking questions about > > > > homeschooling, usually with a focus on either the academic or social > > > > abilities of homeschool graduates. > > > > > As an organization advocating on behalf of homeschoolers, Home School > > Legal > > > > Defense Association (HSLDA) long ago committed itself to demonstrating > > that > > > > homeschooling should be viewed as a mainstream educational alternative. > > > > > We strongly believe that homeschooling is a thriving education movement > > > > capable of producing millions of academically and socially able > > students who > > > > will have a tremendously positive effect on society. > > > > > Despite much resistance from outside the homeschool movement, whether > > from > > > > teachers unions, politicians, school administrators, judges, social > > service > > > > workers, or even family members, over the past few decades > > homeschoolers > > > > have slowly but surely won acceptance as a mainstream education > > alternative. > > > > This has been due in part to the commissioning of research which > > > > demonstrates the academic success of the average homeschooler. > > > > > The last piece of major research looking at homeschool academic > > achievement > > > > was completed in 1998 by Dr. Lawrence Rudner. Rudner, a professor at > > the > > > > ERIC Clearinghouse, which is part of the University of Maryland, > > surveyed > > > > over 20,000 homeschooled students. His study, titled *Home Schooling > > Works*, > > > > discovered that homeschoolers (on average) scored about 30 percentile > > points > > > > higher than the national average on standardized achievement tests. > > > > > This research and several other studies supporting the claims of > > > > homeschoolers have helped the homeschool cause tremendously. Today, you > > > > would be hard pressed to find an opponent of homeschooling who says > > that > > > > homeschoolers, on average, are poor academic achievers. > > > > > There is one problem, however. Rudner’s research was conducted over a > > decade > > > > ago. Without another look at the level of academic achievement among > > > > homeschooled students, critics could begin to say that research on > > > > homeschool achievement is outdated and no longer relevant. > > > > > Recognizing this problem, HSLDA commissioned Dr. Brian Ray, an > > > > internationally recognized scholar and president of the non-profit > > National > > > > Home Education Research Institute (NHERI), to collect data for the > > 2007–08 > > > > academic year for a new study which would build upon 25 years of > > homeschool > > > > academic scholarship conducted by Ray himself, Rudner, and many others. > > > > > Drawing from 15 independent testing services, the *Progress Report > > 2009: > > > > Homeschool Academic Achievement and Demographics* included 11,739 > > > > homeschooled students from all 50 states who took three well-known > > > > tests—*California > > > > Achievement Test*, *Iowa Tests of Basic Skills*, and *Stanford > > Achievement > > > > Test* for the 2007–08 academic year. The *Progress Report* is the most > > > > comprehensive homeschool academic study ever completed. > > > > The Results > > > > > Overall the study showed significant advances in homeschool academic > > > > achievement as well as revealing that issues such as student gender, > > > > parents’ education level, and family income had little bearing on the > > > > results of homeschooled students. > > > > *National Average Percentile Scores**Subtest**Homeschool**Public > > School* > > > > Reading8950Language8450Math8450Science8650Social Studies8450Corea8850 > > > > Compositeb8650a. Core is a combination of Reading, Language, and Math. > > > > b. Composite is a combination of all subtests that the student took on > > the > > > > test. > > > > > There was little difference between the results of homeschooled boys > > and > > > > girls on core scores. > > > > > *Boys*—87th percentile > > > > *Girls*—88th percentile > > > > > Household income had little impact on the results of homeschooled > > students. > > > > > *$34,999 or less*—85th percentile > > > > *$35,000–$49,999*—86th percentile > > > > *$50,000–$69,999*—86th percentile > > > > *$70,000 or more*—89th percentile > > > > > The education level of the parents made a noticeable difference, but > > the > > > > homeschooled children of non-college educated parents still scored in > > the > > > > 83rd percentile, which is well above the national average. > > > > > *Neither parent has a college degree*—83rd percentile > > > > *One parent has a college degree*—86th percentile > > > > *Both parents have a college degree*—90th percentile > > > > > Whether either parent was a certified teacher did not matter. > > > > > *Certified (i.e., either parent ever certified)*—87th percentile > > > > *Not certified (i.e., neither parent ever certified)*—88th percentile > > > > > Parental spending on home education made little difference. > > > > > *Spent $600 or more on the student*—89th percentile > > > > *Spent under $600 on the student*—86th percentile > > > > > The extent of government regulation on homeschoolers did not affect the > > > > results. > > > > > *Low state regulation*—87th percentile > > > > *Medium state regulation*—88th percentile > > > > *High state regulation*—87th percentile > > > > > HSLDA defines the extent of government regulation this way: > > > > > *States with low regulation:* No state requirement for parents to > > initiate > > > > any contact or State requires parental notification only. > > > > > *States with moderate regulation:* State requires parents to send > > > > notification, test scores, and/or professional evaluation of student > > > > progress. > > > > > *State with high regulation:* State requires parents to send > > notification or > > > > achievement test scores and/or professional evaluation, plus other > > > > requirements (e.g. curriculum approval by the state, teacher > > qualification > > > > of parents, or home visits by state officials). > > > > > The question HSLDA regularly puts before state legislatures is, “If > > > > government regulation does not improve the results of homeschoolers why > > is > > > > it necessary?” > > > > > In short, the results found in the new study are consistent with 25 > > years of > > > > research, which show that as a group homeschoolers consistently perform > > > > above average academically. The *Progress Report*also shows that, even > > as > > > > the numbers and diversity of homeschoolers have grown tremendously over > > the > > > > past 10 years, homeschoolers have actually increased the already > > sizeable > > > > gap in academic achievement between themselves and their public school > > > > counterparts-moving from about 30 percentile points higher in the > > Rudner > > > > study (1998) to 37 percentile points higher in the *Progress > > Report*(2009). > > > > > As mentioned earlier, the achievement gaps that are well-documented in > > > > public school between boys and girls, parents with lower incomes, and > > > > parents with lower levels of education are not found among > > homeschoolers. > > > > While it is not possible to draw a definitive conclusion, it does > > appear > > > > from all the existing research that homeschooling equalizes every > > student > > > > upwards. Homeschoolers are actually achieving every day what the public > > > > schools claim are their goals—to narrow achievement gaps and to educate > > each > > > > child to a high level. > > > > > Of course, an education movement which consistently shows that children > > can > > > > be educated to a standard significantly above the average public school > > > > student at a fraction of the cost—the average spent by participants in > > > > the *Progress > > > > Report* was about $500 per child per year as opposed to the public > > school > > > > average of nearly $10,000 per child per year—will inevitably draw > > attention > > > > from the K-12 public education industry. > > > > Answering the Critics > > > > > This particular study is the most comprehensive ever undertaken. It > > attempts > > > > to build upon and improve on the previous research. One criticism of > > the > > > > Rudner study was that it only drew students from one large testing > > service. > > > > Although there was no reason to believe that homeschoolers > > participating > > > > with that service were automatically non-representative of the broader > > > > homeschool community, HSLDA decided to answer this criticism by using > > 15 > > > > independent testing services for this new study. There can be no doubt > > that > > > > homeschoolers from all walks of life and backgrounds participated in > > > > the*Progress > > > > Report*. > > > > > While it is true that not every homeschooler in America was part of > > this > > > > study, it is also true that the *Progress Report* provides clear > > evidence of > > > > the success > > ... > > read more »- Hide quoted text - > > - Show quoted text - --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ Thanks for being part of "PoliticalForum" at Google Groups. 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