Access to quality empirical evidence
is vital to any investigation of homeschooling
as an educational option.
In recent months, Homeschool Iowa used solid research information to refute unsupported, misleading arguments offered by The Des Moines Register editorial staff calling for the elimination of Independent Private Instruction (IPI).
With access to authoritative research data,
you too can base positions and comments
upon sound foundational information.
A ONE-STOP RESOURCE SOURCE IS NOW AVAILABLE
Thanks to a generous contribution, a recent comprehensive resource article is now available to the public at no charge.
The National Home Education Research Institute’s Dr. Brian Ray authored this overview based on his review of numerous peer-reviewed studies.
Until now, this article was only available to research subscribers.
Now you, too, have access to this extensive article: “A Systematic Review of the Empirical Research on Selected Aspects of Homeschooling as a School Choice.”
Whether you need demographic data on homeschooling for an essay project or are gathering empirical information to refute attacks upon home education, this article is an exhaustive source for current homeschooling statistics.
What will you find in this one-stop source article?
Here's a quick list:
Research evidence on the demographic characteristics of homeschoolers
What percentage of the homeschooling families live in city or suburban areas and what percentage live in rural areas? What are the reported ethnicities and races of homeschoolers? What percentage of homeschooled students are classified as "poor" or "non-poor"? What are the educational levels of homeschooling parents? What are their religious and political preferences? Empirical answers to these and other demographic questions are provided.
Research evidence on reasons for homeschooling
What reasons do homeschooling parents cite as foundational or most important to their choice to home educate? Find them in this article.
Research evidence on the academic achievement of the homeschooled
Data is presented from 14 peer-reviewed quantitative studies of homeschool student academic achievement. Most of the studies include, as dependent variables, students’ scores on standardized academic achievement tests. A chart summary of the data is provided.
Research evidence on the social development of the home-educated
Results from 15 peer-reviewed studies on the social development of home-educated children and adults are presented again in table format.
Research evidence on the relative success of the homeschooled into college and adulthood
Of the 16 peer-reviewed studies found to address this topic, 11 found positive outcomes for homeschooled students compared to traditionally schooled students. One reported opposite results, and four reported no significant differences. The article presents all of this information in chart form.
This amazing comprehensive article concludes with a discussion by the author, Dr. Brian Ray, on the future of research on homeschooling.
He offers suggestions for additional topics of study and urges researchers to use care in gathering and interpreting data.
Dr. Ray's closing comments:
"It appears that homeschooling is continuing to grow and will do so into the foreseeable future. The reasons why parents and teens homeschool are fundamental and have been durable over the past 30 years. There is some evidence that those who were home educated choose to homeschool their own children at a higher rate than does the general public. With these factors in mind and the positive outcomes that empirical research shows are related to homeschooling, the movement and school choice is likely to continue to expand and the research base on it will continue to flourish."