johnnymk

http://www.app.com/apps/pbcs.dll/art...75/1004/NEWS01

As the number of families across the country choosing to homeschool their children grows, some colleges and employers are increasingly recognizing the value and skills of these students, helping to shatter the stereotype that homeschooled children lack the social and academic skills needed to succeed in the real world.

"Even though we're 25 years into the modern home-education movement, there still is a stereotype, and actually that stereotype is a mental one," said Brian D. Ray, president of the Oregon-based National Home Education Research Institute, who has studied homeschooling for 23 years. "The stereotype is they're probably socially isolated. But almost nobody who meets homeschool kids will say that anymore."

Elizabeth Przywara and her two siblings, Rebecca, 12, and Matthew, 15, of Shrewsbury are living proof that academic success can come without sitting in front of a chalkboard in a classroom full of other students.

Elizabeth, who took the PSATs last year, was in the 99.9th percentile on the language-arts section. She has been studying piano for 12 years, and is considering applying to Berklee College of Music in Boston. Matthew, who travels to Freehold with his mother once a week to receive Latin instruction, recently won a national award for an essay he wrote. He will be studying Greek next.

Since kindergarten, Rebecca has played recreation soccer, basketball and softball and has participated in a travel softball league during the summer. She also is taking Latin.

All three follow a curriculum in the basic subject areas and go to the Red Bank YMCA on Friday mornings to attend a gym class organized by local parents of homeschooled children.

When asked if she was nervous about the possibility of going away to college, Elizabeth said: "I'm a social person, so I think it will be fine."

But critics of homeschooling say that the best way to ensure a quality education and ripen social skills is for children to be in a classroom with their peers.

"In the classroom, you have highly qualified teachers, you have interaction with other children, you have exposure to ideas and perspectives other than your own," said Steve Baker, a spokesman for New Jersey Education Association. "There are just overwhelming advantages of a public-school education."

Nonetheless, homeschooled students are succeeding after graduation, experts on the subject contend.

Monmouth University in West Long Branch, seeing an increase in the number of applicants who were homeschooled, responded about a year ago by establishing an admission policy for those students, said Lauren Vento Cifelli, director of undergraduate admissions.

The school created a course-evaluation worksheet that essentially serves as a formal transcript for homeschooled students, she said, so that admissions counselors know what subjects applicants have studied, and for how long.

"The homeschooled students that we have seen throughout the years have been very qualified for admission. They do seem to be well-rounded applicants," Cifelli said. "I wouldn't say that we look more favorably upon them, but I wouldn't say that they are at a disadvantage at all for being homeschooled. Generally speaking, we're able to look at them and admit them at the same rate that we are a student coming from a traditional background."

Two or three years ago, Brookdale Community College in Middletown clarified the admissions criteria for its Fast Start program, which allows high school students ages 15 and older to take college classes, and "made it clear that it was open to homeschoolers," said Carol Ann Hafner, a college spokeswoman.

Elizabeth may have to take a high school equivalency test such as the GED to get a formal diploma before she sends out college applications. It depends on the college whether a student must take the test, or just provide a record of what subjects they've studied, her mother, Ina Przywara, said.

Although there is no research on the subject, Ray said he's heard that homeschooled students also get the thumbs up from employers.

"What I've heard is that they really do like them because, generally speaking, young people who are raised in this environment are going to be self-starters, and already, on average, they are doing better academically," he said.

Marilyn Scherfen, director of the Atlantic Highlands Library, said she employed two local homeschooled students when they were teens and that their work ethic was notable.

"I don't know how much to attribute to the homeschooling, but they have such wonderful family values, and that is what shown through," she said.

Homeschooling is more common than some might think. Among its alumni are tennis stars Venus and Serena Williams; William Livingston, former governor of New Jersey; and luminary Thomas Edison.

Once considered an educational alternative for America's wealthiest and socially elite, homeschooling is now becoming more mainstream.

Ray estimates there are anywhere between 55,000 and 70,000 homeschooled students in New Jersey, a number that is on the rise. But the state puts the total at significantly less, most likely because in New Jersey, families are not required to notify local school boards if they decide to homeschool their children.

Ina Przywara, a Korean native who came to America at age 9, doesn't need statistics to tell her the benefits of homeschooling. At home, she not only knows what her children are learning, she knows what they're eating.

"In general, society today is just rushed. People find it hard to sit down to a meal together," Przywara, 47, said. "For us, we eat breakfast together, we eat lunch together, and we try our hardest to eat dinner together."

Their father, Dennis Przywara, 49, who is Polish-Irish, is an electrical engineering consultant who works at home. He teaches history at 8 a.m. Monday through Thursday, and Ina, who does not work, provides instruction in the rest of the subjects.

Ina Przywara is willing to admit that there are a few drawbacks to homeschooling. Her youngest daughter is "very athletic, so her ability to make the most of that is tough," because the local schools do not allow homeschooled students to participate in sports.

Another minor problem arose when Elizabeth took biology last year and had to dissect a frog.

"I did it on the dining room table, but I put a tray down," she said. "It was gross."

oblongmelon

It's the parents of homeschoolers that are wierd..well, at least in my area..I know alot of homeschoolers and believe it or not, those kids want to get into regular schools. Home school parents are over protective, coddling, boobs that want the kids to live in some netherworld of all-that-is-good..wait till they get out on the streets and get approached by a crack head for spare change..

Memo

Oh god. There are a couple people I worth with that were home schooled up until college. They're smart and normal at first sight but they lack some really basic communication skills.

WhiskeyPapa

Well, our first three are doing fine after homeschooling. My 22 year old is a software developer making $48k per year and married, my 20 year old has an AA degree in 'Multimedia Design' and is now in college for a degree in law enforcement, and my 16 year old daughter is a college freshman with a 3.5 GPA.

I've got 1000% more experience with home schoolers than anyone here (we're in our 15th year of home schooling) and can tell you the the percentage of "over protective, coddling, boobs" and the lack of "really basic communication skills" is on par with the rest of society.

It's simply that the perception of "over protective, coddling, boobs" and the lack of "really basic communication skills" fits your template, so that's what you notice.

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Memo

With all due respect, your template of normal is different that most people WP. You're a unique guy

BigJon

I have to agree...it depends a lot on the parents. If you have that type of parent that lacks social and communication skills on their own, the kids will tend to mimic that. I've met a few home schooled kids and I'd have to say it was a 60-40 split with the majority lacking a few social skills.

*shrugs*

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Maarchk

I think people have gotten better at homeschooling with the aid of books and discussion groups, but i would say that its doubtful that more than 75-80% of people could do a great job in making their children well rounded and socially adept. its just a very hard task and there is a reason schools exist. If you want to do it, then thats wonderful, but make sure you are ready to do it, willing to read the books you need to go be good at it, and able to get critiqued by others if you are doing a crappy job. otherwise your kids may suffer from it.

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WhiskeyPapa

All of you are going by your "gut feeling" about home schooling. The statistics (and reality) won't back you up.

A 1997 study by the National Home Education Research Institute showed that home schooled children outperformed their public school counterparts by 30 to 37 percentile points in all subjects. Students that are home schooled for two or more years on average score between the 86th and 89th percentile.

Even more amazing is that these results happen at a cost 10% of what it costs to teach a public school student ($546 per year for home school, $5,325 per year for public school.)

In 1991, a study by the publishers of the SAT found that under controlled test conditions, home schoolers scored 18 to 28 percentile points above their public school counterparts.

In 1999, home schooled students score an average of 1083 on the SAT (1016 is the average for for public school) while they scored an average of 22.9 on the ACT (20.9 is the average for public school.)

Every single study done on home schooled students shows an elevated level of performance in all subjects. Every. Single. One.

Well rounded and socially adept? Please, explain how confining children 8 hours a day in a peer group of 20 to 30 students the same age in any way relates to "real life" outside of school? You're implying that peer pressure, imposed misconceptions, poor values, etc. are somehow good and normal.

Home schooled students get to interact with a wide variety of people of all ages enabling them to socialize with those outside of their peer group which gives them a broader, more mature view.

Butch

Whiskey, I understand that you home school, and that's great - perhaps you do it well. However, you aren't convincing at all about home schooling in general. I'm not going to pick piece by piece because I'm not going to try to research everything (I don't care), but I will snipe the two pieces of low-hanging fruit.

1. Your selected studies wreak of selection bias.
2. The costs you quote must not be economic costs - the parent's time is not being valued if the cost is only about $500 per year. And, if I'm wrong, and the time is being valued accurately, then the parent's opportunity cost much be nothing, which would lead me to believe that their teaching abilities are pretty worthless, as well.

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LPMiller

learning how to deal with those things is in fact, normal.

I don't fear homeschooling, however, but it's not really surprising they do better on tests or cost less to teach - it's cheaper teaching 1 kid at home, sure, and easier to make sure that one kid does well. But that doesn't make school bad or make up for the type of social interaction that occurs. And I do think it can limit your worldview a bit. But there are downsides to each type of schooling, whether public, private, or home schooled. Upsides to all three too.

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cheapie

good response LP.

i was homeschooled, as were some of my siblings and many, MANY of my friends. i would agree with papa that on average, homeschooled kids are generally smarter. however, the ones whose parents didn't make sure they had plenty of social interaction had poor conflict resolution and took a while to interact "normally" with other youth.

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Mommypooh

I know where we live we have a very active group for homeschooling. They do many outing and activities together and many of the parents will decide to have their kids do a group project with others from the group. It is very broad and I believe if groups such as this are utilized it can be a very good experience. I have met some of these kids on a playdate for some of the youger ones and the older siblings were there as well. They seem very adept at talking to me as an adult as well as being able to interact with my little ones and everyone of different ages that was there.

I can also say I have seen the negative effects of a child that was homeschooled the mom and dad both worked and he was on his own all day doing what they assigned him to do. He lacked the ability to get along well with peers as well as how to talk to an adult.

I think it is dependent on how you handle it as a parent and I have no qualms about if I don't like how school is going to pull my child out and homeschool him or her. I am only sending them at my husbands insistance but he does back me that if it is not working for one of them I can keep that one or all at home based on what they want. If one of them decides to go back to school we will support them in their choice. I am already part of the homeschooling group and will continue to expose my children to them.

I think Just lumping every homeschooler into one catagorie is wrong and narrow minded. I think there are good and bad at it. But that is true with any group of people.

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oblongmelon

No offense WP, but please take note that I said in MY AREA...that was not in direct relation to the entire world of Homeschoolers.

janzyb

Can we say that you would have a great chance of getting into a top ranked university when you are home schooled? I would think that the same exam conditions are not the same and who is there to control it?

cheapie

like the SAT?

WhiskeyPapa

Top ranked universities actively court home schooled students. I can only assume you are insinuating that home school parents help their children on achievement tests. That would be counter-productive, because no one wants to know the student's real level of performance more than the parents. Cheapie is right - the SAT/ACT/PSAT/etc are the same whether you're home schooled or not.

zippyjuan

California just changed some of their requirements on home schooling- you have to be a certified educator to be able to teach you kids at home- otherwise they have go to a regular school and the parents can be fined.

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InfiniteNothing

Makes me a bit nervous but I think the certification isn't expensive or hard to get (CBEST?)

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SKinAZ

Just heard about this on the radio today. That's going to make it tough on some home schooling families.

IMHO it seems like the new legislation is more to get revenue for local schools than it is for helping kids get a better education.