Brian D. Ray, Ph.D., National Home Education Research Institute, conducts educational research with his focus being home education (homeschooling). In a recent study, Dr. Ray found that there is a slight difference in student achievement based on family income, but “The effect is small, practically speaking, with income explaining only about one-half of 1% of the variance in test scores.”1
This is a significant finding for a homeschool parent who worries about her limited resources. According to this study, family income may have some miniscule impact on student achievement, but certainly not enough to cause concern. Sure music lessons and various other things add to a student’s education, but when money is in short supply, parents find ways to fill in areas of concern and to provide an excellent education for their children. There are many resources available to parents at little to no cost that can significantly impact educational success. Homeschool parents are plugged into the community and use these resources to their advantage in providing a solid education for their children.
According to the study this article is based on, homeschool student scores are in the 80th percentile, whereas public schooled student scores are in the 50th percentile. This doesn’t mean that all homeschooled students score in the 80th percentile or that all public school students score in the 50th percentile. It means that is the average score in those categories and that overall homeschooling produces students who score high on standardized tests. This is true despite the fact that homeschool parents spend an average of $600 per student per year on educating their children and public schools spend much more. Of course the homeschool teacher isn’t paid, a separate location is not necessary for education and the only administration cost is related to mandated testing and other government interference, depending on which state the homeschooling family resides in. The money budgeted for homeschooling is used mostly for educational materials and lessons.
In homeschooling, the main things that contribute to student achievement have to do with being closely monitored by the parent-teacher, individual instruction and materials that are chosen directly by the teacher. When a teacher is able to use what she understands and likes and is able to use it to instruct her child in a manner that works for her and the student, a higher level of learning is likely to take place than in a classroom full of students with different learning styles who all must be taught together with materials chosen by someone outside of that particular classroom. The ability of the parent to focus directly on her students and on their individual needs produces academic achievement.
In the homeschool environment, curriculum can be the servant rather than the master. We can choose how we are going to use the materials we have and if we are going to follow the directions exactly or not. If a particular curriculum doesn’t work, we can choose a different one. Most homeschoolers use curriculum to help them teach a variety of subjects. However a more expensive curriculum doesn’t necessarily produce a better result. An example is teaching reading. Many people have taught their children to read from the instructions given by Dr. Ruth Beechick in her book, “The Three R’s,” which is less than $20, including shipping. It covers all the early elementary subjects and explains how to teach one’s child everything they need to know without even using curriculum. Of course, this is a lot more work than picking up a few hundred dollars worth of curriculum and using that, but it can be done and is likely to produce high academic achievement, because educational results are based on the student having close personal attention and help with his studies, not on how much money is spent. There are many such books available for teaching various subjects at a low cost and an excellent result.
As the student gets older, it usually costs more for books and materials than in the early grade levels, however, that still doesn’t mean it has to be expensive. I have purchased a lot of used curriculum and have used it again for my next child. Using the same curriculum for the next child doesn’t always work, but most often it has for us. We don’t use a lot of consumable materials, but those that we do are not expensive. For example, a math workbook for the math program we use is $25 for the lower levels and $30 for the upper levels.
Yes, homeschooling does cost money, but the amount of money that your family makes is unlikely to make much of a difference in how well educated your children are. When a parent is focused on meeting the educational needs of her children and in covering all the subjects, her attention and care for her student will help him to excel in his studies.
1 Ray, Brian D., Academic Leadership Live On-Line Journal Volume 9, Issue 2, Spring 2011; Academic Achievement and Demographic Traits of Homeschool Students: A Nationwide Study
