Home School Academic Advantage Increases Over Time -- 03/24/1999

Home School Academic Advantage Increases Over Time

24 March, 1999

By Home School Legal Defense Association
CNS Information Services

News Release

PURCELLVILLE, VA - The largest study ever conducted on home schooling in the United States, released today in an online news conference, shows that in the drive for scholastic excellence, the typical home school student does exceptionally well at every grade level.

"Young home school students test one grade level ahead of their counterparts in public and private schools. As they progress, the study shows that home schoolers pull further away from the pack, typically testing four grade levels above the national average by the eighth grade," said Michael Farris, founder and president of the Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA).

More than 40 education reporters from across the country registered to join the online chat room at noon to discuss the study with Farris and the study's author, Dr. Lawrence M. Rudner, director of the ERIC Clearinghouse on Assessment and Evaluation at the University of Maryland. Rudner, an independent researcher, was commissioned by HSLDA to conduct the study. The study was officially released Tuesday, midday.

The research, which assesses the scholastic achievement and demographic characteristics of more than 20,000 home school students, is also published in the March issue of the refereed journal, Educational Policy Analysis Archives.

Families chose to participate before they knew their children's test scores, and all students took the same nationally-normed tests: the Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS) for grades K-8, and the Tests of Achievement and Proficiency (TAP) for grades 9-12, both published by the Riverside Publishing Company. The ITBS is used extensively in public and private schools.

The study results are consistent with previous smaller studies and the observations of those involved in home schooling. "Home school students and their families are very serious about education," said Farris. "We have always known that home school students excel academically. We now have independent verification of that fact." Rudner is quick to note that the study should not be read as criticism of public or private schools. "This was not a controlled experiment. The study simply shows that home schooling works for those who make the commitment." Home schooling has been rapidly growing abroad and in the United States, with estimates of U.S. home school students ranging from 700,000 to 2 million.

| Education Archives |