Are Homeschooled Kids at a Disadvantage?

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Homeschooling works well, in large part because parents can work with each of their children on a one-on-one basis.  Studies focusing on the benefits of individual tutoring indicate that the education level of a tutor has little to do with the achievement of a tutored child; the advantages of one-to-one learning, which occurs in homeschooling, are thought to outweigh the advantages of professional training (see Patricia M. Lines, Homeschooling Comes of Age, THE PUBLIC INTEREST, No. 140, Summer 2000). Research has shown that homeschooled children reach levels of academic achievement similar to or higher than their publicly schooled peers. A nationwide study of 20,760 homeschooled students in grade levels K-12 found the median standardized test scores to be in the 70th to 80th percentile (see Lawrence M. Rudner, Scholastic Achievement and Demographic Characteristics of Home School Students in 1998, EDUC. POLICY ANALYSIS ARCHIVES, Vol. 7, No. 8, March 23, 1999). These results cut across racial and socio-economic lines – an accomplishment unique to homeschooling. For example, several prominent articles have noted the increasing numbers of African-American families teaching their children at home to “close the persistent achievement gap”.