Are Homeschooled Kids at a Disadvantage?

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Of course public teachers need to meet minimum standards. They work with classrooms of 20, 30 or 40 children, trying to control and motivate each one.  They need to deliver very specific content in a prescribed period of time. They are expected to be the masters of the subjects they teach. Specialized training is undoubtedly very helpful, if not necessary, in enabling teachers to do this effectively.  And some go on to do it exceptionally well, lingering in the memories of the kids they teach.

But the needs of the homeschooling family are different. Most families have between 2 and 4 children, not 30. Studies that have looked at whether it matters that a homeschooling parent possesses a credential have found that it does not, confirming other studies that found that individual tutoring is exceptionally effective even if the tutor has no formal training.  Children thrive with the one-on-one interaction that homeschooling allows. Parents also have a much deeper knowledge of their children than any teacher could, and while most families struggle from time to time with getting children to do their work, by and large there is a great deal of mutual respect. Control isn't a huge issue.

In a home setting, parents and children can work together to develop goals for learning.  Those in public programs may have content standards to look to, and those in private schools have the general curriculum guidelines they need to meet, but within those, there is a great deal of freedom to tailor the education so that the child is most interested: freedom to choose the sequence, the focus, the materials, the means. Is "hands-on" learning best? An online course? What about physics in fifth grade, if that's what the child is passionate about? Parents don't need to "assess" their children with frequent quizzes and tests; they live with and talk to their children all day long.  They know if their children are learning. And if it takes a shorter or longer period to cover a subject than it would in public school, so what? The important thing is to do what is right for the child. The kids in public programs need to take the end-of-year standardized tests just like all public school students, and generally do just fine.  The ones in private programs, just like all other students in private schools, are not required to, but their parents certainly can have their children tested if an objective assessment is needed.

Unlike school teachers, who present themselves to their classes as the authority on their subject, parents don't need to master everything in the K-12 curriculum. There are vast resources available to parents in today's world.  The internet alone allows anyone to find answers to virtually any question. Universities offer online classes in advanced subjects that can count for high school or college credit. Advanced placement classes are offered to homeschoolers. Some families find mentors or tutors in various fields.

The result of this freedom to involve the child in designing his own education is that he has not been forced to participate for 12 years in a school over which he has no meaningful control. He still wants to learn. He does not look at all adults as creatures who impose arbitrary and unpleasant rules and requirements on him. Colleges are discovering that homeschooled students, in Stanford's words, "possess unusual intellectual vitality". They think for themselves.  They're excited.

There isn't any proof that homeschooling parents can't do their job without training or certification. When there is, society may demand that these parents meet certain requirements.  But homeschooling has been going on in its current form for decades. Its graduates are doing well. The proof just isn't there.