Research/books on the benefits of public schools vs. homeschooling?

[kaireece]

Hi there
I am still trying to make a decision about homeschooling versus sending my son to public school (I am in Canada and believe that the schools in our district are regardly highly).

I have read lots on hs'ing and it's benefits, and I was wondering if there were any studies/research/books on the benefits of public school?
thanks

[PumpkinSeeds]

:

[Callimom]

Have you read Family Matters by Guterson? It's written by a homeschooling dad who is also a school teacher and walks through a number of philosophical arguments both pro and con. As an aside there's also a Canadian teacher named Michael Reist who was one of the founders of the Toronto Beach School (free school) who also homeschooled his children and he's written a book called the Dysfunctional School. You can read excerpts here. He's a great speaker if you get a chance to see him.

I'm not aware of pro-school studies but would be interested.

In the interests of full disclosure I'm a homeschooler.

[meemee]

here is my opinion on this. i have read extensively many years ago so dont remember any of the books.

what matters ultimately is your child's personality.

to give you an example - my dd is a free spirit. she is a kinesthetic learner. she takes a while to understand but once she crosses the hurdle she races thru the next steps. she is tenacious. if the subject interests her she wants to spend hours and master it. once she is done with it she is done. she is also a social learner. she needs not just me as her teacher but a bunch of other people. she prefers older people to kids her age. teenagers esp. her 6th grader friend is doing multiplications with her now.

so she has the perfect personality for homeschooling. i dont need any books to tell me that. even the best school will not have best curriculum that she would get with co-op homeschooling.

but unfortunately life doesnt allow me to hs. so my dd is in a good elementary school. but she hates most of it and clings on to some of its good points just coz she doesnt have a choice. is she unhappy - no. is she getting the best education? NO!!!!

so even if i found tonnes of research that said public schools was better, i know my dd would fall in that 1% for whom hs would be a better fit.

ALSO myself is v. important too. i love to teach. i am good at teaching. so i would not find hsing a burden. so i would make one of the great teachers for her.

right now we end up doing a lot of afterschooling anyways. so in a sense i am doing homeschooling to a v. limited degree AND going to school.

just so you know my dd's attitude towards school which she said at K was 'i go to school to party, and learn at home'. that attitude has not changed. she hates the homework at school. life would be much more fun for her if she didnt have homework and reading logs.

she is the kind who would learn much more from internships than from high school.

hope this makes sense.

[kaireece]

Originally Posted by Karenwith4

Have you read Family Matters by Guterson? It's written by a homeschooling dad who is also a school teacher and walks through a number of philosophical arguments both pro and con. As an aside There's also a Canadian teacher named Michael Reist who was one of the founders of the Toronto Beach School (free school) who also homeschooled his children and he's written a book called the Dysfunctional School. You can read experts here. He's a great speaker if you get a chance to see him.

I'm not aware of pro-school studies but would be interested.

In the interests of full disclosure I'm a homeschooler.

thanks. I requested the book. I think it's amusing that they teach in the system and yet homeschool but I guess I will reserve judgement until I read the book.

Originally Posted by meemee

what matters ultimately is your child's personality.

to give you an example - my dd is a free spirit. she is a kinesthetic learner. she takes a while to understand but once she crosses the hurdle she races thru the next steps. she is tenacious. if the subject interests her she wants to spend hours and master it. once she is done with it she is done. she is also a social learner. she needs not just me as her teacher but a bunch of other people.

just so you know my dd's attitude towards school which she said at K was 'i go to school to party, and learn at home'. that attitude has not changed. she hates the homework at school. life would be much more fun for her if she didnt have homework and reading logs.

Your daughter and my son sound alike He is thriving in preschool - but, his teacher loves him:, he is in a class of 7 kids with two teachers, and they swim everyday, play in the gym, and then do a craft/story/snack and free play. He is also only there for 2.5hrs.

He is a very active little boy, very bright, hands on./kinetic learner. At school he has NO problems. At home however:eyeroll He is challenging to say the least.

My biggest worry is not giving him the 'normal' go to Kindergarten/school experience. He really wants to go and I can see that K would/could go ok, but I toured the school today and meh. I think I can offer as much if not more at home.

[Drummer's Wife]

What about anything by John Holt? He was a former school teacher and has a great perspective, IMO.

Karen, thanks for recommending Family Matters. It is one I haven't read, so I ordered it from Amazon just now ($4 used!).

ETA: and oh, sorry I read this wrong... because you seem to be asking for books about the benefits of PS instead of HS'ing. Holt won't do that

This discussion just interests me because while my kids are currently in a great public school, we are strongly considering homeschooling (again), starting next year.

[CarrieMF]

what matters ultimately is your child's personality.

the school depends too. there are good, bad & mediocre schools.

At home however:eyeroll He is challenging to say the least.

My biggest worry is not giving him the 'normal' go to Kindergarten/school experience. He really wants to go and I can see that K would/could go ok, but I toured the school today and meh. I think I can offer as much if not more at home.

he's challenging at home because he's at home & you're mom. It may also be the structure(or lack of, depending on the school) of a school that makes him not a challenge at school.

what is it about the school you toured that was meh? If he wants to try K why not send him & if it isn't working out then you can HS, or vice versa. If he's a challenge at home will he be open to learning from you?

[annethcz]

There have been numerous studies showing that the biggest indicator of school success is parental involvement.

We used to homeschool, but my kids currently attend a public charter school. We'd be open to HSing again. I figure that regardless of how my children are educated, they will be growing up in an educationally rich, supportive environment. As long as my kids are healthy and happy with their lives, I'm not sure that it really matters whether they are attending school or if they're staying home. I think that having a stable, supportive, intellectually-rich home environment is most important. I will parent them the same way and support their endeavors, regardless of where my children choose to spend their days.

[Linda on the move]

Originally Posted by annethcz

There have been numerous studies showing that the biggest indicator of school success is parental involvement.

We used to homeschool, but my kids currently attend a public charter school. We'd be open to HSing again. I figure that regardless of how my children are educated, they will be growing up in an educationally rich, supportive environment. As long as my kids are healthy and happy with their lives, I'm not sure that it really matters whether they are attending school or if they're staying home. I think that having a stable, supportive, intellectually-rich home environment is most important. I will parent them the same way and support their endeavors, regardless of where my children choose to spend their days.

Fantastic post.

Both of my kids used to homeschool, and currently one attends our local public school and the other homeschools. Different things work for different kids, in different families, and in different situations. There isn't a study that can tell you what is best for YOUR child at this time. So rather than looking outside of your family for the answer, look inside.

Does your child thrive in group situations and with other teachers, or does your child do best on their own and with just you? Does your community have a support system for homeschooling, or would you be on your own?

Do you want your child home with you, or do you want a break? There's nothing wrong with wanting a break. Being with our children (who are past the nursing stage) 24/7 isn't natural. In traditional societies the mother doesn't spend her days in isolation in just company of just her children. She is with her extended family and friends, and her kids are following between that and their peers. I know several homeschooling moms who've ended up with health problems, and I think that part of the cause is because that's the only way they could get a break. They ended up so idealogical bound to homeschooling that they couldn't just say "this may be great for my kids, but it isn't really working for me."

While I know that homeschooling can be wonderful, I think that doing it because you feel like you *should* is a really bad idea. It is draining in many ways, and unless you feel passionate about having your child at home full time, then let him attend school and be a wonderful, fresh mother when he is home.

Kids, even those who attend school full days, spend far more of their waking hours with their parents.

[swampangel]

Originally Posted by Linda on the move

Do you want your child home with you, or do you want a break? There's nothing wrong with wanting a break. Being with our children (who are past the nursing stage) 24/7 isn't natural. In traditional societies the mother doesn't spend her days in isolation in just company of just her children. She is with her extended family and friends, and her kids are following between that and their peers. I know several homeschooling moms who've ended up with health problems, and I think that part of the cause is because that's the only way they could get a break. They ended up so idealogical bound to homeschooling that they couldn't just say "this may be great for my kids, but it isn't really working for me."

While I know that homeschooling can be wonderful, I think that doing it because you feel like you *should* is a really bad idea. It is draining in many ways, and unless you feel passionate about having your child at home full time, then let him attend school and be a wonderful, fresh mother when he is home.

I just wanted to say thank you for this. My child sounds similar to those described above. He's at our crappy neighborhood school right now and I've been ridiculously stressed since the beginning of the year. He was there last year and it was great, but that was PreK and an anomoly. The rest of the program is repetitive and worksheet laden. It is such a bad fit. Fortunately, he's adapted for now and loves his friends there. But I've been frantically trying to find a better solution for next year.

I think he would love HSing but I just can't do it. I need the break and I would like to have my career life going again. HSing just isn't a good fit for me. I wish it were...

Anyway, this helped me a lot. Thanks.