Appraise the political and practical realities of allowing home school students to attend public schools on a less-than-full-time basis, to participate in specific classes or extracurricular activities.
According to the statistics provided by the U.S. Department of Education, in 2007, about 1,508,000 students were homeschooled. Homeschooling has already demonstrated its effectiveness: homeschooled students’ academic performance is in many cases higher than that of public school students.
At the same time, what homeschooled students lack is the experience of communicating with peers. Children who attend public schools have to communicate not only with their parents and people whom they like but with all their classmates. They have to solve conflicts, find compromises, understand each other, stay themselves, and at the same time not be laughed at. Secondly, they face the necessity to follow the school discipline and feel the difference between home and school. Thirdly, they get acquainted with learning in the class and are prepared to study at college or university.
These three factors become a real challenge for homeschooled students: they do not acquire the necessary skills and feel a real cultural shock when facing college education and adult life. When a homeschooled student has no right to take part in school sports competitions despite his/her education is officially recognized by the education system, isn’t it a violation of his/her rights and stress for him/her?
The regulations about part-time school attendance vary in different states. However, think about this figure: more than 1,5 million children having difficulties with communication and collective studying – these are the social realities. The educational system should not create such a deadlock: children should be prepared for successful social and professional life, and it is important not only for them but for the whole society. Attending classes and extracurriculars is very valuable for homeschooled students.
From a practical perspective, allowing homeschooled students to attend public schools requires providing the corresponding conditions. First of all, there should be enough space for homeschool students in the class, and a teacher should be able to provide them all with the necessary materials. Consequently, public schools need additional funding to cover the expenses connected with homeschooled students. Besides, homeschooled students’ curriculum should correspond to that of full-time students; otherwise, it will be difficult for a teacher to develop lesson plans meeting both groups’ needs and make all the students interested during the lessons.
Reference
Statistics about Non-Public Education in the United States: Homeschooling. Ed.Gov. Web.