Interview Reveals Number of Homeschool Students up Twenty-Nine Percent in America

By Mimi Rothschild

Parents are dramatically pulling their children out of public schools to homeschool them instead. According to the National Center for Education Statistics the number of homeschool students in 2003 is up 29 percent from 1999. Just imagine the increase of homeschool students in America now in 2007.

Parents are discovering the benefits of homeschooling their children as public schools continue to be plagued with violence, drugs, bullying, and an overall failing approach to educating students. Some parents are still apprehensive about homeschooling their children, most often because of the homeschooling myths that public schools have been feeding the masses over the years.

Ruth Olson of Newsweek sat down with Laura Derrick, president of the National Home Educator’s Network to discuss issues on homeschooling for high school students. Derrick tackles some of the theories non-homeschoolers have about homeschoolers, talks about her own experience with homeschooling, and why so many students are leaving the public schools to be homeschooled instead. Here is an excerpt:

What are some of the issues they face? I know for a lot of kids, high school is kind of their social life, that period of their life where they’re finding their boyfriend or girlfriend and hanging out with buddies and stuff.

“Right. And that’s very important. I mean, there is a long period of growth and maturation that happens during that time that is partly fueled by those social interactions, and teens really do need those; it’s not just something that’s nice to have. We see what happens when they’re deprived of that. For most homeschoolers, that’s not an issue. I know that’s the perception from outside the homeschooling universe, and homeschoolers actually laugh about it, because most of us, we call ourselves carschoolers because we’re in the car so much. There are, unfortunately, some parents who do isolate their kids more than is probably good for the kids. Those kind of parents come in every walk of life and across the board, unfortunately, and some of them do exist in the homeschooling world, too. But the vast majority of families really do get out and do a lot. So I don’t see that as being a problem that’s really related to homeschooling so much as it is to parenting.”

I think all of our MorningStar Academy’s parents and homeschoolers will find the complete interview to be quite fascinating. I would love to know what you think of the interview and if you agree with Laura Derrick or not.

Read the complete interview with Laura Derrick here.

5 Responses to “Interview Reveals Number of Homeschool Students up Twenty-Nine Percent in America”

1. Mimi Rothschild says:

   June 20, 2007 at 12:33 pm

   Karrine, I agree that parents and students should talk about the issues of homeschooling. It is important that homeschooling families have open dialogue about education, learning, and issues related to homeschooling. Thanks for posting!
2. Karrine says:

   June 9, 2007 at 2:53 pm

   What a great article! It is great for parents and thier students to think and talk about this issues of homeschooling. Thank you for creating this article and giving us all food for thought. My son and I have thoroughly enjoyed it!
3. Mimi Rothschild says:

   June 8, 2007 at 4:31 pm

   Now that homeschooling is becoming more popular I hope people start to understand that homeeschoolers more and stop believing the myths that are associated with homeschooling. Thanks for sharing!
4. Jessica Wakefield says:

   June 8, 2007 at 3:45 pm

   Thank you for this article! It was very informative! I will have to check this site more often
5. Damita says:

   June 8, 2007 at 3:40 pm

   I laughed when I read the portion about socialization and homeschoolers. It is such a common misconception that homeschoolers don’t know how to forge relationships with others or establish leadership roles later in life. That’s not the case. I was homeschooled and I found great popularity in college and success afterwards in my job. It is important that others realize that homeschoolers are just as able to be a successful person as those who attend traditional schools.