Sofia Rosenbaum

Professor Miele

ENGL 15

11 October 2021

The Alternative

Not everyone is suited for the same type of schooling. Different people thrive in different

environments; some need an established, organized system of deadlines to do their best work, some are

able to function with no system at all, and some can create wholly independent systems and play by their

own rules. Given this diversity in educational preferences, there is a surprisingly limited number of

schooling options for students. Public school and private school are the default. There are non-traditional

schools, or alternative schools, which commonly appeal to students who are seeking a more

individualized, less rigidly-structured education. And then there’s homeschooling.

There has always been a certain stigma around homeschooling. Despite a recent shift in the

public’s general attitude towards homeschooling, there’s no denying its long-standing negative reputation

as an “alternative” form of education in the academic community. Many people associate homeschooling

with a lower level of intelligence, and are afraid that it will not sufficiently prepare children for college

and entering the workforce. This reputation is statistically unfounded. As a formerly homeschooled

student myself, I can guarantee that my education and prospects for the future are infinitely better than

they would have been, and that I would not have discovered my interest in an advertising career, if I had

continued attending my previous public high school. I needed more time and opportunities to pursue my

own ventures, including creating a podcast that I hosted for years and taking college courses that

invigorated and inspired me. My public school schedule did not grant me that time. Many students

manage to survive and even thrive in a standard school environment, but I, as well as many others, don’t.

Homeschooling is essential for molding the minds and opening up the futures of young people who do not
feel equipped for success in a typical school environment because it offers them options that

accommodate their educational preferences and ambitions, which would not be offered to them in a

regular school environment.

Based on facts, studies, real-life examples and personal experience, I can report that

homeschooling prepares many students for college and the real world better than a public school or

private school education would. Studies show that homeschooled students commonly score 15 to 30

percentile points above public school students on standardized tests, the SAT and the ACT (Ray).

Furthermore, after years of wariness towards them, many colleges are now actively seeking

homeschooled applicants; when applying to such Ivy League universities as Harvard, MIT, Duke and

Yale, being homeschooled is considered a competitive advantage (OnlineCollege.org). Homeschooling

absolutely does not result in a lower level of intelligence, as many people think- on the contrary, in fact-

and it seems like the public is finally starting to acknowledge this. Personally, during my time as a

homeschooled student, I felt more confident and prepared to take tests and complete assignments in

general than I did in the high school that I had attended before. I had much more time to genuinely focus

on my studies and understand the work I was doing. I also had virtually no distractions, such as other

students talking during class, which was a major issue at my previous high school. Many of my peers

were distributive during class, which resulted in me not hearing a lot of the lesson and, as I am a socially

anxious person, not having the courage nor confidence to ask the teacher for clarification. As someone

who is both anxious and easily distracted, doing work in a homeschool environment rather than a

classroom genuinely changed my life. Although other homeschooled students do not all share my same

educational struggles, it’s safe to assume that many do. And the fact that homeschoolers perform better on

tests than public school students stands as a testament to the positive impact of homeschooling.

Academics are very important, but there are other factors to consider when thinking about

homeschooling, including one’s social life. For parents who are also afraid that homeschooling will
negatively impact their child’s social skills, there is evidence on the contrary. Although the results of

certain studies are mixed, homeschoolers who have “had more opportunities for peer interactions”

overall “tend to show improved social skills” (Goodwin). Social interaction with others outside of a

school setting is very important. Students with regular school schedules are less likely to have these

opportunities than students with a more flexible homeschool schedule.

Unfortunately, despite the many advantages of homeschooling and the recent change in colleges’

attitudes toward it, there is still a considerable amount of anti-homeschooling hostility. Harvard

University law professor Elizabeth Bartholet is a particularly outspoken opponent of homeschooling. She

claims that it “violate’s children’s right to a ‘meaningful education’” and believes that homeschooling

should be banned (O’Donnell). First and foremost, homeschooling is often done by choice. There are the

exceptions of religious families who homeschool their children and parents who take their children out of

school even though they do not want to be homeschooled. But in my case and many others, the student

wants to be homeschooled, and receives an education that is more meaningful to them than it would have

been at a public or private school. Regarding her second point, the idea of banning homeschooling

actually violates the freedom of homeschooled students and parents who want to homeschool their

children. Bartholet’s argument falls flat not only because she makes broad, inaccurate generalizations, but

because she contradicts her own argument in itself.

There will always be a fairly widespread opposition against homeschooling. But the doors to

acceptance, and even the embracing of it, are slowly creaking open. Elite universities and concerned

parents alike are beginning to realize just how many benefits it brings to students who are struggling to

succeed in a typical school setting. Homeschooling only continues to grow in popularity. Prior to 2019,

the number of homeschooled students was increasing by 2 to 8 percent each year, and between 2019 and

2020, it changed from 3.4 percent to 9 percent (ThinkImpact). There are studies and real-life evidence of

the positive impact it has had on so many people’s lives, including mine. If more people took the time to
consider the case in favor of homeschooling, more students would be motivated to succeed in school and

in life.

Works Cited

Goodwin, Cara. “The Research on Homeschooling.” Psychology Today, psychologytoday.com, 1

September 2021, https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/parenting-

translator/202109/the-research-homeschooling%3famp. Last accessed 11 October 2021.

O’Donnell, Erin. “The Risks of Homeschooling.” Harvard Magazine, harvardmagazine.com, May-June

2020, https://www.harvardmagazine.com/2020/05/right-now-risks-homeschooling. Last accessed 11

October 2021.

OnlineCollege.org. “The Homeschooler’s Guide To Getting Into College.” onlinecollege.org, (n.d.),

https://www.onlinecollege.org/2012/06/11/the-homeschoolers-guide-to-getting-into-college/. Last

accessed 11 October 2021.

Ray, Brian D. “Homeschooling: The Research. Research Facts on Homeschooling, Homeschool Fast

Facts.” National Home Education Research Institute, nheri.org, 9 September 2021,

https://www.nheri.org/research-facts-on-homeschooling/. Last accessed 11 October 2021.

ThinkImpact. “Homeschooling Statistics.” thinkimpact.com, (n.d.),

https://www.thinkimpact.com/homeschooling-statistics/. Last accessed 11 October 2021.