This study was brought to my attention today which suggests that students following a structured homeschool curriculum perform better than their public school peers, even adjusting for income levels and other demographic considerations. The kicker was that students who were identified as unschoolers (by their parents) scored significantly lower than both other groups.
I hesitate to share because the subject tends to stir up strong feelings. Granted, if you are an unschooler you may have no interest in test scores either today or in the future. You may well have other valid yardsticks for success. If you live or may live in a state which requires testing, if your child may re-enter a traditional school at some point, or if college is in the grand plan then studies like this one are worth investigating.
Tests are inevitable in mainstream education and are good to measure very specific academic skills. (as opposed to overall intelligence) Truth is, many families we know have experienced these same results in their own homes. The kids who had more structure and traditional curriculum usually scored better than when those same families were more loosely schooling. Contrary to the opinions voiced time and again, most students who have been in that boat will tell you it is not easy to make up in 3 or 4 months the content required to do really well on the SAT.
There are a lot of ways to do this well and some years, some students, and some circumstances demand different approaches. The words 'structure', 'success', 'perform', and 'curricula' are emotionally charged and highly subjective. So, no tomatoes please. Just some interesting reading on a chilly fall day here.
Starry Sky Journal 
What an interesting study! Thanks for posting the link.
Kim- You know I have moved into the structured lessons camp and I feel it is the right approach for us for many reasons. However, I would love to see this study go further. It seems the findings of structured versus unstructured were incidental to the study (and therefore more of an afterthought, resulting in many undefined variables). Also, if I am reading it correctly, it found that the differences between “unschooled” children and public school children was so small that it could have simply been chance. As a homeschooler, I think it would be wonderful to have a larger study, defining structured lessons on a continuum and testing older children. It’s a pipe dream I am sure. But a girl can dream!
So much of the homeschooling stress (for parents) comes from the unknowns (I guess that’s true of life, too). Studies of other students will never erase those unknowns but they sure provide helpful evidence for making a decision.
Then again, I would also like to have insight into how selective colleges are viewing transcripts from homeschooled students these days and whether a rigorous structured homeschool experience is viewed the same as a more delight directed, nontraditional approach.
I like data and this was an interesting read today. Thanks
Very interesting – thanks for the link. It’s a great start to some real research on homeschooling, but there are two things I would really like to see before I feel confident in making too many conclusions from this work:
I would very much like to see the further research they hint at the need for. Because as much as the words unschooling and unstructured get tossed around, I think most homeschoolers are a mix of structured and unstructured and it would be really interesting to have a more scientific idea of what matters where.
The second thing I’d really like to see is a follow up with the same kids as they hit high school, take SATs, etc. Focusing on ages 5-10 will make a certain number (I have no idea how many!) of kids score low who make take off and blossom later perhaps because they haven’t been pushed to hard. That certainly includes a lot of kids who fit a certain personality type – I’ve read a bit about the entrepreneurial types who do poorly in school but do well in business (and sometimes in college too). I imagine these are the same types they mention who simply don’t do well with too much structure.
So many big questions that I would LOVE to know the answer to! 🙂
God Bless!
Alicia
I agree there are many questions raised and unknowns. I am more conservative in my old age and don’t want to experiment with my kids. So I will let the philosophers debate while we press on. That of course could go both ways – if it ain’t broke…. For us, the structured part of the day is rather small and serves a lot of good purpose. A little goes a long way. And it has made those tests painless. I have no incentive to do otherwise at this point, especially when the tests are readily accepted.
Love your statement “don’t want to experiment with my kids.” I don’t believe I have ever articulated that sentiment but it certainly is a major factor in our finding comfort in structured lessons. And, the more we do it, the more convicted I become that it is the right thing to do. In fact, I can see the structured part of our days growing as the children grow. I have been looking at high school requirements and the college application process lately and there is a great deal of work expected from teens. I have an acquaintance who homeschooled her daughter right into acceptance at our nation’s top schools and she believes very strongly that colleges want to see success in structured classes as well interesting life experiences and specialization. And they want very high standardized test scores- not just the SAT and ACT, but SAT subject exams and AP exams, too. Now that AP classes must qualify for that designation with the College Board, I think the trend is toward more traditional school requirements, not less. You cannot simply self study for the AP exam and obtain AP class credit. You will have the AP test score but not the credit for having taken an AP class. Of course, not everyone cares about what the selective schools are looking for, but I prefer to aim to keep as many doors open for my children as I can.
The thing I like most about the study is the evidence that we can give our children an academic edge on these standardized exams.
First, let me say: I love your new header!
I was a Very Structured Homeschooler, and in the last year or so have loosened up a bit. We still have almost daily writing with courses from the Institute for Excellence in Writing and daily math with Teaching Textbooks. I have given up on formal religion courses (religion is something we talk about and practice daily), formal science (at least until High School) and formal history (we are sort of Charlotte Masonish there, using a textbook as a “spine” and then living books to flesh it out. I don’t have a lesson plan, and I don’t have a schedule. My natural readers are not required to do any reading, but those who avoid it will have to do a little each day, usually on history or science topics.
I was getting so burnt out with the schooling…we were arguing too much and not enjoying learning. All that has changed, and my home is pretty peaceful. If the kids have lower test scores, so be it…my daughter wants to go to college and is extremely self-motivated, and she will take tests throughout high school–but only because it is her own choice to do so.
It is an interesting topic…
To be honest, it really doesn’t surprise me. Perhaps additional, long-term studies would garner differing results but … In my own experience of homeschooling my kids (currently ages 9-22), and having gone through some unschoolish phases mixed with mainly structured homeschooling, I can say that for my kids anyway, unschooling results in a less engaged mind (less engaged with the world, less inclined to explore and learn). I’ve known quite a number of homeschoolers over the last two decades, and gave ten years to mentoring a teen homeschoolers group on a weekly basis, and there was a clearly perceivable difference between the unschoolers, and those whose parents preferred a more structured approach. I’m not sharing any of this with judgement: it is only what I have observed in my own family and amongst homeschooled teens I’ve known well. That said, I will alway have a soft spot for unschooling pioneers like John Holt — his books were just what I needed back in the ’80s and early ’90s. (Mind you, we don’t live in a state which requires testing: I prefer a classically leaning, Charlotte Mason flavored, Mama designed education for my kids for reasons other than testing … I do know that my eldest has handled college perfectly well right from the start, and he says he’s grateful that he was well prepared [according to his professors, he and other homeschoolers they’ve taught have been better prepared than public schooled kids], and he is all in favor of his younger siblings being homeschooled on the more structured end of the scale. Just a small example, that can’t really be extrapolated from, in terms of drawing definitive conclusions). Anyway, sorry for rambling! You’ve set my thoughts humming 🙂
Your new blog header is so pretty. I love it. 🙂
I think one important thing to note about this study is the age of the students. Only 5 to 10 years old. When Waldorf students are tested in the same age range, they also test below grade level but by high school far surpass their public schooled peers. A better study would be kids of a more varied age range. And a more complete survey would be of high school students, as that is probably the ultimate goal. And how can a 5 year old really be tested? As most kids start school at 5. It doesn’t seem a very good example.
I am not an unschooler, though more rleaxed I guess than some. We do structured school, I just try and avoid tears, lol. Anyway, I saw this study and questioned its validity.
From what I have seen of the reviews of the study it is considered a good evaluation of where respective students stood at those ages (a major consideration is the ages) based on the variables that were controlled and population sampled. The question that arises is whether or not we can predict those students will continue to track on the same curves as time goes on. Some assert that the unschoolers’ curve will be low initially and rise to meet the others’ at the end of the process.
Many articles about unschooling and college focus heavily on two points. One is that it is not necessary and it is more desirable to carry on an alternative approach. As one quote on Sandra Dodd’s site says, “I want to turn it around and wonder why unschoolers would even WANT to be IN the real world?” Another argument focuses on two college options – community colleges, which accept everyone, and high end private colleges, which may be more open to alternative portfolios. Those are both valid options. I would point out however that in our experience state colleges and the military are not open to those, sometimes not in the least. Nor are the local public schools, should you be reentering those. They just want a readily accepted measure of academic ability.
At some point, if all things really are equal, all students be able to perform well on a basic measure of ability in math and language. It seems most such comparisons never come to pass because of philosophic arguments over whether measuring is necessary. So we may never really know. But truth is, the majority of students around the world do take tests eventually and this is how most institutions objectively evaluate.
This was an interesting article. I question the absolute value of testing “at grade level” for young children–grade levels being the artificial constructs that they are. I use relaxed homeschool methods for my young children, and start more structured work when they are 8. My mother took this approach–she kept us home with very little academic schooling until we were 8, then sent us to school. We all excelled, clear through college and graduate school–and I always felt that was largely due to the informal years at home; we had learned to THINK. Now, our home environment was exceptional–both my parents read to us frequently, ranging from Little House on the Prairie to Shakespeare. We helped run the family business, so had lots of experience with math (making change etc.) The one structured activity we did was Suzuki music, and we had no TV–both of those I felt had a huge impact. I would have tested well below grade level at age 7–but by age nine was consistently testing above grade level, and I think the early years at home had more to do with that than the time in school–they prepared me to take the more structured learning and fly with it, while most of my peers had only learned to sit and wait to be told what to do.
Interesting article! Depending on my place in parenting, we have done it all. Quite literally LOL. And while I think it’s nice to put the kids first, it was all about my survival a couple times along the way, as I’m sure any of us long term homeschoolers could write a book about, and in those terrible low spots we were unschoolers. Totally and completely unschoolers. I had Jehovah Witnesses at the door once, a houseful of small people and a potty training, naked toddler. Poor dear, she just asked me what on earth made me think I “had to have all those children”. I’d never trade “all those children” especially as they are transitioning to adults, but I do remember some brutal days! Thankfully, the children seem to have survived with brains intact, we follow a curriculum because we all do better with a schedule around here, otherwise I’d be the one reading all day and coming up for air mid-afternoon wondering what to do about dinner. 🙂 But a few months here and there, or a year or two along the way? Survival tactic for me. 🙂 BTW, we just came off a year of unschooling last year due to some interesting events, but I’m glad to say the kids are attacking their studies with a lot of hard work and good spirits. The routine is very good this year for them all.
Naw I know you too well Barb and I know you had those kids doing homework ; ) I think its important to differentiate between unstructured learning and unstructured schedules. We have organized curriculum but with sports and travel the way that program happens during a day isn’t always traditional. Holly Pierlot has a good explanation of the philosophy. http://www.mothersruleoflife.com/2011/07/on-john-holts-unschooling.html
I would say I am a moderately structured, non scheduled, homemade curriculum schooler. My two eldest children are in small Catholic colleges. None of them did any testing until the SAT. My eldest made a perfect score on the verbal and had middling scores on math. My next child did middling to above average on verbal and poorly on math. But that is sort of what I knew they would do based on their abilities. They both are doing well in their respective colleges (although my second is struggling, but working determindly, with the required math). Ultimately, I think it depends on the natural abilities of each child. You are never going to get an artistic type to grasp higher math and love it. I have know some highly structured, highly scheduled families, using prepared curriculum, who did not become true learners because they had very little free time to read or explore other subjects outside of their heavy school load. They seemed very limited and it was a little harder for them to move ouside their box in college.
The testing in this study is very narrow. For instance, my 4th grader is a poor speller, but he does know what Scylla and Charybdis refer to, can read easily names such as Circe, Odysseus or Tiresias, knows when the Battle of Hastings occured and who was involved. His every day vocabulary is also very large and he has some Latin vocabulary under his belt, but his knowledge of English grammar is zero (right now). He loves nature study and is always informing me of interesting things he’s learned about animals and God’s creation. So, all in all, he probably would score lower than his public school peers, but I think he is far better educated and a more exicted learner. I have some knowledge of testing since I taught primary grades before marriage and administered tests, mea culpa.
Another question that comes to mind about this study: Why aren’t most public school students, working within a structured curriculum and environment, doing well? It seems that there is something in play here besides structure.
In a review of the studydy the consensus was that tutoring and one on one learning has always been superior to group learning. I do think the stereotyping and criticism that homeschoolers were subjected to in the early years (and I can speak somewhat to those having begun homeschooling over 20 yrs ago ; )) is now usually from within and targeted towards those who pursue a traditional academically oriented track. This is a real shame, particularly for Catholic homeschoolers made to feel they may be actually damaging their children by providing them with the excellent education enjoyed by generations of parochial school children taught by dedicated religious. : / The implication would be the Church had it wrong for a really long time.
Like I stressed earlier there is a difference – which the study clarifies – between structured materials and structured schedules. (If you direct your child’s learning you are not an unschooler per this definition.) Having traditional materials does not equate to having joyless days. Our own experience confirms this. The many wonderfully creative children we know who dance or play music and also diagram sentences and do upper level math defy the pigeon holing the learning styles folks put forth. The great success teachers like Marva Collins produced with children who had far more handicaps than the average homeschooler today does as well.
We sell them short when we decide they cannot learn and be happy. I firmly believe they can be both. Generations of well adjusted, well educated children who came before the contemporary educational experimentation and crises prove this.
Well, I guess the question should be: How homeschoolers do in comparison to their private school counterparts? Is there such a study?
Yes, actually there are such studies and the homeschoolers tested for them tend to perform better than private school children as well. Just a few:
http://www.homeschool-living.com/homeschooling-statistics.html
http://hslda.org/docs/nche/000000/00000017.asp (this one refers to the Galloway/Sutton study below)
http://www.nheri.org/Volume-25-Issue-3/Transition-from-Home-Education-to-Higher-Education-Academic-and-Social-Issues.html
We still have the advantage over private schools due to the tutoring dynamic at home I suspect. It’s just more efficient.
Thank you so much for sharing. However, this test is obviously flawed, and their interpretation of the results is loose, as previous commentators have pointed out. The main thing I want to mention is that the subjects in the test are 5-10 years old. It is a well known fact that unschoolers may be “behind” at those ages, but because they are not forced into structured learning before they are ready, they are really able to sore. By high school, other studies have shown that unschoolers score the same as or higher than their structured peers.
That said, no decision should be made based on one study. It is important to actually read the study, and not just read the reported results, so you understand the strengths and weaknesses of the study before making any changes to your approach.
It is not strictly accurate to say it is flawed. To be statistically flawed there have to be specific errors in the way the test was conducted and all reviews of the study which I have seen indicate it is sound for what it measured – basic language and math skills among demographically similar elementary students. We may all come to different conclusions about where those same students would stand 5 or 10 years later, but the test did not measure nor predict that. What I suspect people object to are what they sense is inferred by the early lead or lag. The study itself left any such inferences to the reader.
Please know, as I said right in the post, while I do love to hear from everyone my personal time to tend comments is limited since we are learning and traveling together fulltime here. It is best to redirect ongoing discussion about the merits and pitfalls of various educational methods (and educational testing itself) to a relevant forum. I tend to be able to share cool things and then need to move on rather than get bogged down. Too much to do
Thanks!