New Study Proves That Homeschoolers Excel In Social Skills Over Public School Students

Photo Credit: NHERI / Facebook

The Tennessee Conservative [By Paula Gomes] –

A recent study seeks to answer the most dreaded of all questions put to most homeschool parents – “But what about socialization?” National Home Education Research Institute (NHERI) put together a review of the findings from Israeli scholars, Michal Unger Madara and Iris BenDavid-Hadar earlier this month.

The research showed that “homeschoolers exhibited higher achievements on social competency indices than their counterparts attending traditional schools” and that the data shows “that 96% of homeschooled children participate in some activity at least one hour a week and socialize with children of different ages.”

Homeschooling has been growing exponentially throughout the past three decades all over the world but has especially picked up speed during the last two years in the wake of “pandemic” schooling that threw American schoolchildren into less than ideal virtual schooling.

In 2019-2020, the number of homeschooled children in grades K-12 in the United States grew from an estimated 2.65 million to 3.72 million the very next year. In Israel, the number of home-educated families approved by the Israel Ministry of Education has increased by 700% between 2005 and 2019.

The researchers found that “homeschooled students have a higher level of social competencies than students attending public schools” and that children from large families had an advantage over smaller families as “the greater the number of siblings, the higher the level of social competencies of homeschooled students.”

Madara and BenDavid-Hadar pointed out that traditional schools have major social disadvantages “including bullying and peer victimization.” Research shows that young people who are subjected to bullying is and are frequently victimized are more likely to use drugs and other substances during their adolescence and may develop mental health issues.

In conclusion, the researchers found that “homeschooling may be more effective in terms of developing creative thinking and social competencies than traditional learning. Therefore, it can offer a high-quality alternative to public education or private schools for those who choose it.”

Since the beginning of the pandemic and school closures in 2020, many more parents in Tennessee chose to homeschool either temporarily – to offer their children something better than the long hours spent in front of a screen with remote teachers – or long term due to mask mandates, Covid testing, quarantines, and learning loss.

There are many excellent reasons to homeschool, but for some families, it is not feasible to have one parent at home to supervise the children while they learn. And private school is out of reach for others due to tuition costs.

Governor Bill Lee’s Education Savings Account program is an expansion of what school choice already exists in the state. Currently, parents can choose public schools, public charter schools, public magnet schools, private schools, online academies or homeschooling.

The ESA program will allow eligible students in Shelby and Davidson counties to receive funding to help cover the costs of private school tuition. There is an income threshold in order to qualify. Families must make less than double the federal guidelines for free/reduced lunch to be eligible – about $60,000 per year for a family of three or $72,000 per year for a family of four.

The State Department of Education has not yet said when they anticipate that families will be approved for the vouchers.

About the Author: Paula Gomes is a Tennessee resident and reporter for The Tennessee Conservative. You can reach Paula at paula@tennesseeconservativenews.com.