Our interesting times continue on. Through the past year both nationally and internationally we have heard a lot of rhetoric regarding education. A year ago, there was a lot discussion regarding excessive screen time, but “education” for many of our children this past year meant being home and sitting in front of a computer screen all day. There was also a lot of talk about how important it was for the children to be back in the classroom, to get back to how things were. What we didn’t hear mentioned was that prior to the pandemic our children were not generally receiving good or even fair educations, and that most of our children with learning problems or special needs were receiving what can only be described as pretend educations.

According to studies the average American reads at a 7^th-8^th grade level¹; and to gain a little perspective, of 79 countries, the U.S. ranks 9^th in reading and 31^st in math²; and U.S. scores have been flat for two decades. Not too impressive.

Parents, consider taking charge and assuming the responsibility for your child’s development and education.

Targeted home-based education, not packaged, curriculum-heavy homeschool programs can take less time per day than many children spend on homework, and at the same time address and work to eliminate most learning problems, dyslexia, etc. For those children with special needs, it allows time daily for targeted developmental/therapeutic intervention, as opposed to the pretend short visit with a therapist once or twice a week while at school.

Outcomes are determined by the opportunities our children receive. Who’s responsible?

References

1. https://www.wyliecomm.com/2020/11/whats-the-latest-u-s-literacy-rate/#_ftn5
2. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/education/2020/02/28/math-scores-high-school-lessons-freakonomics-pisa-algebra-geometry/4835742002/

Reprinted by permission of The NACD Foundation, Volume 34 No.5, 2021 ©NACD

The post Taking Charge of Your Child’s Education appeared first on NACD International | The National Association for Child Development.

Are the schools going to be open this fall?

Will our kids wear masks?

Will school be five days a week or three or two?

Are they going to find enough teachers willing to be in the classrooms?

Or is it going to be more distance “learning?”

Most families who experienced this at the end of the last school year know that this is a bad choice. It is mostly kids getting busy work, sitting for hour after hour facing a computer screen, when we all know that kids need to get away from their screens. Children learning to love learning? It is hardly that.

Let’s look at how well our children have been educated to gain a bit of perspective. According to FactsMaps, the PISA (Program for International Student Assessment), which tests kids from 78 countries, in 2018 the United States placed at a very unimpressive 37^th in math, 18^th in science, and 13^th in reading. The U.S. has a literacy rate of 86% and ranks 125^thout of 197 countries. Wow, isn’t that great! Wouldn’t want to miss that, would we?

So much for what we might be missing. In subsequent articles and videos, I will talk more about the benefits of home-based education. For many parents it’s time for a paradigm shift, a new perspective as to what defines an education for our children, and a new perspective on potential.

To see all of our resources on home education and homeschooling, be sure to visit our “Who We Help: Home Education & Homeschool” page here.

You can also view our complete Home Education & Homeschool FAQ here.

Reprinted by permission of The NACD Foundation, Volume 33 No. 9, 2020 ©NACD

The post Why Should I Move to Home Education This Year? appeared first on NACD International | The National Association for Child Development.