A Modern Guide to Homeschooling

The reality of homeschooling today

In early 2020, Study.com conducted a study of 2,398 parents and students to find out what has become of those common myths we all hear about homeschooling: “Homeschooled students don’t develop good social skills” and “Homeschooling hurts students academically.”

Dispelling common homeschooling myths

Study.com wanted to find out how widespread these myths are today and to get some insight into what the truth is around these issues. The parents and students who took part in the survey came from both homeschool and non-homeschool backgrounds.

Homeschooling is not a single, easily-definable thing that matches the well-worn stereotypes.

Something that became increasingly clear throughout the course of the study and associated research was that homeschooling is not a single, easily-definable thing that matches the well-worn stereotypes suggested by the myths.

Many switch between homeschooling and traditional schooling as their needs dictate. Others homeschool for a particular stage of their education (e.g. high school) to achieve a particular goal (e.g. dual credit). Some families will have one child in the local high school while they homeschool their other child because that’s what’s best for those individuals.

The myth that homeschooled students don’t develop good social skills

Because families homeschool for different reasons, this also means that the way they approach homeschooling is often different. So to say that homeschooling produces socially awkward young adults, or that it is harmful to their academics, is to fundamentally misunderstand the concept.

Some homeschoolers practice homeschooling in co-ops, where they engage with a variety of peers. Other families homeschool because their children have exceptional skills in say, theatre or sports, in which they are interacting with peers and adults in different settings every day. Still others use the more relaxed schedule afforded by homeschooling to educate their children through field-trips, where they go out into the world and interact with new people every day.

There is no evidence ... to suggest that homeschooling harms children’s social development.

Even for those homeschoolers who do study mainly at home, there are so many clubs and organizations available for them to join in every part of the country that it would be more difficult to find homeschoolers who don’t have regular interaction with others.

And the existing research bears this out, too. There is no evidence that Study.com could find to suggest that homeschooling...

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