| There are many reasons why conscientious parents | | | | resultant budget shortfalls and teacher layoffs. Children |
| consider information on homeschooling to decide if this | | | | who fall outside of average norms may not thrive in |
| method of education might be right for their children. | | | | public schools, equipped to educate average children |
| According to the National Center for Education | | | | without the ability to alter the curriculum for individual |
| Statistics' (NCES) website, U.S. fourth graders trailed | | | | needs. An extremely bright child may chafe at the |
| students in 10 countries in the 2006 Progress in | | | | slow pace of learning, while a child with special needs |
| International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS). The study | | | | may require more focused attention from the teacher |
| ranked children in 40 countries using a written test of | | | | than can be provided in a public school setting. Many |
| reading comprehension and a series of questionnaires | | | | homeschooling families have strong spiritual and moral |
| on literacy factors. | | | | beliefs they wish to instill in their children. |
| The 2007 Trends in International Mathematics and | | | | NCES statistics show that the number of home |
| Science Study (TIMSS) revealed that American fourth | | | | schooled students grew steadily from an estimated |
| graders lagged behind students in eight countries, | | | | 850,000 in 1999 to 1.5 million in 2007. Usually one parent |
| Chinese Taipei, England, Hong Kong, Japan, Latvia, | | | | must stay at home full time to provide home schooling, |
| Kazakhstan, Russian Federation and Singapore. TIMSS | | | | so economics plays a role in whether a family |
| also measured science skills, and children in Chinese | | | | chooses this option. However, homeschooling may |
| Taipei, Hong Kong, Japan and Singapore outscored | | | | actually save money otherwise spent on unnecessary |
| U.S. fourth graders. | | | | supplies, clothing, after-school care, transportation, |
| Depending on where a family lives, local public schools | | | | restaurant meals, and other expenses incurred by dual |
| may or may not provide excellent education. The | | | | working parents. |
| recession has adversely affected public schools with | | | | |