Cage Free Monkeys

Homeschooling Becoming Much More Popular

According to USA Today, there has been a "profound shift" in the types of people homeschooling. But even more profound than that may be the statistics released by the US Department of Education in the December 2008 publication Issue Brief.

According to the article in USA Today, "As of spring 2007, an estimated 1.5 million, or 2.9% of all school-age children in the USA, were home-schooled, up from 1.7% in 1999." The US Department of Education report further goes on to say that the relative increase in homeschooled students is 74% over an eight year period.

The parents are citing three major reasons for homeschooling: religious and moral reasons, lack of confidence in the education system, and school environment. Surprisingly, the US Department of Education reports that the number of homeschooled girls has risen sharply.

This news comes at no real surprise for families who are already homeschooling thier children. Many families belong to large communities, networks, and formalized groups which offer support and social activities for homeschoolers. To these families, the report validates what they have already known: homeschooling is not what the stereotypes portray it as. Instead it is a rich and growing educational movement which appears to finally be getting the attention it deserves.