More parents are choosing to home school their children – why?

Oceanía/Australia/Julio  del 2016/noticia/ http://theconversation.com/

Más padres en Nueva Gales del Sur (NSW) están eligiendo a la escuela a casa su hijo.

En la actualidad hay alrededor de 10.000 niños inscritos que son educados en casa cada año en Australia. En Nueva Gales del Sur, el número ha aumentado en un 10% en el último año – esto sigue la tendencia de los últimos años.

Es difícil obtener una imagen clara del estado-por-estado de la educación en casa cómo varía a través de Australia NSW porque sólo proporciona datos completos sobre esto.

No hay ningún requisito legal para los padres y cuidadores para informar a la Junta de Estudios Enseñanza y Estándares Educativos (BOSTES) en cuanto a por qué han elegido a la escuela a casa.

Las razones para la educación en casa son complejas. La mayoría de quienes escuela de origen que lo haga por razones ideológicas y filosóficas. Esto puede incluir la creencia de que los hogares proporcionan un mejor ambiente para que los niños aprendan o que los sistemas formales no pueden o no para satisfacer las necesidades de los niños

El beneficio, sin embargo, del sistema de acreditación es que ofrece reconocimiento de una educación sólida de ser entregado por los hogares para niños a través de la educación en casa.

El BOSTES es la celebración de reuniones de consulta para las familias de la escuela a casa, para mejorar el sistema de la mejor manera posible dentro de las directrices.

Parte de la función de la persona autorizada (el acreditador) es asegurar que ven los niños que son educados en casa.

Un número creciente de padres con un hijo con discapacidad sienten que tienen de educar en casa, porque las necesidades de aprendizaje no están siendo apoyados por el sistema público.

El sistema escolar no tener acceso a la financiación unida a un niño que es educado en casa. Y tampoco lo hacen los padres que la educación en casa.

Esto significa que alrededor de 10.000 niños potencialmente no tienen fondos para su educación.

A través de los niños siendo educados en casa, el dinero que se habría asignado a ellos para la educación desaparece esencialmente. Teniendo en cuenta el aumento anual constante en los registros de la educación en casa, y el continuo descenso del rendimiento académico en la educación formal, podemos asumir la educación en casa sólo seguirá aumentando.

Por lo tanto, se necesita más investigación para examinar los efectos potenciales que esto puede tener sobre los niños y la sociedad.

Fuente: http://theconversation.com/more-parents-are-choosing-to-home-school-their-children-why-60787

More parents in New South Wales (NSW) are choosing to home school their child.

There are now around 10,000 registered children who are home schooled each year in Australia. In NSW, the number has increased by 10% in the last year – this follows the trend of the last few years.

It’s difficult to get a clear state-by-state picture of how home schooling varies across Australia because only NSW provides comprehensive data on this.

There is no legal requirement for parents and carers to inform the Board of Studies Teaching and Educational Standards (BOSTES) as to why they have chosen to home school.

Parents across Australia are required to register, but it is thought that over 50% don’t.

No formal support is provided for home schooling other than curriculum documents. But many home school groups are available to offer support.

The gender balance between home-schooled children is fairly equal, with just over 50% being male. But there is a slight increase in numbers of middle primary school children being home schooled. This suggests that some parents choose to home school after having allowed their children to experience formal education.

Reasons for home schooling

The reasons for home schooling are complex. Most who home school do it for ideological and philosophical reasons. This can include the belief that households provide a better environment for children to learn or that formal systems are unable or unwilling to meet the needs of children.

But the research shows that for 40% of households, we don’t know their reason for choosing to home school.

Those who home school argue that it allows a focus on individual student needs – rather than just on grades; offers flexibility in learning; provides a safer learning environment; increases sociability with mixed-aged people, whether in the community or through extended family members and friends; and that this makes home schooling a better choice.

The arguments against home schooling are that it isolates children; means children are usually taught by someone who is not trained to teach; and can limit educational attainment.

But the research on home schooling is neutral; the findings neither confirm nor disprove any such claims.

Home-schooled children appear to do neither worse nor better than those who attend regular school. Their achievements and success after Year 12 are similar. And many home school parents are trained teachers.

However, the data recognises that not all children after Year 10 can be tracked as there is no requirement to register for home schooling after this point.

Many home school parents also choose for their children not to participate in standardised tests, such as NAPLAN, and therefore comparative data is inconclusive.

If home schooling is undertaken in Years 11 and 12, students can complete Higher School Certificate (HSC) exams to receive an ATAR but, due to the internal mark requirement, may not receive an actual HSC certificate.

Rise of home schooling in NSW

Home schooling is more common in certain areas of NSW: the Hunter region, South Coast and Sydney West. There is, however, no specific data as to why these areas have higher registration numbers.

In NSW, children can only be registered for home schooling from the age of six, with the highest number of initial registrations being at eight years old. This is usually after formal schooling has been attempted and perceived as not working. Other states do not publish this data.

NSW has the most comprehensive accreditation system, through required approval visits from BOSTES staff, as well as detailed application information in Australia – and many home school households find it burdensome.

The benefit, however, of the accreditation system is that it offers recognition of a sound education being delivered by households to children through home schooling.

The BOSTES is holding consultation meetings for home school families, to improve the system as best as possible within the guidelines.

Child protection issues

The 2014 NSW parliamentary home school inquiry did raise concerns about child protection issues in home schooling. Its report argued that, unlike formal schools where children are continually observed, there is no ongoing daily oversight of home-schooled children.

Part of the authorised person’s role (the accreditor) is to ensure they view children who are home schooled.

Increasing numbers of parents with a disabled child feel they have to home school because learning needs are not being supported by the public system.

But home schooling should be a choice, and not a last option. Through home schooling, parents hope that the diverse needs of their children will be met, rather than having their child isolated or denied full access to the curriculum as recent research demonstrates has been happening.

No funding for home-schooled children

The school system does not get access to the funding attached to a child who is home schooled. And neither do the parents who do the home schooling.

This means that around 10,000 children potentially have no funding for their education.

This does raise the question that if home school parents can provide an equivalent education without the $15,450 per student the public system receives, and often without a teaching degree, does NSW Education Minister Adrian Piccoli need to rethink how we educate children?

Through children being home schooled, the money that would have been allocated to them for education essentially disappears. Given the consistent annual increase in home-schooling registrations, and the continual lowering of academic achievement in formal schooling, we can assume home schooling will only continue to increase.

Further research is therefore needed to look at the potential impacts this may have on children and society.