Expert Says Parents Educational Attainment Not a Barrier to Homeschooling Kids

Parents may question their own capacity when homeschooling kids. Parents without a degree, in particular, may wonder if they are fit to teach their child at home, given that skeptics may question the parents educational attainment as a barrier or hindrance to the child's learning. But how important is the parent-teacher's own educational attainment to their child's homeschooling success?

Homeschool Policy on Parent Qualifications

In North Dakota, Mexico, Ohio, Pennsylvania, North and South Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, West Virginia, and Virginia, homeschooling parents are required a high school diploma and or GED. These are basic educational qualifications for parents who wish to homeschool their kids, especially parents of children in grades 9-12.

Still, a majority of states in the U.S. do not require any educational qualifications for the homeschooling parents, Responsible Homeschooling revealed.

Homeschool Parents Educational Attainment Does Not Pose a Problem in Homeschooling Kids

Texas home school coalition's public policy director, Jeremy Newman, revealed that parents educational attainment does not affect the outcome of the homeschooling kids, Epoch Times reported. Instead, what is of more significance to the homeschooling child's success is their learning environment.

A homeschool parent's resourcefulness can make up for the lack of a Ph.D, for example. The homeschool expert said there are many resources that homeschool parents can tap into when facilitating the learning environment-which is their main job.

Indeed there are many resources on the internet for the beginner homeschool parent. Whether you are a parent who is looking into homeschooling for the first time or a novice homeschool parent in their first few months of homeschooling, many homeschooling parents have documented and shared their journeys online for many parents to learn from.

Homeschooling Kids Puts Them at an Advantage

The homeschooling expert added that regardless of the academic levels of the parents, homeschooled students are able to score in the 75^th to 85^th percentile on just about every subject. Further, homeschooled kids score 25 to 35 percentile points higher than public school students on the same standardized tests.

Homeschooled kids have an advantage over their learning environment. "This advantage gives homeschooled kids a greater chance at success," the homeschool expert revealed. The expert also stressed the amount of effort that goes into creating such a learning environment, which can be credited to the parents.

Parent-led homeschool education is arguably one of the fastest-growing type of schooling in the United States. This type of education adapts to the individual learning styles of every student. In 2020, the homeschooling population jumped from 5 million to 9 million homeschooling kids. Among minority groups and non-white, non-Hispanic families, homeschooling saw a 41 percent increase.

Due to the pandemic, parents found a different path to managing the education of their children. They discovered remote learning as well as part-time homeschooling. As for parents who are new to homeschooling, the homeschool expert advised, "Start small with a few hours a day, testing and figuring things out on the way-what works and what does not."