Friday, May 7, 2010

No Child Left Behind and Homeschooling

I have two nieces and one nephew that are home schooled. I know that NCLB is controversial. The whole purpose of it was to better children's education. I was shocked to find out that home schooled kids do not need to take any standardized tests or any aptitude test in order to receive a high school diploma. I realize that to get into colleges they need to have SAT or ACT scores. I just wonder if not having them take any type of test puts them at a disadvantage. There are few key areas that do really concern me.
I feel that sometimes the home schooled children are not as socialized as well as public school children. At the same time, it does protect them from bullying and peer pressure to an extent. I don't really know if this is a positive or negative effect.
I also am concerned about their actual education. Even if home schooling parents don't follow NCLB, I still believe some type of standardized tests should be used to evaluate the effectiveness of their teaching. What if someone was saying they were home schooling their children, but they really were not teaching the child? I just think it is so scary because these kids could be put at a major disadvantage for the rest of their lives if their parents are not doing a great job.
Lastly, I do not think that home schooling prepares kids very well for college. If there is not a set schedule, the children do not learn a routine of classes very well. Also, I think with not having to sit in classes and try to get information from lectures puts the children at a disadvantage for college classes. In addition, I do not think that it is very common for the children to receive homework. So, the children never really learn the concept of homework.

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