Several weeks ago, a person responded to my original note on this topic, citing links to research that has been done on home schooling. In reading through them, I was able to discern the following.

• Those who are home schooled do not suffer academically, and may even do better in academic achievement.
• The concerns about home schooled children not being properly socialized and integrated into a larger community is not supported by research. Studies seem to indicate those who are home schooled are very active in their communities. The concerns are based on philosophical thought, but the research does not support that thinking.
• People who are home schooled and go on to college and graduate do not appear to have adjustment problems afterward.
• Please note there may be a lot of holes in my thinking as I didn’t have the time to do a thorough review of the literature. I would welcome anyone to respond to this reflection with more detailed information on research related to home schooling.
• Christians are not the only ones who home school. Neither is the demographic consist only of Caucasian people.

Several people also wrote to me asking to speak about parochial/private schools, Catholic Schools being the most common. I don’t have much to say about this. It would seem that the advantages of these schools are that they support values that are more in line with a Christian formation of children. One comment I received from a parent said he doesn’t have to worry about the schools advocating or supporting students who seek to live an alternative lifestyle contrary to the teachings of the Catholic or Orthodox Christian traditions. The downside with these schools is that they are expensive and many parents may not be able to afford the cost. Plus, people from many different backgrounds attend these schools, not just Catholics, Orthodox, and other Christians. With regard to larger schools, I do wonder if the value formation would be as solid as one would think. For those who can afford it, I have no problem with parochial schools, which provide another alternative to public or home schooling. I will speak one more time on this issue next week. The blessing of the Lord be upon you!

The unworthy +Paul