Home School for College Students?

08/01/2010

You probably know that homeschooling is a major trend in America. But you night not know just how prevalent it has become, or that about 3 percent of American children are going to school at home.

Here’s what a 2009 report from the U.S. Department of Education has to say . . . “In 2007, the number of homeschooled students was about 1.5 million, an increase from 850,000 in 1999 and 1.1 million in 2003 . . . The percentage of the school-age population that was homeschooled increased from 1.7 percent in 1999 to 2.9 percent in 2007. The increase in the percentage of homeschooled students from 1999 to 2007 represents a 74 percent relative increase over the 8-year period and a 36 percent relative increase since 2003. “ 

Why are so many children going to school at home? Sometimes they have special needs that local schools cannot fully serve. Sometimes their parents are good teachers. And sometimes, parents want to teach religion alongside reading, writing and math.

Because the Internet delivers educational content so efficiently, more homeschooling parents are turning to online sources of advice, and for online courses themselves.

But what if you are a college student? Can’t you be homeschooled too? Of course you can. It’s just a question of the words you use. If you’re an elementary school kid who learns at home, you are “homeschooled.” If you’re a college student who does the same thing, you’re “distance learning.”

Home school, online school . . . it’s just a question of terminology. No matter what you call it, the age of distance learning classes is here.

By Barry Lenson

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