Homeschooling Proving "Good for America"

Homeschoolers impact the political arena with energetic determination, focus, and success.

The Old Schoolhouse^® Magazine, LLC - In August 2001, the cover of Time magazine posed this question: "Is Home Schooling Good for America?" Today, as more and more adults who were homeschooled assume positions of leadership and service in our nation, we answer Time's question with a resounding "Yes!"

Without question, the contributions of homeschoolers are dramatically changing our political landscape. For example, leadership courses, camps, and organizations such as Generation Joshua, a division of the Home School Legal Defense Association, are coming alongside homeschooling families to train future leaders. During the 2010 mid-term elections Generation Joshua deployed 900 of their nearly 6,000 members to make a difference in 21 political races across the nation, including that of Congressman Daniel Webster (R-FL), a homeschooling father.

Dr. Brian Ray, founder of the National Home Education Research Institute, in his 2004 study of more than 7,000 homeschooled adults, showed that homeschoolers were more likely to vote, volunteer for political campaigns, and participate in community service. Dr. Ray found that 71% of homeschool graduates participated in ongoing community service activities compared to 37% of U.S. adults of similar ages, and 76% of homeschool graduates (aged 18-24) had voted in a national or state election within the last 5 years, compared to 29% of non-homeschooled graduates. 

In his article titled "Revisiting the Common Myths About Homeschooling," Michael Romanowski, a professor at the Center for Teacher Education at OhioNorthernUniversity, stated: "Homeschoolers clearly learn about the real world, possibly more than do their public school counterparts. While the purpose of public education is to educate future citizens who take an active role in improving the social, economic, and political conditions in society, Ray's research indicates that public schools, not homeschooling, should be scrutinized for their efforts regarding 'citizenship training.' "

So, who are some of these homeschoolers who are demonstrating excellent citizenship in "the real world"? Let's look at a handful of examples:

• For the past two years, Abby Carman, a homeschool graduate, has been the volunteer/internship coordinator for Congressman Todd Akin. She states: "Far more important than academically, homeschooling prepared me to think for myself, to learn on my own (not just for a good test score but for life) and enjoy learning. It also gave me experience in the multi-grade environment of a homeschool family, which prepared me to collaborate with others of all ages to accomplish a common goal." Many of the volunteers she has supervised are from homeschooling families.

• Laura Hinely benefited from her involvement with TeenPact Leadership Schools, whose motto is "Changing Lives To Change America." TeenPact, now active in 38 states, is a "comprehensive leadership experience that brings kids closer to Jesus Christ, makes them better leaders, and positions them to impact public policy in their state." Though not aiming at a political career personally, she explained: "I don't want to be the first female President of the United States either; I want to get married and be a mother. But I also want to be a good citizen, I want to know how to make a difference . . . ."

• Homeschooler Tyler Fehrman worked on 18 political campaigns in five states (2004-2009) and was the youngest paid member of the John McCain presidential campaign." At 18, he ran for an at-large seat on the Mount Vernon, Ohio, City Council.

• PatrickHenryCollege in Virginia, which was created especially for homeschool grads, places high percentages of its students as interns in political administrations. Since its founding in 2000, the college has graduated more than 300 students, many of whom have entered the legal profession or the political arena.
   

Homeschooling offers more than just educational benefits, and it's become apparent that involvement with political issues and participation in community projects are opportunities many homeschooling families are finding to be rewarding and beneficial. Instead of isolating students from the "real world," a concern often voiced by opponents of homeschooling, home education is producing young people who are more active in community service and citizenship than their public-schooled counterparts.