Bacon's Rebellion

Democracy Thrives in Sunlight

Homeschooling Interest in Virginia Exceeds that of Other States

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by

James A. Bacon
in ,

by James A. Bacon

Virginians have a higher interest in home schooling than would be predicted by their level of education, political leanings, or incomes — demographic factors explored in a report by eLearningWorld.

Interest in home schooling has soared nationally since the beginning of the COVID epidemic, writes self-described e-Learning technology geek Scott Winstead, and with school closures still in the cards in many districts, there is no indication that interest is diminishing.

Partnering with Mindnet Analytics, a data science consulting firm, eLearningWorld used online search trends to gauge the level of interest in homeschooling for the 50 states. It found that the level of interest in Virginia was higher than in 35 other states (including the District of Columbia).

The strongest correlation the study found was with education level, as measured by the percentage of the population with high school diplomas. Previous studies have found that more highly educated parents are likelier to educate their children at home than those with less education. That stands to reason — parents with more education undoubtedly feel more confidence in their ability to teach their kids.

By this measure, Virginia is located slightly above the trend line, indicating that Virginians are more likely than would be predicted by education level alone.

eLearningWorld also found a weak correlation between a state’s partisan make-up and parental interest in homeschooling. The higher the percentage of Republican voters, the greater the interest in homeschooling. As a state with a majority of Democratic voters (it’s not clear which election was used as the basis for determining party leanings), Virginians nonetheless display a greater-than-average interest in teaching their kids at home.


The report also found a weak correlation with average state income. States with lower income are slightly more interested in homeschooling than more affluent states. Again, Virginia is located above the trend line.

None of the demographic factors had especially strong explanatory value, however, which suggests that the most important factors driving interest in homeschooling are local to the states themselves. I would suggest that dissatisfaction with public schools and the private school alternatives is the foremost consideration. School closings, masking policies, and ideological conflicts playing out in school policies, I would suggest, are alienating parents on a massive scale.

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22 responses to “Homeschooling Interest in Virginia Exceeds that of Other States”

  1. LarrytheG Avatar
    LarrytheG

    My impression is that a significant aspect of home schooling incorporates virtual learning with the parent the “para. Is that kind of “virtual” also “harmful” to children? Perhaps Dick has a view?

    1. killerhertz Avatar
      killerhertz

      This is not the case. There are many curricula available both print and online form. Some people choose to “unschool” and not use any curriculum. The virginia virtual academy really only became popular in the context of COVID as an alternative to remote schooling.

      1. LarrytheG Avatar
        LarrytheG

        does it “harm” the kids to be at home and learn?

        1. killerhertz Avatar
          killerhertz

          Why would you assume that? I think the evidence is there’s more harm being done at government schools. A lot of homeschoolers incorporate out of home experiences in their education, so the notion that some kid is sitting on the kitchen table all day not interacting with any peers is a misconception. Nearly everyone I know that homeschools these days is part of a pod or coop where parents teach different subjects and often go to different houses each day of the week.

          1. LarrytheG Avatar
            LarrytheG

            well no I don’t… I’m hearing that from the anti-maskers … and Conservatives , right?

    2. Dick Hall-Sizemore Avatar
      Dick Hall-Sizemore

      I am not sure what you are asking.

      Homeschooling may sound attractive, but, if done right, requires a lot of time, patience, and work by the parents.

      As I have related on this blog before, my daughter has homeschooled her three children since they were were school age. They are now 18 (graduated), 15 and 12.

      When she first started, she developed the curriculum herself, with some guidance from on-line sources. She researched the material available and obtained it. I was always amazed at the time she spent on developing the curriculum, finding and getting the material, and developing the individual sessions. Then there was the actual teaching.

      As the kids have gotten older, she has taken advantage of on-line courses. There is a lot more material available on-line now than there was, say, ten years ago.

      The kids are not homeschooled exclusively by on-line courses. There is still a lot of hands-on teaching by their mother. Some of the on-line courses over the years have included Latin (several years), calculus, physics, geometry, French, American Sign Language, Economics, Philosophy, and creative writing.

      Some of the on-line courses are virtual; some are pre-recorded. There is lots of homework.

      Even with the on-line classes, my daughter puts in a lot of time researching and selecting the most appropriate course. And there is always the need for parental oversight. Does the child tune in to the course? Does the child pay attention during the on-line presentation? Does the child do the homework and submit it on time?

      I think 100 percent virtual homeschooling would be detrimental. On-line courses have certainly not been harmful to my grandchildren.

      Another factor is the cost. I could not even begin to estimate the total cost of all the written materials (there are shelves of them) accumulated over the years, plus the cost of the on-line course.

      To be successful in homeschooling, parents have to be dedicated. They must be willing to put in the time needed to select and or develop the most appropriate courses, guide their children through the material, supervise their children’s work and any use of on-line instruction, and bear the cost.

      1. LarrytheG Avatar
        LarrytheG

        in terms of “virtual”-only – parents have to be home with their kids right? So what is difference between parents at home with kids and one does homeschooling and the other not and relies 100% on virtual? Seems like if parents have to be home – then do part of it and not rely 100% virtual, no?

        1. LarrytheG Avatar
          LarrytheG

          IOW – are the parents who are not willing to help school their kids at home – blaming the schools for their own lack of initiative (that homeschool parents DO have)?

        2. killerhertz Avatar
          killerhertz

          Curriculum is the most important difference. The state has a particular view of what they deem is important. With homeschooling the sky is the limit.

          1. Nancy Naive Avatar
            Nancy Naive

            Yeah, you can teach CRT.

          2. killerhertz Avatar
            killerhertz

            You sure could. You could also teach white supremacy.

          3. Nancy Naive Avatar
            Nancy Naive

            Indubitably.

        3. Dick Hall-Sizemore Avatar
          Dick Hall-Sizemore

          If the kids are in high school, parents do not have to be at home. If they wanted, they could do homeschooling 100 percent virtual, tell the kid to be sure to do his “school” and leave the house. Even with younger kids, parents would not have to be paying attention if the home school were 100 percent virtual.

  2. Paul Sweet Avatar
    Paul Sweet

    I didn’t notice it at first, the first graph shows the usual suspects on the left side of the graph, but look which state has the lowest percentage of high school graduates!

    1. how_it_works Avatar
      how_it_works

      California isn’t what it was decades ago…

  3. Herb Sipe Avatar
    Herb Sipe

    This looks like meaningless numerology. The standard deviation of the various states appears to be greater than the Virginia deviation from the line. And if the dtata were to be plotted on a vertical axis from 0 to 100%, there would appear to be no real trend at all. I tell my students this is “lying with graphs.” Perhaps lying is too strong a term here, but exaggeration might aptly be employed. –Herb Sipe

  4. MzBezy Avatar
    MzBezy

    It would be interesting to see a breakdown of why families are homeschooling in the first place, whether it’s religion, special needs, COVID, etc. I started homeschooling my child at the beginning of the 20/21 school year because they could not adjust to the unorganized online curriculum that our school district (Franklin County) was using. I ended up continuing homeschooling this year because I was able to tailor the lessons to their individual needs, something that was never accomplished in public school despite an IEP (autism). I have found through conversations with other homeschoolers in my area that about half of families are homeschooling for the same reason. I wonder if it’s true for other regions.

    1. Dick Hall-Sizemore Avatar
      Dick Hall-Sizemore

      My daughter started homeschooling about 16 years ago for a variety of reasons. The quality of the public schools was not a factor. She lives in Fairfax County and has access to good schools. One of the reasons she gave me was that she did not like the emphasis on testing in public schools, particularly the SOLs. Another is that I think she simply enjoys being around her children.

      The kids have always known that traditional public school was an option. When one of the boys was younger, he was not keen on school and began giving his mother problems. She told him, “Look, you have two choices–regular school or home school. ‘No school’ is not an option.” He elected to stay. When the oldest reached high school age, my daughter sort of assumed he would go to public school. He was surprised at that assumption and said that he was happy with home school.

      One of the unexpected (to me, at least) benefits of home school has been the bonding of my three grandchildren. They seem unusually close and I am convinced that home school is the big reason for that. After all, they are with each other all day every day.

      1. MzBezy Avatar
        MzBezy

        I have to agree with your daughter regarding the SOL testing situation. I actually went to college to be a secondary social studies teacher, and it always amazed me how we were trained to teach one way in college, but then told to teach an entirely different way in the classroom. I’m not against standards per se, but I do not like the SOLs as they are.

        My child really likes homeschooling. An end of year standardized test is required for my district to demonstrate learning, but my child does not stress about it at all – mainly because I don’t focus on it. I design the curriculum around their interests and strengths using a variety of materials so they are very involved with what they are learning. I was nervous about homeschooling at first, especially in the academic areas that I’m not trained in, but it has really been a labor of love so far.

  5. Nancy Naive Avatar
    Nancy Naive

    I can appreciate the uptick in homeschooling in Virginia. Some parents will want their children to learn about the horrors of slavery, racism, white supremacy, and the genocide of the native nations.

    1. LesGabriel Avatar
      LesGabriel

      Are you suggesting that those subjects are not covered in public schools? If so, you might check on some of the relevant SOL’s.

  6. James Wyatt Whitehead Avatar
    James Wyatt Whitehead

    The best at home schooling make it a life style. I can only imagine the satisfaction in good results. One of those rare deals when the more you put in the more that is given back. It reminds me of the preacher homeschooling his kids in the movie A River Runs Through It.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fsoS3fRKkA

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