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Homeschooling, when done well, can certainly provide an excellent education and a vast range of opportunities for a child. I do not believe, however, that it is any better or worse than formal education when speaking in the general sense. Too much depends upon the specifics of each situation.

Formal education works for many, many children. It also fails many, many children. Rather than focusing on which educational method is better across the board, the focus should be on which system is better for each individual child, based on their own characteristics.

Homeschooling requires a level of effort and organization that not all families can provide. The ideal homeschool situation involves a great deal of time invested both into academic education, from selecting materials and designing a curriculum to actual instruction, and into social development, because homeschooling families have to seek out activities that are built into formal education. Homeschooling also requires a cooperative relationship between the teaching parent and the children, which can be difficult to foster with a child who struggles academically and may allow his frustration to carry over into other aspects of his home life.

Likewise, formal education carries with it certain expectations that may be difficult for some children and some families. Families essentially give up control of their own schedules when they enroll children in formal schools, many of which have strict attendance policies these days. They also give up control over what their children learn, to some degree. Because the schools serve many children, there is less opportunity for individualized instruction and children are expected to go along with the pace of the class, which may not work for children who are significantly outside the norm. And like homeschooling, the quality of formal education can vary significantly; there is no comparison between the quality of education offered in an elite private school or an outstanding suburban public school and the quality of education offered in a failing inner city school.

Both homeschooling and traditional formal education, along with the many options that lie between the two, have their own pros and cons. It cannot be argued that any one method is absolutely better than others.

Learn more about this author, Colleen Kowalewski.
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