Perhaps, just perhaps some parents are starting to finally see the light that the public school system and its unions don’t necessarily put educating their children as their top priority. Even with many schools offering virtual learning via Zoom or other tech platforms, the number of homeschooling households doubled over the time period:
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — The rate of households homeschooling their children doubled from the start of the pandemic last spring to the start of the new school year last September, according to a new U.S. Census Bureau report released this week.
Last spring, about 5.4% of all U.S. households with school-aged children were homeschooling them, but that figure rose to 11% by last fall, according to the bureau’s Household Pulse Survey.
The survey purposefully asked the question in a way to clarify that it was inquiring about genuine homeschooling and not virtual learning through a public or private school, the Census Bureau said.
Oil City News, “HOMESCHOOLING DOUBLED FROM PANDEMIC’S START TO LAST FALL,” 3/24/21
Surprisingly, the largest gains in homeschooling households was in non-white homes:
Black households saw the largest jump in rates of homeschooling, going from 3.3% in the spring to 16.1% in the fall. The rate for Hispanic households of any race went from 6.2% to 12.1%. It went from 4.9% to 8.8% for Asian households, and from 5.7% to 9.7% for non-Hispanic white households.
It could be dissatisfaction with the virtual learning environment offered by the public schools, or perhaps these parents just decided to try homeschooling as the opportunity presented itself and decided they liked it. Either way homeschooling numbers are up which is a good thing. A parent typically knows their child best, and if homeschooling can offer a better suited environment for a child to learn, it should be a viable option for any family.
Pot Full of Frogs 