Homeschooling has been growing quickly in the African American community. A new study by Brian D. Ray of the National Home Education Research Institute in Salem, Oregon, finds that Black children who are homeschooled tend to outperform other Black children on academic assessment tests and outperform their White counterparts in public schools. In reading, mathematics, and language assessment tests, Black homeschooled children surpassed the average scores for students of all races in the public schools.
Dr. Ray stated that his data showed that “Black homeschool children’s high achievement test scores were remarkable. Parents without teaching certificates helping their children from a traditionally low-achieving minority group excel this way should cause all educators and social advocacy groups to take special note.”
It must be noted that Black parents who are able to homeschool their children may be more highly educated and more affluent than Black parents generally. Their children might also perform better than other Black students and White students generally on academic assessment tests if they went to public schools. This possibility must be considered before making any conclusions as to the overall value of the homeschooling experience.
The study, “African American Homeschool Parents’ Motivations for Homeschooling and Their Black Children’s Academic Achievement,” was published in the Journal of School Choice. It may be accessed here.
