How Does Homeschooling Affect Your Child’s Character and Health?

Homeschooling practices and regulations have changed during the COVID-19 pandemic and parents can now be at ease in taking decisions regarding the education of their child.

Homeschooled children and teens were found to have greater character strengths and less risky health behaviors later in life. However, they were less likely to attain a college degree, reveals a new study.//

The new study was published this week in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Tyler VanderWeele of Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, US, and colleagues.

US Families Slowly Taking to Homeschooling
The living room is the classroom when it comes to the three R's of reading, 'riting and 'rithmetic for a growing number of Americans.

‘Homeschooling practices and regulations have changed during the COVID-19 pandemic and parents can now be at ease in taking decisions regarding the education of their child.’

School experiences are crucial for shaping individuals’ developmental and well-being trajectories later in life. Past studies have explored associations between types of primary and secondary schools and academic achievement, but outcomes beyond academic performance remain less well understood.

In the new study, researchers used data from 12,288 adolescent children of nurses enrolled in the Growing Up Today Study (GUTS).

In 1999, baseline data, including the type of school a child was attending, was collected on children between the ages of 11 and 19. Data on outcomes were collected primarily from the 2010 wave of the GUTS questionnaire, or, when missing 2010 data, from the 2013 or 2007 questionnaire .

Homeschooled Kids Sleep Better - Study
Kids who are schooled at home get more hours of sleep as compared to kids who attend regular school, reveals new study.

Few statistically significant differences were seen between children who attended public schools, private independent schools and private religious schools. However when comparing students who were homeschooled with those that attended public schools, some differences emerged.

Homeschooled children were more likely to report volunteering activities (β=0.33, 95% CI 0.15-0.52, p<0.002), forgiveness of others (β=0.31, 95% CI 0.16-0.46, p<0.002) and religious service attendance (RR=1.51, 95% CI 1.27-1.80, p<0.002) but less likely to have attained a college degree (RR=0.77, 95% CI 0.67-0.88, p<0.002). They were also somewhat less likely to have used marijuana, had a lower number of lifetime sexual partners, and a greater sense of mission.

Back to Work Employee Guidelines During COVID-19
Getting back to work after working from home for months, can be emotionally challenging and draining for people. Employees should focus on the opportunities and benefits of this new work setting and understand that the work environment will not be the way that it used to be, before the COVID-19 lockdown.

The results were limited by the fact that the children were all children of nurses and were mostly non-Hispanic White; findings may not be generalizable to other populations.

The authors conclude that the study results might help inform policy-makers, educators, parents and other education stakeholders in their decisions on school policy, especially as homeschooling practices and regulations change in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Food In Private Schools Lack Nutrition
Food served at faith communities and private schools are associated with religious activities and other stigmas.

The authors add: "In a sample of adolescent children of reasonably well-educated parents, we found, on average, little difference in subsequent young adult health and wellbeing outcomes comparing those who attended public schools versus private schools. Those who were home-schooled were less likely to go on to attend college than those in public schools, but they were subsequently more likely to volunteer, to be forgiving, to have a sense of purpose, and to engage in healthier behaviors."

Source-Eurekalert