However, there are other factors as well. Parents, sometimes pushed into this choice, are discovering that homeschooling is a very nice fit for them. In Strengths of Their Own, a recent report of 5,402 homeschooling students, homeschool authority Dr. Brian Ray notes that homeschoolers outperform their public school counterparts by 30 to 37 percentile points on standardized tests, in all subjects. These higher test scores result regardless of the parents' educational background, income, ethnic group, or occupation. Others rely on homemade materials supplemented by frequent trips to the library.
Some parents hire a tutor to teach particular skills like a foreign language or musical instrument.
Homeschoolers also participate in learning co-ops with other homeschoolers or take classes at a day school or community college. Finally, children may only be homeschooled for a year or two before returning to conventional classroom settings. Whatever program homeschooling families choose, the results are most often high-achieving and principled young people. Barnaby Marsh, who was homeschooled in the Alaskan wilderness, went on to graduate from Cornell University and was one of 32 U.S. Rhodes Scholars selected in 1996. Army Specialist Michael New, a decorated medic who was court-martialed for refusing to don a United Nations uniform, was homeschooled.