Not by the Book
Bits and Pieces: It is suspected that parent educators fare better than traditional teachers. A recent study found that 12 of the most popular science textbooks used in U.S. middle schools contain a high degree of error.
June/July 2001
By the Mother Earth News editors
A recent North Carolina State University study found that 12 of the most popular science textbooks used in U.S. middle schools contain a high degree of error. John Hubisz, author of the school's research, found that "many middle school science teachers have little physics training and [thus] may not recognize errors." Brian Ray, Ph.D., president of the National Home Education Research Institute (NHERI), says much of the confusion arises when schoolteachers begin to view these textbooks as "God-sent" and thus do not check for errors. Findings like these may be behind the surge in American homeschooling.
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According to NHERI, the estimated number of K-12 students with home-based, parent-led education rose from 1,250 in 1978 to 1.15 million in 1996-1997. NHERI's Web site claims "the transmission of a distinct set of beliefs and values to children, quality academics, and alternative approaches to learning and teaching" are among the key reasons parents choose homeschooling.
Ray suspects that parent educators fare better than traditional teachers because they often learn the science one step ahead of their children, so their sensitivity to mistakes is higher. Parents also use multiple resources (like the Internet, computer programs and books), making them more skeptical of editing mistakes.
Beverly Adams-Gordon, co-owner of Washington, D.C.-based materials distributor Castlemoyle Books, agrees. "Homeschooling families tend to work through things together and there are more child-teacher interactions, so parents are more likely to correct errors [than schoolteachers]." And those who turn to homeschooling won't be at a lack for classroom materials. Jim Darnell, general manager of Pennsylvania-based curriculum distributor Home School Internet Resource Center (HSIRC), estimates students using his company's materials read more than 5,000 pages annually in grades 9-12 and 4,000 in the lower grades, while students in public high schools read significantly less, he says. The answer lies in the group's "self-mastery approach," in which the student is self motivated, reading the material without a teacher's help.
-Alice Lee
