Argumentative Essay: Homeschool vs. Public School

Introduction

John F. Kennedy during his presidency insisted that human mind is the most significant resource available, and the nation's progress ought to go hand in hand with the advancement in the educational sector. Hence, education in America is viewed as an investment, where the public and the private sectors have dedicated their efforts to ensure that the American population has access to the most development an efficient education system. Additionally, once a child gets to a school-going age, their parents are faced with the challenge of selecting the best schooling system for their teenagers. Some prefer taking them to public schools, while others are in favor of homeschooling. Such choices depend on the guardian's economic and social beliefs. Public schooling is the oldest education system in the US, cheaper and efficient, offers quality and excellent educational programs, develops social skills of the students, and offers diversified academic and non-academic opportunities makes its better than private schooling, regardless of claims such as the ability of the homeschooling to eliminate bullying and other social evils and offer quality and dedicated education.

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Arguments for Public Schools

Public schooling is considered as one of the oldest education systems in the US. This means that the society has developed a positive attitude and preference due the well-established framework that has facilitated the functionality of such a system. The public schools are run under the watch of both the parents and the federal government, and all the undertakings of the system are outlined and regulated in law. Thereby, this eliminates instances such as child abuse and discrimination among all walks of people (Parker 493). Additionally, conservative parents are assured that their parents will have access to quality academic assistance since the system has been evaluated and passed the test over time. On the other hand, homeschooling is an emerging trend in the society, where its productivity and efficiency has not been proven over an extended period. Moreover, there are inadequate regulations in homeschooling since the welfare and rights of a student is left in the hands of the parent. Thus, incidences such as abuse do not have succinct regulatory laws and guidelines. Therefore, public schooling can be referred to the superior education system due to success through the test of time, its productivity over time, and the regulation framework that governs it.

Notably, the public education is also cheaper and efficient for both the parents and the student. The government is the main stakeholder in America's education system. Hence, it is involved in the funding and resource allocation towards the functioning of the system. For instance, the federal government pays the tuition fees for the individuals attending public schools in the US. This was developed as a measure to ensure that all teenagers from various walks of life have access to education (Carusi and Tony 113). On the other hand, parents undertaking a homeschooling program for their children cater for the fees of hiring a private tutor, purchase all the required books and stationery. Such expenses increase the cost of education in the country making it affordable to only the elite group. Additionally, the public schooling system is efficient to the parents since they are assured of the safety and well-being of their children. The administration of public schools has the responsibility to take care of their students thus giving the parents time to engage in other businesses. This is not the case in the homeschooling system since the parent cannot trust the welfare of their children in the hands of an unknown person. Hence, they frequently save time to be home to watch the progress which reduces their dedication in private undertakings.

Additionally, the public-school system offers quality and excellent educational programs. The government has established regulatory bodies such as the US Department of Education that collaborates with the state administration to validate on the quality of education services offered in schools. Additionally, regulations have been put in place to ensure that the hired teachers are learned and attained their degrees in the teaching field and possess adequate skills which are verified before such individuals attain the license to teach. Hence, such checks ensure that all the tutors hired in public schools are efficient and can offer high quality services in their area of expertise. However, such regulations are not applicable to homeschooling since the parent acts as the sole decider on the undertakings and the education awarded o their children. Thus, this cannot guarantee quality education like the one offered by public schools across the country.

Moreover, public education system helps in developing social skills of the students as they develop into the adulthood. Children attending public schools have the opportunity to interact with individuals from all walks of life including social classes, color, and religions. Such an exposure assists in the development of the students' social skills especially during their early developmental stages. It also enables them to interact freely without instances of shyness and low self-esteem (Appatova et al. 643). This is not the same with the homeschooling program where the children are not awarded time to interact with their peers. The only companion they have access to are their teachers, and in some cases, parents usually act as the private tutors. Such moves deny the children to develop their interaction skills. Therefore, the children attending public schools tend to be more confident and posts more developed social skills as compared to the ones undertaking the homeschooling program.

Additionally, the public education system offers diversified academic and non-academic opportunities to the students. Children in the public schools are exposed to various subjects and career lines as they try to figure out the best to choose. This allows them to the way the one they are good at and also one that rhymes with their passion and interest. Some public schools also offer more opportunities such as the advanced classes especially on specialized career paths such as arts and technology. "This study addresses the effect of urban planning and road development on the health risk of students attending schools near major roadways. The proximity of public schools and students was quantified to Interstate, US and state highways in nine large Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSA) of the USA. In total among the surveyed schools and students, over 30% fell within 400m of a major roadway and over 10% were within 100m. For some MSAs almost half of the student population attended schools near (400m) major roadways, resulting in a potentially increased risk for asthma and other chronic respiratory problems, especially in schools representing the urban fringe locale. It was concluded that proximity of major roadways should be an important factor in considering sites for new schools and developing policies for reducing the exposure in existing schools. The findings provide an important reference point for coordinating future urban development, transportation and environmental policies. Nonetheless, talented students are also given the opportunity to explore their gifts through the extracurricular programs run by the institution's management. Hence, students excel in talents such as music and theatre, soccer, and athletics can pursue their careers alongside their education. However, such programs are not available for students under homeschooling program. Most of them depend on their parent's choice in determining their career choice since the parents are the ones that decide the courses they can pursue. Moreover, talent development is inhibited since they are not exposed to extracurricular activities.

Counterargument

The proponents of homeschooling highlight that the program helps in eliminating bullying and other social evils. Bullying has emerged to be a significant concern in public schools in the US. Hence, parents have resulted in homeschooling their children to ensure that they grow in a friendly and conducive environment (Wearne). Such students are free from other social evils such as introduction to drug abuse, immoral behavior, and introduction to various religions. The program is effective in eliminating such cases. However, this move cannot count as an adequate reason to favor the adoption of the homeschooling system, since it, in turn, inhibit the development of social skills of such students.

Additionally, the proposers of the homeschooling program suggest that it offers quality education to the participants. They argue that the student have access to a dedicated tutor who is available to address the weaknesses and strengths of such as teenager. Schools in which students attend school with other students for 2 or 3 days per week in traditional classroom settings, and are homeschooled the balance of the week. This exploratory study presents self-reported reasons parents choose these schools, using an electronic survey of parents from four such schools (n = 136; 19% return rate). Findings indicate that families in these schools are relatively wealthier and more suburban than parents using tax credit programs, that they value school structures more than particular student achievement outcomes, and that they seek information on accreditation, curriculum, and the religious nature of schools in making their choices...