One of the major concerns people have when they think about homeschooling is academic achievement. Do homeschooled children actually learn what they need to in order to succeed? According to this Homeschool Legal Defense Association press release, a new study of over 11,000 homeschoolers from all 50 U.S. states has demonstrated that the answer is a resounding, “YES.”

Homeschooled students on average score over 30 percentile points higher on standardized achievement tests than their public schooled counterparts. This is true even when neither parent holds a college degree. It’s true in highly regulated states and true in states with virtually no state regulation of homeschooling. It’s true when parents are rich and true when they’re poor, true when they spend a lot on curricula and true when they spend less. Homeschooling works.

Read all about the study here.

Recently, I received a couple of very thought provoking comments wondering about the prudence of sending our daughters to college. I think about this a lot off and on, but I have not come to solid enough conclusions that I’m ready to write “the answer.” So, I thought I’d pass the comments off to all of you to see how you would answer. (I’ve edited them slightly for clarity. You can find the originals in the comment thread on this post.)

I am wondering what your thoughts are on your college experience. If I remember correctly, you went to college (a pretty good one in fact) — do you think that was a waste of your time/money/effort? And, are you planning on encouraging your daughters to go to college? The practical side of me thinks that it’s a waste to send women to college who make the choice to be housewives/stay-at-home mothers. The other side of me knows that college has shaped me profoundly and I would be a different person without it (for more than simply academics). Would you encourage your daughter(s) to go to, say, community college, and send your son(s) to Ivy League schools? This is something I’ve been thinking about recently as I think about how I want to shape and teach my children.

Sometimes, I can’t help but think that my college education was a waste, or at least that I could have gone to a less expensive university and gotten a similar education for a lot less cost. I want my daughter (and son) to get the best education they can, I want them to have the full college experience, but do I want my daughter to then become a stay-at-home wife/mother? And if so, will I be the one paying for her education? Should she take out loans and let her husband foot the bill after they get married? I am confused about this.

So, what do y’all think? How would you answer these questions? (As always, remember that my standard for niceness in comments goes way, way up when I pose questions that originally came from other people. Not that I think any of my regular commenters will have any trouble being gracious, though!)

Spunky of Spunky Homeschool has written a rather thought-provoking (and amusing) piece on the choices we like to be able to make in our lives. I don’t want to give away her punch line, so I’ll refrain from telling you too much about it and settle instead for letting you read the opening paragraphs.

Imagine with me, if you will, that you just bought a new home. You are so excited. The rooms are spacious, the neighborhood lovely, and the surrounding community is spectacular. The area is loaded with restaurants, museums, orchestras, and cultural opportunities galore. All to entertain and educate you and your children. You wander around your new dwelling staring at boxes and dreaming of the future.

Suddenly, your dream is interrupted by a knock at the door. Wondering who it is, you peek through the door. It’s a face you don’t recognize. You greet the stranger warmly. He, however, appears to be all business. “Are you Mrs. Jones the new homeowner?”

Click on over and read the rest of Choice: It’s a beautiful thing.