Generally when a company or organization takes a look at how their business is going and discovers it isn't going well, they realize that something has to change.  This usually means that they remove programs that don't work and implement new programs.  In the process they also find a way to make things easier on their workers but increases production.  That's called streamlining.

Not so with public schools.  When they realize things aren't working they do one of two things.  Push the children harder or dumb things down.   They will stick to programs that have proven to be completely ineffective.   

Every one of these tactics is the perfect set up for failure.  Children learn to hate school because there is no joy in the learning and no sense of accomplishment.  They no longer want to learn for the sake of educating themselves, if anything they just want to do the minimum requirements so they can get on with their lives. 

Homeschooling in and of itself won't solve all the above problems.  That will depend on the parents, how hard will they push their children or how much will they let them get away with?  Very few parents however will stick with a program that is ineffective.  They might struggle through to the end of the school year but the next year they will ditch a program that has done more harm then good.  Still a parent is right there to give that individualized attention to help strengthen their weak areas and oversee the area their children have strengths.  All around it creates success. 

Tia Linschied
Senior Editor of HSB