Hi funk - I'm gonna hit both posts in this one.
Your message #36: Yeah, I realize we're lucky. I'll confess we're not in a US public school (although we had them there for a year awhile back), primarily because we're not in the US
. They've been enrolled in an international baccalaureate program for the last three years, being exposed to not only a top-flight academic curriculum, but also to a huge diversity of kids from other cultures (there are currently 26 nationalities in a school with 160 kids k-12), small classes (average size 8-10), and professional, carefully selected international teachers. So don't go by my own experience when judging US schools. Which is why I don't condemn homeschooling outright (although I'm not sure whether it would be a viable option for us). OTOH, the one year they were in US public school, it was a "magnet" school in Arlington VA, so probably was much better overall than the average. If we have to go back to the States, we'll be looking for another magnet or a school with an IB program.
Your message #37: Thanks for the statistics. Actually it doesn't show much. The reason I say this is because they are going by standardized tests - which generally only cover math and English. From the one homeschool family I know, those are the two areas where homeschooling generally excells: their kid was reading at 3 grade-levels higher, and two math levels higher than the other kids her age. However, her history, social studies, etc were only average, and her science was abysmal. Great at art and drama, but petrified of performing to a group of peers (no problem with adults, tho'). Also, she was not really well socialized: she got along MUCH better with adults than with other kids her age, whom she really didn't feel comfortable with. Sweet, well-adjusted kid, just think she might have been missing out on something. It also points up the problem others have mentioned - homeschooling is ideal when the parents have sufficient knowledge in all subject areas and/or the ability to learn new material. However, no one is an expert on all subject areas, and once a kid hits high-school level, you're probably going to need help, unless you're simply "teaching to the test" to pass the standard exams.