EDUCATION REPORT - Over One Million U.S. Students Are Home-S

EDUCATION REPORT - Over One Million U.S. Students Are Home-Schooled
By Nancy Steinbach

Broadcast: Thursday, December 22, 2005

I'm Steve Ember with the VOA Special English Education Report.

Last week, we told you about a big honor¹ for a California teenager who is home-schooled. Sixteen-year-old Michael Viscardi of San Diego won first prize in the Siemens Westinghouse Competition in Math, Science and Technology. He showed solutions to a nineteenth-century math problem.

Michael has been schooled by his mother, who has a doctorate² in neuroscience. He also worked on his project with a professor at a university.

Home-schoolers have won other honors³ including national competitions in geography and spelling.

The National Center for Education Statistics⁴ did its latest research on home-schooling in two thousand three. Researchers found that more than one million American students learned⁵ at home. That was more than two percent of the school-age population.

 
Jake Strandmo (left) and his brother Joe (right) are home-schooled by their mother, Terri (center) in Maple⁶ Grove⁷, Minnesota. 
The report said the number of home-schooled students had increased. In nineteen ninety-nine, about eight hundred fifty thousand students were considered home-schooled. This meant they were taught at home instead of a school for at least part of their education. The students' time spent in public or private schools could not be more than twenty-five hours a week.

Michael Viscardi, for example, has been taught mostly at home, but with advanced math classes at a local university.

The researchers asked parents why they home-schooled their children. Thirty-one percent said the most important reason was concern about the environment of the local schools. Thirty percent said it was to provide religious instruction. Sixteen percent said they were not satisfied with the quality of the instruction in the local schools.

The Associated Press recently reported about an increase in the number of black Americans home-schooling their children. An education expert said much of this increase was in cities with histories of racial tension⁸. Also, some families were concerned that local schools were not teaching⁹ about African-American history and culture.

Critics of home-schooling say children need to attend school to help them learn social skills. They also say that some home-schooled children do not get a very good education. Still, all fifty states and the District of Columbia permit home-schooling. But some require more parent preparation or student testing than other states do.

This VOA Special English Education Report was written by Nancy Steinbach.  I'm Steve Ember.

1 honor   

n.光荣；敬意；荣幸；vt.给…以荣誉；尊敬

参考例句：

• I take your visit as a great honor.您的来访是我莫大的光荣。
• It is a great honor to receive that prize.能拿到那个奖是无上的光荣。

2 doctorate   

n.(大学授予的)博士学位

参考例句：

• He hasn't enough credits to get his doctorate.他的学分不够取得博士学位。
• Where did she do her doctorate?她在哪里攻读博士？

3 honors   

n.礼仪；荣典；礼节； 大学荣誉学位；大学优等成绩；尊敬( honor的名词复数 )；敬意；荣誉；光荣

参考例句：

• He aims at honors. 他力求名誉。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• We did the last honors to his remains. 我们向他的遗体告别。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 statistics   

n.统计，统计数字，统计学

参考例句：

• We have statistics for the last year.我们有去年的统计资料。
• Statistics is taught in many colleges.许多大学都教授统计学。

5 learned   

adj.有学问的，博学的；learn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He went into a rage when he learned about it.他听到这事后勃然大怒。
• In this little village,he passed for a learned man.在这个小村子里，他被视为有学问的人。

6 maple   

n.槭树，枫树，槭木

参考例句：

• Maple sugar is made from the sap of maple trees.枫糖是由枫树的树液制成的。
• The maple leaves are tinge with autumn red.枫叶染上了秋天的红色。

7 grove   

n.林子，小树林，园林

参考例句：

• On top of the hill was a grove of tall trees.山顶上一片高大的树林。
• The scent of lemons filled the grove.柠檬香味充满了小树林。

8 tension   

n.(紧张)状态；拉(绷)紧；张力，拉力

参考例句：

• I could feel the tension in the room. 我可以感觉到房间里的紧张气氛。
• Relaxaion is better than tension. 缓和比紧张好。

9 teaching   

n.教学，执教，任教，讲授；(复数)教诲

参考例句：

• We all agree in adopting the new teaching method. 我们一致同意采取新的教学方法。
• He created a new system of teaching foreign languages.他创造了一种新的外语教学体系。