VOA标准英语2010年-Education Begins at Home in Many US Ho

...an estimated 1.5 million American children - about 3 percent of the school-age population - won't be going anywhere as schools open for the fall term.

Before 1918, when Mississippi became the last U.S. state to require that school-age children attend public or private schools, many children were taught by their parents at home or by teachers informally hired by the community. Quite often in rural areas, kids of all ages were taught in the same one-room schoolhouse. 

Decades later in the 1980s, homeschooling made a comeback when religiously conservative parents convinced states to approve and give full credit for the teaching of children at home. The homeschooling movement has since broadened to include parents of all faiths - or no faith at all.

 
Library of Congress
In this photo of an old, one-room classroom in Grundy, Iowa, the 7-year-old boy getting help at the blackboard is the only second-grader in the class.
 

Thus, an estimated 1.5 million American children - about 3 percent of the school-age population - won't be going anywhere as schools open for the fall term.

Instead, one or both of their parents will gather books and other materials, prepare lesson plans, and teach their children everything from algebra¹ to zoology² right in their living rooms.

Homeschooling's big selling point for many parents is the argument that children get their ethical³ values from the people with whom they spend the most time. 

Adults who choose to stay home and teach their children often object to standardized⁴ testing and what they see as the regimented way in which schools group students by age rather than ability, and pass them ahead to the next grade whether or not they've grasped the material.

 
Library of Congress
The idea that one parent, or even both, make the best teachers, and home makes the best classroom, has long been accepted in many parts of America.
 

In home-schooling households, it's not unusual to find several children, ages 4 to 16, being taught together.  Older kids help younger ones, as they once did in those one-room schoolhouses.

Many home-taught students excel in several subjects and have no trouble moving on to college, often with academic scholarships in hand. 

But critics point to home teachers' lack of experience and credentials⁵.  No one's supervising them, say.  And they argue that pulling kids out of school may deprive them of social skills.

Home-schooling parents dispute the notion that their children are socially isolated⁶ and bookish.  They are, the parents say, simply hard workers who go to scout⁷ and church meetings, play sports, and shop at malls right alongside their friends who go to school.
 

1 algebra   

n.代数学

参考例句：

• He was not good at algebra in middle school.他中学时不擅长代数。
• The boy can't figure out the algebra problems.这个男孩做不出这道代数题。

2 zoology   

n.动物学，生态

参考例句：

• I would like to brush up my zoology.我想重新温习一下动物学。
• The library didn't stock zoology textbooks.这家图书馆没有动物学教科书。

3 ethical   

adj.伦理的，道德的，合乎道德的

参考例句：

• It is necessary to get the youth to have a high ethical concept.必须使青年具有高度的道德观念。
• It was a debate which aroused fervent ethical arguments.那是一场引发强烈的伦理道德争论的辩论。

4 standardized   

adj.标准化的

参考例句：

• We use standardized tests to measure scholastic achievement. 我们用标准化考试来衡量学生的学业成绩。
• The parts of an automobile are standardized. 汽车零件是标准化了的。

5 credentials   

n.证明，资格，证明书，证件

参考例句：

• He has long credentials of diplomatic service.他的外交工作资历很深。
• Both candidates for the job have excellent credentials.此项工作的两个求职者都非常符合资格。

6 isolated   

adj.与世隔绝的

参考例句：

• His bad behaviour was just an isolated incident. 他的不良行为只是个别事件。
• Patients with the disease should be isolated. 这种病的患者应予以隔离。

7 scout   

n.童子军，侦察员；v.侦察，搜索

参考例句：

• He was mistaken for an enemy scout and badly wounded.他被误认为是敌人的侦察兵，受了重伤。
• The scout made a stealthy approach to the enemy position.侦察兵偷偷地靠近敌军阵地。