Special Ed Class or Homeschool? Statistics Speak
HSLDA writer – summary of Dr. Steven Duvall’s research

Academic research on home education of special needs children is encouraging. Dr. Steven Duvall is a behavioural psychologist who has objectively measured the amount of time and the kinds of interactions that take place in the classroom and in homeschool settings. He found two of the biggest differences between home and public special education classes to be in the physical arrangement of the room and the amount of academic responses.

In his 1994 research, homeschooled children and teachers sat side-by-side or face-to-face 43% of the time, compared to only 6% of the time in special education classrooms. Public schools used a divided-group approach 67% of the time and placed children with special needs in full groups only 25% of the time. In contrast, homeschools were much more likely to include the special child in the full-group experience (43%) and segregated them only a fraction of the time (11%). Homeschools therefore provide special children with more one-on-one attention and more full participation than public school special education classrooms do.

Homeschool students are academically engaged about 2 1/2 times as often as public school students. “Parents, even though they are not certified teachers, can create instructional environments at home that assist students with learning disabilities to improve their academic skills,” says Dr. Duvall.

The most important findings of the study centered on the amount of academic responding on the part of each child with special needs. Learning happens depending upon how much time a child spends engaged in educational interactions as opposed to merely sitting in class. In this respect, homeschools have an enormous advantage over the public system. Children in public school special education classes spent almost 75% of their time with no academic responses, while home-educated students spent only 41% in this mode.

Researchers have found a strong correlation between increased academic interaction and increased academic results, demonstrating that homeschooling really works for children with special needs.