It’s no secret that homeschooling has experienced exponential growth in recent years. So much so, that Chris Weller noted in Business Insider that the homeschool population may soon overtake that of charter schools.
As Weller goes on to note, this popularity is attributable both to the advance of technology, the growing familiarity with homeschooling, and last but not least, evidence that “homeschooled kids do better on tests and in college than their peers in public schools.”
But apparently, some colleges have yet to get the memo on that last point, particularly Kennesaw State University (KSU) in Georgia.
According to Home School Legal Defense Association, a student seeking to attend Kennesaw was taken aback when he found that he, as a homeschooler, would be required to jump through an extra hoop before submitting his application:
“KSU’s formal admissions policy requires homeschooled applicants to take an additional exam (in addition to ACT or SAT scores) even though such an exam is not required by Georgia homeschool law.
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KSU’s requirement that homeschool graduates take an additional ‘high school summation exam’ is duplicative and unnecessary since the ACT or SAT is already required. It is neither legally mandated for homeschoolers, nor required of traditionally educated students.”
Oddly enough, KSU is not the first university to maintain double standards to the detriment of homeschoolers. In 2015, George Washington University announced that traditionally schooled freshmen would no longer have to submit SAT or ACT scores for admission. Homeschooled students, however, were still required to do so, in spite of research showing that homeschoolers generally outperform their counterparts on both the SAT and ACT.
SAT and ACT scores may not be the only areas in which homeschoolers typically outperform public school students. According to various college professors and administrators, homeschooled college students are more “innovative” in their thinking and more “self-directed” in their studies.
The fact is, homeschoolers increasingly prove themselves to be well-adjusted, capable, and successful students.
Today’s universities pride themselves on not discriminating against qualified people of any race, color, creed, national origin, and so on. But are they engaging in discrimination by requiring homeschoolers to take extra steps to enter their halls of learning?
RELATED: How One College Prof Learned to Love Homeschoolers
Written by Annie Holmquist and published by Intellectual Takeout ~ January 25, 2017.
~ The Author ~
Annie is a senior writer with Intellectual Takeout. In her role, she assists with website content production and social media messaging.
Annie received a B.A. in Biblical Studies from the University of Northwestern-St. Paul. She also brings 20+ years of experience as a music educator and a volunteer teacher – particularly with inner city children – to the table in her research and writing.
In her spare time Annie enjoys the outdoors, gardening, reading, and events with family and friends.
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