MONDAY, OCTOBER 5

Greetings Eddies,

We recently heard from one of our partner districts regarding its results from last spring’s state test. They shared that OpenEd students had not only scored above the district and state averages, but had outscored them in every grade and subject tested.

We harbor a healthy skepticism toward test scores (they aren’t a competition or a complete picture of learning). But it is remarkable that when families are released from “teaching to the test,” kids tend to do better anyway.

One district is a small sample size, but the first national study of homeschool test scores in 15 years just found the exact same thing, writ large:

Homeschoolers scored 25 to 29 percentile points ahead across all five subjects tested – a gap that held regardless of income, race, or ZIP code.

Why might skipping test prep help kids test better? One possibility is that many specific subject tests are secretly background knowledge tests.

In one study, “struggling” readers who knew baseball understood a story about a game far better than “strong” readers who didn’t.

When schools panic about scores, they tend to trade history, science, and reading real books for test-prep packets – starving the very knowledge the exam is meant to measure. Home-educating families explore, go down rabbit holes, and build rich mental libraries.

In other words, a test can be a helpful snapshot, but it makes a terrible target.

Liz Powell knows the pull to recreate “school” at home – and how easily it can backfire. After nine years as a public school principal, her first year teaching her own daughter ended in chaos and a curriculum she finally closed. You may remember her from last month’s podcast episode.

In this week’s deep dive, she shares what she learned – and the 15-minute test (no, not that kind) she now suggests for parents wondering whether school or home is right for their child.

Let’s dive in.

– Charlie (the OpenEd newsletter guy)

P.S. Know a family who could use a fresh start this school year or missed the fall window? Mid-year enrollment is open in 10 states: Utah, Texas, Washington, Minnesota, Oregon, Indiana, Oklahoma, North Dakota, Wyoming and Iowa. Send them the application page – they’ll have a Student Success Advisor in their corner by winter break.

DEEP DIVE

Liz Powell left her principal’s office confident her training would make homeschooling a breeze. She pictured a miniature classroom at the kitchen table: her daughter focused, her toddler quietly playing, and the newborn asleep.

Then, reality punched her in the face.

“My three-year-old was drawing on the table in glitter pen,” she writes. “I was redirecting my daughter every twenty-seven seconds.”

Standing in her “circus home,” with a sink full of dishes, she asked herself the question: Did I make the right choice?

Here is what Liz learned on the other side of that year:

Know a mom in her first year who’s asking the same question? Forward her this email, or find Liz on Instagram at @principal_in_pajamas.

Further reading

THE PULSE

Liz’s first month felt like a “circus home.” When we asked on Facebook what veteran families would tell someone in their first 30 days, the wisdom poured in: “Don’t try to recreate public school,” “Prepare to change everything you researched,” and “Be patient with yourself.”

If you had to give just one piece of advice to a new homeschool parent starting this month, what would it be?

We’ll share the top advice next week.

LATEST IN OPEN EDUCATION

A 30-month study of 26,800 secondary students found AI users finished homework 30% faster with 18% higher marks – but within six months, their exam scores dropped 20%. (CEPR)

Nearly half the kids in the first national microschool study had special learning needs, yet over half still beat their expected reading growth. Where did they fall behind? (Homeschool Boss)

How wide is “normal,” really? A new book by a child psychologist titled “Actually, You’re Fine” says parents may be too quick to go looking for a diagnosis. (ParentData)

Does helping with elementary homework improve reading and math scores? (Penn State)

A University of Chicago pediatrician explains when to bring a kid the lunch she forgot, and when to let her go without. (The 74)

Three former classroom teachers explain why they now unschool their own kids (and the book that changed their mind). (Living Joyfully)

Ten minutes of math a day is enough – if it’s the right ten minutes. (Patterns for Life)

Why are math scores falling around the world? One math-program founder says teachers already know the fix and were steered away from it. (The Bell Ringer)

Your kid can read “4,052” out loud, but can they tell you what the zero is doing there? (The Learning Scientists)

Why games explicitly marketed as “educational” almost always flop at home. (Humility & Doxology)

The classic homework blunder parents make with teens that hands them a fight they can’t lose. (Lisa Damour)

After eight years of reading struggles, one mom found her son’s biggest obstacle wasn’t decoding anymore. (Different by Design Learning)

How one mom with a baby, three older kids, and an afternoon job fits in a full homeschool day. (Phylicia Masonheimer)

A 13-minute safety briefing by a clinical psychologist for parents who haven’t kept up with AI news. (Techno Sapiens)

A free MAP test checklist covers what’s allowed in the room, from counting blocks to background music. (Homeschool Boss) (h/t OpenEd’s Kendall Hawkins)

30+ ad-free typing games for ages 5 to 12 with no login required. (KidzType) (h/t OpenEd’s Kodi Schwarz)

A free first-grade Mexico unit runs from volcanoes and Aztec ruins to mariachi and a coyote folktale, with a passport to stamp. (Core Knowledge) (h/t OpenEd’s Laura Hollenbeck)

A former college chemistry instructor posted free video lessons, notes and worksheets covering a full high school course. (Chemistry with Amanda)

A free kindergarten program for ages 4 to 6 promises that any parent who can read can teach it. (Hannah Ward Education)

Is a square a rectangle? If your kid says no, here’s what’s likely tripping them up. (Savvy Learning)

Hillsdale’s new Western civilization curriculum lets homeschool families form groups to teach it together. (Golden Thread Curriculum)

Free October printables, from scarecrow letter tracing to a pumpkin scissor-skills page. (Homeschool.com)

Would your kid rather hide or seek? This week’s five-minute freewrite prompt. (Brave Writer)

Five days of free sessions for homeschool parents, including one on teaching the kid who can’t sit still. (Homeschool Summits)

What was the SAT originally built to measure? A five-question quiz on the ideas behind school. (Michael B. Horn)

JUST FOR FUN: A free browser game turns any website into something your kid can blow up. (Sprite Fusion) (h/t OpenEd’s Isaac Morehouse)

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

Ruth Rinaldi ran the math department at a large secondary school in the UK, and she holds a degree in mathematics. She says she didn’t know her seven times table when she earned it. With her own two kids, she has done no formal math at all.

In this clip, she admits she used to think being good at math made her clever, and explains why she had to let that ego go.

Hear why a timer on math facts can make a child worse at them, and what she hands her kids instead of a worksheet, on the episode page.

One last thing: we believe families should be able to customize their own education – why not your inbox too? Set your email preferences to personalize which emails land in your inbox. Note: If you are enrolled in OpenEd, you will receive program-related emails regardless.

That’s all for this week!

– Charlie (the OpenEd newsletter guy)