President Barack Obama sparked controversy earlier this week with the announcement that he believes American kids don't spend enough time in school.

He said by having kids spend more time in the classroom, it would put them on par with young people in other countries. But what about home-schooling? Is it more advantagous than public schools? Homeschooling laws and regulations vary from state to state. In Texas, parents are not required to initiate any contact with a school district nor do they need to have their curriculum approved or any specific teacher certification.

Erica Allen, who home-schooled both of her children, said home schooling requires a high level of dedication and sacrifice, something not just anyone has.

Allen said, "Through all my years of homeschooling, I've never met a parent that wasn't a good teacher." Allen taught both her children at home and said she wanted an intimate and Christian-based program for her two kids. "You do know your children better than anyone and to set them down in front of you, it's like tutoring. You're one on one and you know, well, you either got it or didn't get it. So we need to go over that again. How can that compare to the individual attention that you're going to get a classroom of 25, 35 students?" Allen asked.

Dr. George Kazanas, the superintendent for the Wichita Falls Independent School District and also the father of two WFISD students, said public schools offer an advantage over home-schooling. "Learning to get along with others, learning their role, how they fit in, what their gifts are," Kazanas said. "Everyday I see the benefits that my own children are receiving."

Both parents agree extracurricular activities are important for social development, something Allen found for her kids at the local YMCA instead of at school. However, both of Allen's kids did also attend traditional school--one graduating from a public high school in Wichita Falls, the other from a private school, something her children wanted to experience.

In order for home-schooled students to transition to a public school, children do need to be tested for placement. For more information about homeschooling,  go to the "Links" section of our website.