The Idea of an Essay, Volume 4

Research Writing 197 insufficient number of contacts (Murphy, 2014). Additionally, as Murphy (2014) points out, home schooled students also tend to have a greater diversity (agewise) of contacts than public or private school students. This makes sense due to the fact that home schooled students typically spend more time interacting with their parents and other older individuals as opposed to public and private school students who primarily interact with their own age groups (Murphy, 2014). While the methods of acquiring proper social literacy are different, the results show that home schooled individuals do not suffer from a lack of it. Conclusion The raw, statistical data tells us that home schooled students tend to have the highest literacy rates, and public school students tend to have lowest literacy rates. Two points should be made here to offer clarification on the findings of this paper. First, this is not a condemnation or recommendation of any type of schooling. It merely observes the trends in literacy rates among the three institutions of schooling, and its sole aim is to inform the audience of the statistical facts with regard to the three institutions of schooling. Second, these facts do not guarantee a lower literacy rate in a public school student or a higher literacy rate in a home schooled student. External variables such as wealth, gender, age, community, upbringing, and etc. all affect the literacy of an individual student, and the type of school they attend is only a part of the whole picture. As seen earlier, some countries have found public schools to be the most effective institution for promoting literacy among its students. It may also be assumed that, because of the diversity within countries, state or local areas have varying degrees of effectiveness among the three institutions of schooling. While the numbers present the statistical reality of literacy on a national level, students are free to make wise, informed decisions on their choice of school based on their respective situations. Works Cited Braun, H., Jenkins, F., &Grigg, W. (2006). Comparing Private Schools and Public Schools Using Hierarchical Linear Modeling (NCES 2006-461). U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Institute of Education Sciences.