Time per student (or "The Math is Very Simple")

An discussion I was a part of asked why homeschooling isn't 6 hours per day and is more frequently just a couple, and how that can be effective as compared to public schooling.

The math is very simple:

Public school: average of 180 school days. 30 students per class 6 classes per day 45 minutes per class

Total time the teacher can spend with each student per day: 1.5 minutes. A total of 4.5 hours per year.

Homeschool: Younger grades: 2 hours of school per day. 1 teacher 1 student

Total time per student per day: 2 hours per day. Total time per student per year: 360 Hours.

The argument typically then turns to "but the parent isn't always as educated as a public school teacher."

Even so, I have to believe that the child getting 80 TIMES the amount of time with the teacher would outweigh (in most cases) the parent's educational deficit. And the homeschool parents I know are active in learning what is needed anyway (I understand that is anecdotal evidence).

In fact, based on Wikipedia, 8.8% of Homeschool mothers (mothers are typically the parent that teaches) have a masters degrees, compared to 4.5% nationally. The same holds true for associates and bachelors degrees -- homeschool moms more frequently have a degree. The separation is even greater for homeschool fathers, where 19.8% have a Masters compared to 5.4% nationally.

In short, homeschooled children on average get much more time spent with them per child, and the parents have higher education compared to the rest of the nation.

For those parents that can do it, and live in a deficient school system, homeschool is a good option.