Self-selecting statistics simply state that removing lower-performing students from a statistical pool, on average, leads to higher average performance of the remaining pool. It’s nonsense to say it means anything.
It does make homeschooling parents feel better though, and if public school has taught me anything, it’s that self-esteem is important!
Actually, it's not self esteem per se that's important - it's morale. Which is not quite the same thing. Morale says that the job you're doing has a positive effect, so you try hard - and sure enough, the typical result is that your work does have a positive effect."Self esteem" taught as a subject matter has the opposite effect. If the purpose of schooling is to become smart, but you are told that you already are smart, then you shouldn't have to work at school, and if you do have to work it means that you are not smart. So you don't work. Since only mental effort teaches anything, the consequence is that you fall behind the person who is thinking that their work is effective. So "self esteem" as a subject matter is self-defeating, actually producing the effect it purports to prevent. It is a fraud.
IMHO homeschooling is not a self esteem movement but a morale movement. And, in an education marathon, morale is everything.
IMHO homeschooling is not a self esteem movement but a morale movement. . . . in an education marathon, morale is everything and self esteem is nothing . . . as the tortoise taught the hare.
“Actually, it’s not self esteem per se that’s important - it’s morale. “
For the record, my statement on “self-esteem” was a joke.