HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DEAR TCB!!!! All good things.
Hey, Ben - congrats on your news!
Woods - I have known several Home School families - the kids excelled at reading and math, beyond their counterparts in the (egad) public schools. Except for one Down's Syndrome boy, all of the kids tested way up on the SATs and sailed through their college courses. The Down's Syndrom kid kept his own checkbook and learned to read and do simple arithmetic. He eventually got a full-time stockroom job with full bennies at Microsoft.
The home-school parents were not more intelligent than other parents, most had no real teacher-training. But they were willing to learn, and to put in the time with their children. I think it's intention, more than experience, that works the magic. Plus, the kids get individual attention, one-on-one time, specialized instruction - all unavailable in public schools.
In my experience, home-schooled and private-schooled kids are WAY better educated than the hapless public schooled.