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Homeschooling
by Patricia M. Lines
What is Homeschooling?
Each fall when school begins, a growing number of school-aged
children do not head off to a classroom. Instead, they learn
at home with their families or with other children in their communities.
Homeschooling takes many forms, from a daily routine following
a scheduled curriculum to child-led learning in which parents
supervise and help. Choosing to homeschool or to traditionally
educate a child is often a difficult and confusing decision for
parents and guardians. To help them make the best choice possible,
this brochure answers basic questions about homeschooling and
suggests other useful sources of information.
Do Families Have a Right to School
Their Children at Home?
All states allow homeschooling. Typically, a state's statutes,
through a court ruling, an attorney general opinion, or a regulation
that interprets a school attendance law to include homeschooling,
consider homeschooling a legitimate option for meeting compulsory
education requirements. Because each state regulates homeschooling
differently, parents should examine local laws and consult with
other homeschoolers before proceeding.
In every state, parents must, at a minimum, notify a state
or local education agency of their intent to educate their children
at home and identify the children involved. Several states require
the submission of proposed curricula and tests or have educational
requirements for parents. A few even test parents. Only Michigan
requires certified teachers to be involved in homeschooling programs,
but the state allows parents to choose a program's teacher and
does not specify a minimum level of teacher supervision. (Michigan
courts have excused parents from the certification requirement
if they have religious objections.)
The U.S. Supreme Court has not ruled explicitly on homeschooling,
but it did rule against compulsory school requirements in Wisconsin
v. Yoder (1972). The Supreme Court has also upheld the right,
subject to reasonable state requirements, of parents to direct
the education of their children.
What Does the Federal Government Do
for Homeschoolers?
Government regulation and support of home schooling is carried
out primarily at the state level. However, the federal government
also plays an important role by disseminating research-based
information on homeschooling to policy makers and others and
by supporting research on a broad range of issues affecting teaching
and learning.
Most federal support for education is dedicated to programs
for children who have special needs, such as low-achieving children,
children with limited English proficiency, and children with
disabilities. Generally, local districts have the option of offering
services under these programs to homeschoolers who meet the districts'
criteria for eligibility.
How Do Educators and Policy Makers
View Homeschooling?
Homeschooling is controversial. The National Parent Teacher
Association opposes the practice, as do the National Education
Association and the National Association of Elementary School
Principals. Other groups such as the American Civil Liberties
Union maintain that parents have a constitutional right to school
their children at home. Though they don't necessarily approve
of homeschooling, a majority of Americans responding to the 1988
Phi Delta Kappa Gallup poll believed that parents have a right
to try it. State legislatures agree, and over the past 20 years
they have responded favorably to homeschoolers seeking more flexible
compulsory education laws.
How Well Do Homeschooled Children Do?
Homeschooling's academic worth is hotly contested by researchers,
educators, and parents. It is difficult to obtain a representative
sample of homeschooled children, and researchers cannot say for
certain whether these children would do better or worse in a
public or private school. Scores of homeschoolers who have taken
state-mandated tests or who have provided their results to researchers
indicate that while some homeschoolers test below average, a
larger number test above that mark.
Proponents and opponents also disagree on how well-adjusted
homeschooled children are. Although it appears to be true that
children who are homeschooled spend less time with same-age children
and more time with adults and children of different ages, research
has not found that homeschooling harms children's social or psychological
development. On the contrary, these children often demonstrate
better social adjustment than their traditionally schooled peers.
Opponents argue that homeschooling is harmful to children
because it isolates them from other children in their community.
However, homeschooling is rarely conducted in total isolation.
Many families participate in homeschool support groups, scouting,
church and recreational activities, and other associations.
Through these activities, homeschooled children share experiences
with people outside their immediate families. Although some homeschoolers
and their associations emphasize affiliations only with people
who share their religious beliefs, many actively seek religious,
cultural, and racial diversity. In fact, one national magazine,
The Drinking Gourd, is devoted to multicultural homeschooling.
What About College Admissions?
Homeschooling teenagers should contact the colleges and universities
they would like to attend and ask about their admission policies.
In a 1994 telephone poll conducted by the author of this brochure,
a select group of admissions officers from large universities
and colleges indicated willingness to consider applications from
homeschooled students. In addition, all of the officers said
that they accept standardized admission test scores-along with
other material showing experience in learning and collaborating
with others-in the absence of a regular high school transcript.
Although admissions officers do not monitor this practice, some
estimated that they admit a handful of undergraduates each year
without a transcript. Interested teenagers should ask their local
homeschool association for the names of college students who
were homeschooled and would not mind offering advice about the
college application process.
What Resources Are Available to Homeschoolers?
To get started, most homeschooling families join local support
groups. Families often find these groups by word of mouth or
through public or private schools, religious groups, or state
or national associations. At least one homeschooling association
is active in every state. These groups offer advice and information
and hold conferences at which families who school at home discuss
legal, philosophical, and teaching issues.
Parents can also find guidance in books, magazines, and newsletters.
[A to Z Home's Cool lists materials and Internet resources
that cover a wide range of homeschooling issues.]
Some school districts have established centers at which families
may enroll in classes or obtain resources and instructional support.
Such arrangements are called shared schooling, dual enrollment,
or assisted homeschooling. Some districts also allow homeschoolers
to attend public school part-time. Many private schools, some
public schools, and the state of Alaska provide homeschoolers
with texts, materials, and support. Homeschoolers also rely on
libraries, museums, parks department programs, churches, civic
associations, and other local institutions.
Where Can I Get More Information?
There are many sources of information and resources available
to homeschoolers, including libraries, local public schools and
other educational institutions, government agencies, nonprofit
institutions, and other homeschoolers.
About the author - Patricia M. Lines is Senior Research
Analyst, National Institute on Educational Governance, Finance,
Policymaking, and Management, Office of Educational Research
and Improvement, U.S. Department of Education.
This brochure is in the public domain. Authorization to reproduce
it in whole or in part is granted.
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- Books To Help You Get Started Homeschooling
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- Home Learning Year by Year : How to Design
a Homeschool Curriculum from Preschool Through High School
- by Rebecca Rupp
- Rebecca Rupp presents a structured plan to ensure that your
children will learn what they need to know when they need to
know it, from preschool through high school.
-
- Complete
Idiot's Guide to Homeschooling
- by Marsha Ransom
- If you find yourself teaching subjects you know little about,
undecided about what curriculum to choose, or concerned that
your children may miss out on band, drama, or sports, this guide
provides practical advice from an author who has homeschooled
four children.
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- The Complete Home Learning Source Book : The
Essential Resource Guide for Homeschoolers, Parents, and Educators
Covering Every Subject from Arithmetic to Zoology
- by Rebecca Rupp
- This ambitious reference guide lives up to its name. Practically
three inches thick--and we're not talking large print here--it's
packed with titles, ordering information, and Web site addresses.
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