Home School's topics - tribe.net

Good Option for Missouri Homeschoolers

2008-09-22T01:20:18Z

I wanted to try this for a few weeks before recommending it. MoVip is a virtual online school run by University of Missouri in Maryville. You can sign up for as little as one class or, like my 7th grader, take a full load. There are a certain number of "seats" that are paid for by the State of MO but I don't know how many.

I find the instructors to be dedicated and easily available through phone and email. Most are experienced teachers for whom this is a second source of income. I like that my daughter is now having to learn to manage her time and work independently, with some help from me when needed. I believe she'll come out of this with some study skills that she'll value down the road.

Also, we are planning to move in a year or so. This is a way to thoroughly document her schooling so she can transition back into formal school if we decide to.

If you are interested I'll be happy to answer any questions. But get your application in early if you want a free spot for your child.

posted in Home School - 0 replies

For families in Fort Worth and Surrounding Areas

2008-09-15T14:49:18Z

Arts Fifth Avenue is in need of more participants in their Homeschool program to keep it alive for this year. It is a 12 week course. It's full of great courses and instructors. Below is the message I was sent a few weeks back. If you are interested you can find more information online at their website.

http://www.artsfifthavenue.com/homeschool.htm
-----------------

It's that time again . . . time to get geared up for classes on The Avenue. There are so many opportunities at Arts Fifth Avenue, whether in the many forms of dance, drumming, music, storytelling, and the visual arts. We also offer a wide variety of home-school classes. So, check out our website to find out what classes you want to sign up for. Registration continues through the end of this week and classes begin on September 8th, so call or come by or register online.

posted in Home School - 0 replies

California home school law

2008-08-12T15:36:54Z

In a unanimous decision, the California Court of Appeal for the Second Appellate District today ruled that “California statutes permit home schooling as a species of private school education.”

Today’s decision stands in stark contrast to the opinion this same three-judge panel issued in February, which would have made California the only state in the union to outlaw home education had it remained in effect.

“It is unusual for an appellate court to grant a petition for rehearing as this court did in March,” said HSLDA Chairman Mike Farris, “but it is truly remarkable for a court to completely reverse its own earlier opinion."

you can read the
full document here !!

This is a big relief for me and for many of us homeschoolers in California!

posted in Home School - 4 replies

sharing topics

2008-08-11T14:53:52Z

in another group we are sharing topics..last week was Japan...it's cool, cause we have a thread that covers many age groups..i usually post links that are free...so here are a few links to start us out..hopefully..we can build our own curriculum for free!
http://abcteach.com/directory/basics/social_studies/places/asia/japan/
http://www.homeschoolingonashoestring.com/fornlang.html
http://www.activityvillage.co.uk/childrens_day_japan.htm
http://www.coloring.ws/japan.htm
http://www.dltk-kids.com/World/japan/posters/index.htm

posted in Home School - 0 replies

home schoolers in central nj ? tristate area?

2008-08-10T15:58:01Z

i am intending to start our first homeschool year soon ... my son just turned five over the summer and we are looking to make new friends in the homeschooling community;)

posted in Home School - 0 replies

Family on Bikes

2008-04-07T05:21:37Z

I thought I would let you know of this family that is riding there bicycles from the northern most tip of Alaska to the southern most tip of South America. Their web site is www.thefamilyonbikes.com. They will be posting their home school curriculum on their website as they go. Check it out! They are doing this without any funding or assistance, I was very impressed with there adventure.

posted in Home School - 1 reply

Legal-ese...what does Texas mean?

2008-01-08T00:37:32Z

http://www.hslda.org/laws/analysis/Texas.pdf

That's a link to a PDF, but it should still work, I'm bad with this stuff. Can anyone tell me what that means in regards to homeschooling? I am completely lost. I'm really no good with the whole legal terminology stuff. My daughter's not old enough to enter first grade yet, so I don't need to worry too much yet...but what...?!? I'm so confused? Can anyone make sense out of this for me?

posted in Home School - 0 replies

New Tribe: Child's Play

2007-10-15T03:06:51Z

Hi Everyone,

I've created a new tribe called Child's Play. Share and find new ideas about how we can help our children to learn and develope through play and have fun doing it!

http://tribes.tribe.net/childsplay

posted in Home School - 0 replies

northwest subarbs of chicago

2007-09-02T17:07:08Z

Were starting to home school our 6 yr old. this year. Feeling a little outcasted from friends and family. Can anyone offer this newbie some advice?

Also, looking for some home schoolers in the area?

Are you out there?

posted in Home School - 1 reply

We're doing it!

2007-09-02T16:58:20Z

Starting homeschool/independent studies thru a local charterschool, Family Partnership, this week. And supplementing w/ a Nature School program two days a week.

Whew! I'm so excited! I can't wait for all this to come together. I've got nay-sayers on my ex's side of the family (his mom thinks she knows everything and of course, anything but 'regular' school is out of the question). I'm hoping to get w/ other parents for weekly study groups. I work 4/days wk so a little concerned about that. Luckily, my job is super flexible so I'm set on making this work.

Thanks for all the positive feedback! I'll drop another line in a couple week when we're settled!

posted in Home School - 2 replies

Global Village School?

2007-08-14T14:41:00Z

Hi - So happy to find this tribe... I'm looking for alternative schooling for my 12 yr old son. Public school is just not for him and he has little interest in it, which worries me tremendously since he's headed into Jr. High.

Has anyone had any experience with Global Village School?http://globalvillageschool.org/index.html

I live on the Central Coast in CA and was referred their direction by another program called the Wilderness Center which, sounds really interesting as well. I really know nothing about alternative schooling but know there has to be something out there for my son.

Any advice/help is much appreciated! Is there anyone here from Central Cali?

posted in Home School - 5 replies

Reggulations on Homeschooling

2007-06-26T17:10:50Z

I just moved to Texas with my husband and we've got an issue. We've been planning to home school our daughter since we found out I was pregnant. I have no idea on how to find the restrictions on home schooling in Texas. I know there's got to be some kind of regulation on it. Living on a military base, we're afraid of the influences she'll have in her life because they try and make the soldiers look like great heroes that can do no wrong. Well, that's given a lot of the soldiers some ego... I saw one soldier almost get hit by a car because he walked right out in front of it expecting the driver to stop. Neither my husband nor I believe in the war he's going to fight in (he's just doing his job) so we don't want that passing to our child. They've also cut all the gifted programs from the school system and are starting to cut the programs for special needs kids. I don't want my daughter to go to a school where it's middle of the road or nothing. I've already been told she'll probably be in gifted or advanced classes when she's in school by the evaluations she went through when she refused to talk for a while. I want those programs to be availible to her in any school she attends. So how do I go about finding answers? Being in the military where we may move every couple years, would it be better to enroll her in an online program? I've seen a couple mentioned. Can anyone recommend a good one? My daughter's only about four and it'll be a year before she'll be in school, but I want to be prepared.

posted in Home School - 2 replies

Homeschool or public school? I don't know what to do

2007-05-19T04:16:41Z

My daughter is four and will be five in June. I have always wanted to home school but everybody around me keeps telling her "Oh...you'll be in kinder garden in the fall! You'll ride the bus, you'll carry a back pack, and you'll be with children your age." Now she has it stuck in her head that she will go to school and she doesn't want me to home school. She gets really upset when I bring it up. I also have a two year old and a six month old and they are difficult, so I was considering enrolling her in school. I don't like the public schools. I learned how to do a lot of bad things in school, I learned disrespect towards my parents and bad behavior. I know I could do better for her. I know it's MY decision to either enroll her or teach her myself but I just don't know what to choose. I'm not all to bright myself and I don't know how to teach her....I'm only twenty. See....I'm going back and fourth! What should I do?
I was told about five in a row....is this a good program to teach her with? Or is there a better option?

posted in Home School - 8 replies

Home school kids and socialization

2007-05-13T01:21:00Z

Okay, this tribe's been kinda quite, so maybe I can get something going here. I heard a mother's opinion on another tribe that home schooled kids are always easy to identify because they're not well socialized and don't know how to deal with other children all that well. I'd like to hear some opinions on this, as well as what you all do to socialize your child.

posted in Home School - 10 replies

Curriculum choices and recommendations

2007-05-03T19:17:29Z

We'd very much like to change curriculum in at least two subjects (SS and Science), but are at a loss as to what's good, what works, and what falls woefully short of the mark. Our oldest will end this school year about 1/3 - 1/2 of the way through 5th grade and our middle son will end about 1/2 through 2nd grade. I've looked at "The Story of the World' at the suggestion of a friend, but Amazon.com reviews have me doubtful of it. I want something accurate, engaging, and well-rounded. I've also looked at American Education Publishing books, like "The Complete Book" series, but the History book got mixed - bad reviews on Amazon.

What have you used and liked?

posted in Home School - 3 replies

Homeschooling / Unschooling or what else?

2007-03-27T02:30:34Z

Hello, first of all....I just joined this Tribe and hope to find my answers here!

I am living with my 3 daughters here in the States now, but originally from Germany! In Germany Homeschooling or Unschooling is not allowed, so this is a total new "Territory" for me..... after sending my daughters to Public School here for a year, where they got treatments close to Childabuse, I decided i cannot let this happen to them or me no more. BUT.....now, total confusion. Unschooling sounds wonderful, because everything i know today, i only learned because i was interested in it! Very little i remember from when i was in School myself! Homeschooling...well.....don't i need Curricular again? I have no idea! I hope i can get some help here, because like i said, in Germany is a total different system, the first time i heard about Homeschooling / Unschooling was when i came here! Hence, it gives me a "strange" feeling on one hand, on the other it is more than intriguing rightnow!
If you have any suggestions, you can also mail me at ivithja@yahoo.de , not .com!

Thanks Petra

posted in Home School - 5 replies

Advice on Home Schooling

2007-03-24T15:45:38Z

I personally do not home school my children but my husbands ex-wife home schools their three boys. I am not against home schooling what so ever, I think that it is the right choice for some families. She had attempted to home school the two oldest boys a few years ago and failed at it because she did not take the time to actually do the schooling, she just kept putting it off, we'll do it tomorrow type attitude. She started with all three boys last year and my husband and I have access to their work on line so we get to check on the regularly.

Now I will explain my problem........

The oldest is 15, his onling grade rating is at 6th grade, the second is 13, he to is rated as a 6th grader, the youngest is almost 9 and his is rated a kindergardener. They constantly fail their evaluations yet she lets them move on to the next lesson. They constantly go weeks at a time without doing any work what so ever. The youngest can not read and I don't mean that he can't read fluently, he can not read a word and she is not doing anything about it. I can not see how any of them are learning anything or retaining anything when she lets them do one day of lessons and then nothing for 10 to 14 days then one more day. She counts them taking a shower or brushing their teeth as their "health" assignment for the day, if they walk across the apartment complex to get the mail she counts that as PE, if one of them bakes a cake she counts that as a math lesson because he had to use measurements. Part of the time she lets them use their books and look up the answers when they take their online evaluations so they get the right How will they ever become productive adults at the rate they are going, the two oldest want to go to college but at the rate they are going they will never pass an entrance exam. She also does not have them participating in any outside activities, they rarely leave the apartment, they have no friends, no outdoor time, no sports, no music, no outings to parks or museum, absolutely nothing but video games and the computer.

I want to know what I can do about this, whether she continues to home school them or send them back to public school they deserve an education. I have tried reaching the online accademy they use but they will not return my call. I have emailed the Colorado board of education and did not get a response. How can we do something about the situation so the boys actually learn something.

Please HELP

posted in Home School - 2 replies

World RHYTHM Drum CIRCUS to be held at Port Discovery, Baltimore MD March 10 - 17

2007-01-30T06:43:25Z

Greetings folks...
I wanted to let you know about a little project that I have happening in Baltimore. Here are some details:

Daveed's...WORLD RHYTHM DRUM CIRCUS
PORT DISCOVERY
Inner Harbor, Baltimore MD
March 10 – 17

Instillation Descriptions

• DRUM TOWERS
Two PVC towers,
With single headed drum gongs and double headed barrel drums ---
The drums are made from 50-gal plastic barrels, ABS corrugated pipe,
PVC pipe, and bicycle tires
Note: All drums will be headed with recycled, outdoor billboard vinyl

• TREES
Hub Shrub
The Elizabeth Tree of bells, cymbals and things

• GONG GARDEN
17 to 24 gongs on rackets

• METALLOSARUS
A stainless steel metallophone (xylophone)

• WATERWORKS
Water Gongs – large plastic water jugs
The Pond, with frogs, shakers, rattles, & other small hand percussion

• DRUMMER’S ROW
Drum clusters made from 50-gal plastic barrels,
ABS and PVC pipe and sand filters

• THE GALLERY
An assortment of goblet drums, barrel drums, and frame drums

• MISCELLANY
Cowbells, blocks, mounted washboards, ratchets, etc.

Additional details for Port Discovery project...

Basic Nuts & Bolts

Load in and set up will be on Friday, March 9, 2007 after 1 PM
Tear down and load out will be on Sunday, March 18, 2007

Schedule:
• Fri 3/9 Load In & Set up after 1 PM
• Sat 3/10 11 AM – 4 PM
• Sun 3/11 1 – 4 PM
• Tues 3/13 10 AM - Noon
• Wed 3/14 10 AM - Noon
• Thurs 3/15 10 AM - Noon
• Fri 3/16 10 AM - Noon
• Sat 3/17 11 AM – 4 PM
• Sun 3/18 Tear down and Load out

This program can accommodate up to 40 students per 40 to 50-minute session.

Basic Program Flow…

Students are greeted at the MPT door and brought into the foyer by the Ring Master
(this is like entering Willy Wonka’s Chocolate factory)

• Simple orientation is given in foyer (rules of the road) 5 minutes
• Students are free to explore and have free play 10 minutes
• Guided music play 20 to 30 minutes
• Students Exit Exhibit 5 minutes
• Total Running Time per Session 40 to 50 minutes

Educational Elements ...

Multiculturalism, through historical, cultural and social context; the environment and recycling; and creative expression through a guide music creating process.

Within the confines of 40 to 60 minutes, there is only so material for much students can absorb.
A program guide will, hopefully be available for teachers/parents and, there is an outside change that I'll get one done for students, as well.
__________________________________________

Thought you folks would be interested...Daveed

posted in Home School - 0 replies

newbie

2007-01-22T18:55:20Z

HI all. I'm new to this tribe and I'm considering homeschooling. We just moved to a new area and I'm not at all impressed with the public schools. Private schools are not an option. And I'm just not willing to let my child do without an education.
It would seem that home schooling is the next logical step. To be honest, she's never done well in a traditional school environment, so this may be a blessing.
Any input would be appreciated.

Oh, she's just turned 12, in 6th grade. A bright kid who's bored silly and has learned to goof off as a result.

posted in Home School - 1 reply

Women's history books?

2006-11-07T05:12:40Z

I am looking for books to start reading that involve women's roles in history to help with my daughter's education. I am aiming to have a very large library by the time she is school age. I would like to lean towards very readable books rather than textbooks so that I can read them to her and we can do school lessons from them. Please post your favorite books! (I am cross posting this)

posted in Home School - 3 replies

september and all the homeschool chatter has become quiet.

2006-09-24T02:54:00Z

How is the first month. My son is five and we have just started to offically homeschool. It seems like it took many weeks for us to find a rhythum and figure out our activities and schedual. Is this what other people experience? A lot of the programs we are involved with that include other homeschoolers took some time to get organized and fill up so we could begin. It felt strange that while all the other kids were back in school we were still trying to make a start. Is this a trait of the first year or is it common throughout the homeschool experience at the beginning of each year. Any advice on how to make the transition smoother, be better prepared? And when exactly does the housework get done and by whom?

posted in Home School - 0 replies

oakmeadow

2006-09-24T02:46:40Z

Is anyone currently using oakmeadow curriculum or had experience with it? Thoughts, impressions, advice.

posted in Home School - 0 replies

Child Insomnia

2006-09-24T02:44:22Z

Hi there!
My nine year old son has insomnia. He can't seem to get to bed before 10:00, some times 12:00am! This is one of the reasons we pulled him out of regular school. He can't sleep at night, so he's dysfunctional especially in the mornings. Like when he has to get up at 6:30am to catch a bus to school. We have been going through this for at least 3 years now, we've tried every trick in the book that we can think of. Any ideas?
It seems like his body is just wired to stay up late....]

sincerely, Kat

posted in Home School - 15 replies

Harvard-Educated, Experienced Tutor Available for Math, Science

2006-08-22T02:40:02Z

Hi!
I’m a Harvard-educated tutor, with over 15 years of teaching and tutoring experience, including home schooling. I'm available throughout the Bay Area to help home schoolers in any way I can.

If you'd like to find out more about what I offer, my background and rates, you can visit my website at www.achievewitheasetutoring.com.

Home schooling is a great way to go. I wish you the best!
Chris

Chris Dingman
achievewithease@aol.com
510-644-9790 (h)
510-301-8190 (c)

posted in Home School - 0 replies

the blue star children - survey

2006-08-21T02:35:11Z

Hi all-
I am looking for people to complete my survey based on the 'blue star children'

The blue star children are children being born between 2000-2010.

I am in the process of writing a book to be released in Feb next year & am sourcing as much info as possible upon these children & their habits.

The link to the survey can be found by accessing my web log

http://raihndrops.blogspot.com/

- at this stage it is the second topic down.

PLEASE, PLEASE share this link with ANYONE who would be able to help me by completing my survey.

I thank you so much in anticipation-
E x

posted in Home School - 0 replies

Socializing

2006-07-04T15:48:57Z

How do some of you socialize your kids? I have heard people mention sports, but I am not sure how to find sports other than gymnastics outside the schools. This is all just prep work for now, I have a 20 month old who I am slowly coming to the realization that she needs to be social but I hate everything that is public school. We take her anywhere and everywhere with us so she is very socialized (says "thank you" to waiters when they fill our glasses) but there aren't always kids around that she can play with...she loves kids her age! I think we may enroll her in a early movement class at the local ballet school and there is a pre-k gymnastics class at a close community center...are these the types of activities y'all are talking about?

posted in Home School - 1 reply

Question about lesson plans

2006-06-25T00:28:11Z

We have all the materials, and what I plan to do is reveiw the units each week and plan how to divide it up throught the week.I will test at the end of the week as the material provided have tests at the end of each chapter. My question is ,is this enough or should I be doing somthing eles. This will be my first year home schooling and I don't wanna mess up. Any advice is welcome.
Thanks,
Lynn

posted in Home School - 0 replies

getting started

2006-06-24T21:26:00Z

I have 2 children. One is a year old and the other is 9. The 9 year old is currently living with a different parent and going to public school. She really would like to be home schooled and if she did come to live here I would be able to provide that for her because I stay at home with the baby and used to own a preschool. I have never taught older children and I am wondering what you would have to do to get started. Do I need to register with the state or something. Can she take classes off the internet? Any help would be appriciated.

posted in Home School - 5 replies

Homeschool Convention in BC 2006

2006-06-05T18:16:44Z

For anyone on the West Coast of Canada: (eh?)

The homeschool Convention start this Thursady. Here is a link. Excellent exhibit hall where you can find loads of cirriculum and there are excellent key note speakers.

http://www.bchomeschool.org/convention2006.htm

I'll be there!

posted in Home School - 1 reply

coping with critics

2006-05-29T00:34:40Z

Hello my name is Maleika and I am mom to a wild beautiful 4 yeard old and 3 month old. I have wanted to homeschool for years. As my son reached 3 1/2 everyone around me started talking school. I am floored by how few people agree with homeschooling and aren't afraid to say it. Even my next door neighbor chimes in how I won't be able to handle two kids and we need to get our son in preschool. People look at me with heaviness when I talk about homeschooling, all so sure we will mess up our childs social personality.

I just thought I would reach out and see if anyone had similar experiences.

Any hip homeschooling mammas in portland oregon? I would love to meet you! I also travel to northern california quite often if there are any connections there.

Thanx~Maleika

posted in Home School - 4 replies

new hampshire

2006-03-23T23:14:42Z

anyone homeschooling or unschooling in new hampshire? i'm just starting to look into it for my four year-old, and wanting to connect with others...also, can you reccommend any resources in new hampshire?

posted in Home School - 0 replies

Conscious childcare

2006-03-22T16:10:32Z

Hello there,
I am looking for a person I can trust my two sons with while I am at work or play. My schedule is sporadic because I am starting my own business. Most important to me is non-violent communication, vegan/organic food, freeskool attitude, and fun of course. Thanks for your help!

Namaste,
Inanna

posted in Home School - 0 replies

Did YOU go to school?

2006-03-04T09:34:23Z

Hi folks, I just joined this tribe.

Although I also hope to home-school my own kids (once they exist...), I was actually looking for other people who were home schooled.

If you want to ask me any questions about what it's like to be on the kid's end of home schooling, feel free. I went to kindergarten briefly, and then never attended school again until I started community college.

I think maybe I'll start a new tribe for home schoolees...

posted in Home School - 13 replies

San Fernando Valley Homeschool Info Night

2006-01-17T19:54:17Z

San Fernando Valley Homeschool Information Night

Wednesday January 18th, 2006

7pm – 9 pm

Boys and Girls Club of Burbank

2244 N. Buena Vista St.

Burbank, Ca 91504

· Ask your homeschooling questions

· Meet some homeschooling parents

· Find out how to homeschool legally

· Discover the many ways to homeschool

· Learn which resources are available in the San Fernando Valley

This is your chance to get all our questions answered in a friendly, low-pressure environment.

Call 818 951 7744 for more information

Yahoo group: groups.yahoo.com/group/SFVHomeschool

Information night hosted by:

Michelle Barone MA MFT. Homeschool/Unschool Parent and family therapist who has worked with homeschooling families for 15 years. www.michellebarone.com

Tammy Takahashi Homeschool Parent and editor of the Homeschool of California publication. www.hsc.org

posted in Home School - 0 replies

unschooling

2005-12-22T10:34:14Z

Is anyone here unschooling and how does it work for you? I have gradually been converted from school (my daughter went to school in Germany, where homeschooling is absolutely unthinkable and in Spain and since we live in Ireland it's the only escape from a uniformed catholic old fashioned strict boring and no-choice schoolsystem) to homeschooling and now it is unschooling (led by my daughter). I go through phases of panic attacks (watching her struggling with a simple calculation for example) and would love to sit her in front of piles of book just to calm down my own conscience and it takes me a lot of nerve sometimes! I have hardly any support with this (most other homeschoolers I know have small children, my daughter is 14). So, I would really be grateful for any inspiration, advice, stories, etc.!

posted in Home School - 6 replies

homeschool genius

2005-12-14T20:57:52Z

Is there any limits to what a home schooled kid can do? Check this out:

16-Year-Old Wins Science Scholarship
By JUAN-CARLOS RODRIGUEZ, Associated Press WriterMon Dec 5,11:50 AM ET

A 16-year-old California boy won a premier high school science
competition Monday for his innovative approach to an old math problem
that could help in the design of airplane wings.

Michael Viscardi, a senior from San Diego, won a $100,000 college
scholarship, the top individual prize in the Siemens Westinghouse
Competition in Math, Science and Technology.

Viscardi said he's been homeschooled since fifth grade, although he
does take math classes at the University of California at San Diego
three days a week. His father is a software engineer and his mother,
who stays at home, has a Ph.D. in neuroscience, he said.

"It's unbelievable," Viscardi said of his win. "It's so incredible that
I'm in shock right now."

Viscardi tackled a 19th century math problem known as the Dirichlet
problem, formulated by the mathematician Lejeune Dirichlet. The theorem
Viscardi created to solve it has potential applications in the fields
of engineering and physics, including airplane wing design. He said he
worked on it for about six months with a professor at UCSD.

"He is a super-duper mathematics student," said lead judge Constance
Atwell, a consultant and former research director at the National
Institutes of Health. "It was almost impossible for our judges to
figure out the limits of his understanding during our questioning. And
he's only 16 years old," she said.

Anne Lee, 17, a senior at Phoenix Country Day School in Paradise
Valley, Ariz. and Albert Shieh, 16, a junior at Chaparral High School
in Scottsdale, Ariz., shared the $100,000 top prize in the team
category. They improved computer technology that could help locate the
genetic roots of some inherited diseases like Alzheimer's, autism and
bipolar disorder.

Lee and Sheih met at the gene research center at which they both have
internships. They were assisted on their project by members of the
institute.

"I would have been happy with anything," Sheih said.

Lee said dissecting a cow's eyeball early in her academic career
inspired and encouraged her to study science.

As part of the winners' celebration, they will get to ring the closing
bell at the New York Stock Exchange at the end of the business day
Monday.

The Siemens Foundation, founded in 1998, aims to increase access to
higher education among gifted students studying math, science and
technology. The foundation distributes nearly $2 million annually in
scholarships and awards.

Nineteen students competed in the national finals — six individuals and
six teams. Besides the winners' $100,000 prizes, finalists won
scholarships ranging from $10,000 to $50,000. Team members share
awards.

posted in Home School - 1 reply

Got Toys? :0)

2005-10-14T16:42:27Z

Hey all! Recently I started working from home providing Discovery Toys to families so that I can continue staying home with my son (which is VERY important to me), hence the reason for this post.... :0) I think I finally found a way to stay home with my child and maintain my ethical boundaries while making money to support my family. How exciting is that! Given all of this, I thought that I would extend you all a offer to utilize my services. So here it goes.. :0)

Discovery Toys are wonderful in many ways.

1. They encourage positive interactions between parent and child.

2. Children learn as they play.

3. Greatly compliments a homeschool curriculum.

4. Discovery Toys is environmentally conscious! They use packing peanuts made out of corn starch which dissolves when wet and causes no harm to the environment.

5. Discovery Toys promote a healthy balance between mind, body and spirit.

6. What better way to do your Christmas shopping than from the comfort of your own home !?!

If you are at all interested in Discovery Toys, please visit my website at:

Http://www.DiscoveryToysLink.Com/CarrieMont

or you may contact me at:

DiscoveryToys@EcoIsp.Com

Play with your children..Its the best investment you'll ever make!!! I hope this post finds everyone and their family well!

Namaste

Carrie (Mama Squirrel)

posted in Home School - 3 replies

Introductions

2005-09-24T08:32:08Z

Hi, I'm Daveed Korup. For the past eleven years I have been bringing rhythm-based program to school-age youth all across the country. Please visit my website at www.drumfest.com.

There is a cook book of drumtoy recipies from recyclables. If anyoneis interested in seeing some of my lesson plans for a drumming activity designed around a math lesson in "Fibonacci Numbers" or an activity called "Rhythm Strands" based on the Inca's system om communications called "Quipu" (Key-poo). I have lessons for rawhide rattle making and directions for making a large, 50-gal family drum.

In addition, I offer programming in reading writing and drumming centered around Bank Street College's, Nina Jaffe. She is the Scholastic.com's folklore expert. She edited a book of folktales from ten different world cultures all about drum s and drummers.

There are video clips of my work with students and teachers, plus mp3's that cover a broad range of musical and informational topics.

Should you have any questions or an interest in my coming to your community to work with home school groups and private families, please don't hesitate to contact me. I maintain a current booking schedule on my website and if you see me travelling nearby, let's explore the possibilities of my coming to your area.

Thanks...Daveed

My private email is daveed@drumfest.com

posted in Home School - 2 replies

2yr old wants to go to school...

2005-09-13T01:36:42Z

Has anyone else had this problem? I have a 21/2 yr old daughter and was planning on keeping her out of the public school system. I have been working the unschooling/home schooling rack, but now she has been coming up to me and saying she wants to go to school, and seems really sad about it like she knows she won't get to... I have never said she COULDN'T go, but I'm not sure where she's picked this up. Any ideas or pointers as to how I should handle this? I usually just tell her she isn't old enough yet, but that seems to just make her more upset. She thinks shes smart enough to be there I think.

posted in Home School - 3 replies

Advice Needed...

2005-09-12T13:18:32Z

Hi all,

I homeschool my now entering 5th grade son. I pulled him out of public school after 1st grade for various reasons--one is that he has all the ADHD symptoms and so doesn't fit public school mode. It was destroying him.

Our issue now is that he is behind in writing (can't coordinate his fast-moving thoughts with his hand and how to spell) and spelling. Math is a bit of a struggle too, although he gets the concepts without a problem, he is slowed by poor memorization skills or forgetting to carry or writing it in the wrong spot, etc. He is above grade level in every other area. He's really quite smart.

My sister has told me that often using colors helps w/memorizing as in breaking a word into sylables using different colors for each part. Something about right brain/left brain and being able to really *see* the word vs. a black blob of letters on a white page. BUT, I'm a single parent, work almost full time, and have two other kids. Where's the time to rewrite all his spelling work?

Anybody know of a good curiculum to use for this type of learner?

posted in Home School - 7 replies

anti institutional school material and documentation needed

2005-07-28T16:34:59Z

I'm looking for the most hard core anti institutional
schooling and pro homeschooling stuff that can be
found.

Philosophy is nice, statistics would be great.

Give me the dirt.

Why? Well my grandmother has always been the sweetest
most wonderful person in my life. She's always been a
third parent to me, and very supportive of my choices
and direction in life. Since I've had children we
haven't spent as much time together. So she often
sends me parenting related newspaper or magazine
articles, recalls, and comics. She started out always
sending a note saying she was thinking of me and was
just sending this info for interest, assuring me she
had complete faith in my parenting as well as my own
judgment on sorting through the "research".

I always felt thought of whenever I got the clippings
even if I felt strongly opposed to the info. Until
last summer. My oldest turned 5, and the only topic
on everyone's discussion list, was what would I do
with him for school.

A short background: I worked in before/after/summer
programs for public schools for about 9 years. Have
taught ethnic dance and drumming, and educational
dance programs in public and alternative schools for
around 10 years. I have many friends who teach, or
have taught, in public schools. I studied a lot of
child development and observed at many alternative
schools in the area. When it comes to educational
concepts I do my "homework", and feel like my opinions
are based on experience and facts.

Back to my grandma: So I start getting these articles
on public schools scores, programs, etc. from her over
summer. I just took it as "Grandma loves me and is
thinking about me, how nice." Then it slipped through
my mother, that Orion wasn't going to go to Castlemont
school. (Funny, the same school I lived directly
across the street from, but wasn't good enough for me
to go to- I'm sure it's improved, that was a long time
ago, right.) The notes started coming several times a
week, and the message begin to change. All of a
sudden, I don't know what my son will be missing. I'm
depriving him of a necessary experience. He needs to
just go and try it, and if he doesn't like it then we
could reconsider.

The notes got worse and worse. Now she's leaving
video tapes of the benefits of kindergarten programs
she sees at 2AM, and had to tape for me, on my door
step. She's sending 5 notes a week and they're
getting personal. My husband thinks it keeps her up
at night worrying about poor deprived Orion.

I just can't be nice and ignore it anymore. I also
have gotten no where with my educated philosophy. I'm
done with the whole situation. It's time to end it.

Give me the dirt.

I want articles on the colored bracelets the Jr. High
and elementary girls wear signifying what they're
willing to do sexually. For those of you who haven't
heard, this is the big trend: Colored bracelets for
each sex act, ie red means I give head, blue means
anal is okay, etc. This is not a joke for those of
you fortunate enough to be completely removed from
public school trends. It's real and most of it goes
on in the bathrooms at school. I just need
documentation.

Statistics on the numbers of confiscated fire arms in
public schools would be great as well. Numbers of
arrests, drugs, etc. I just need documentation.

How about the push for advanced vocabulary.
Interviews with elementary age children defining
various sexual, drug, or gang references. There's
probably laws forbidding children being tapped
discussing such things. The children I worked with
had quite an extensive vocabulary; they always had to
fill me in to what was being said while I was breaking
up fights and the slang and profanity were flying.

My friends who teach all have enough stories to make
one ill. Very few of them have the sources of where
these monstrosities are being recorded.

I've tried a few internet searches and bottomed out.

This may sound harsh, but I know my grandma. A few
hard core factual articles and she'll go back to
sending me comics, praising my efforts at parenting,
and most importantly she'll rest well at night knowing
her precious grandchildren won't wear colored
bracelets, or be arrested for being in association
with those wielding fire arms at school.

Thank you very much, Shereen

posted in Home School - 7 replies

book recomendations

2005-07-27T21:41:52Z

I recently read an article about homeschooling that mentioned David Albert and his books on homeschooling. Is anyone familiar with his stuff, and if so which of his books would you recommend? I don't have time to read them all!

posted in Home School - 2 replies

Different state = different laws

2005-07-10T23:47:34Z

My family and I might be moving from Illinois by next summer. I looked up the homeschool laws in that other state just so I know what I will be getting into and to my disappointment the laws are aweful. Does anyone live in Kentucky? That is where I'll be moving and I don't like the laws there. Illinois is one of the easiest states to live in for homeschooling and I'm going to miss it.

Do any other states have you "check in" with the board of education of your state?

Do any of you keep a log/record of attendance and have to homeschool for so many days out of the year?

The way that I do it right now is if we finish a book or the book doesn't challenge my daughter, we just go on from there.

I don't like that I have to "report" to anyone!! >:(

posted in Home School - 8 replies

On-line Home Schooling?

2005-07-10T15:56:30Z

Can anyone suggest a good on-line school for a 6th grader whom I will be traveling with for the next year. Most time will be stationary and we will have access to a computer about 90% of the time. Also, I wish for it not to be affiliated with any one religion.

Thanks,
Hannah

posted in Home School - 3 replies

san diego homeschooling

2005-05-16T17:32:44Z

Hello,
It is really nice to be a part of this tribe. I am a single mother with a 9 year old "old soul". He is part of a home school where an amazing woman/friend/soul sister is his teacher. I feel very blessed because I truly believe that homeschooling is the way for my son to blossom and experience all that lives within him - the passions, the creativity, the "outside the box" ideas that are what make a difference in this crazy world. So, I work really hard to be able to provide this for him.

I am looking to connect with people who homeschool in San Diego to dialogue with, network with, and understand the SD laws a bit better.

This group is a wonderful source for supporting, cheering on, and acknowledging to each other that main stream does not necessarily mean right.
peace to you all, Leanne

posted in Home School - 1 reply

Saying "hello"

2005-05-12T22:08:20Z

Hi all,

Just joined this tribe and wanted to say hi.

I've been homeschooling my three sweet kiddos since the beginning. They're 15, 11, and 7. We've tried it all....homeschooling, unschooling, you name it. Ha! My kids are "the" great experiment. <smile!> I'm happy to say they're turning out wonderfully, have incredible hearts, and are happily on their way to achieving THEIR goals.

We're a bit of an anomaly in our area of the homeschooling world. First, I'm not your typical mom. Very free-spirited and young at heart. Ah, I won't bore you with all the details. Let's just say I was raised in a legalistic household and refuse to do the same with my own children. So, I must be doing something right because I do get lot's of compliments on my kids.

This year, my oldest found his way to another homeschool "school" and did most of his work there. It was a huge financial commitment for us, but we bit the bullet. He has had a fantastic year with this other family and the few other kids who gather with them, I'm happy to say. And, since it's the girls and me at home together, we're pretty happy, too!

Anyhow, that's a little about us. Just wanted to say hi!

Smile,
Lisa

posted in Home School - 0 replies

new to home schooling, problem

2005-04-22T10:37:46Z

Every single resource I have found for homeschooling is Christian based. We are not a christian family.
I cant join a support group in my area cause, once again, they are ALL christian.

what is a pagan mother with a bi-polar child supposed to do?

posted in Home School - 9 replies

Homeschooling is a Political Issue

2005-02-21T14:49:04Z

I've been having a discussion regarding homeschooling in one of the political tribes.

http://minneapolis.tribe.net/thread/89bdc4a2-f04e-4233-ab94-d696f345d8a7?tribeid=06809165-6023-48a6-b2f9-bd7878be314d&r=10497

The impression normally is that Homeschoolers are religious, right-wing, or both. I'm religiously apathetic and very left-wing. . .

Thoughts?

posted in Home School - 2 replies

An audio CD to help childrens imaginations

2005-02-10T06:16:23Z

Hi,
I am writing to share news of an audio CD called "THE ENCHANTED FOREST" that is designed to help Children & Adults especially those suffering Attention Deficit Disorder and related conditions including Asperger's, Bipolar and the likes.

You can read further information, listen to an excerpt or buy the cd at:

www.ciaranhope.com/shop.html

or

www.cdbaby.com/cd/imaginationgym

In testing, we had several teachers who had wonderful experiences playing the CD for their class and using it as a teaching aid with wonderful and unexpected results with the children.

I am going to put in a quote or two here from a few kids who listen to the CD, as there comments are as honest an pure as they come regarding the feeling one gets from listening to the CD:

"I felt joy and nice feelings when I listen to The Enchanted Forest.
It helps me get to sleep. I like all the animals in the story"
Oliver Maguire (ADHD Sufferer - Age 8)

“Made me feel better and less sad. It helped me relax and sleep better at night. I use it when I am upset. I would like to use another story ”
Ross (Dyslexia Sufferer - Age 11)

"THE ENCHANTED FOREST" CD, upon which I have been collaborating as audio producer, is the first in a series of 10 Imagination Gym Audio CDs each of which uses the latest mental research and technology to activate a different part of our intelligence and abilities. The CD is primarily designed for families and children coping with ADHD, Asperger's, Autism etc and who wish to increase their mental abilities and learning power.

7 years of additional research by the two main developers Peter Blackbyrne and Rolaseen Durkin has also proven that healthy children & adults ALSO experience dramatic benefits from regular use. For example, it is a superb tool to help any child or adult who has difficulty sleeping.

The CDs are called ‘gyms ’because the more you use them the fitter your mind becomes. The Enchanted Forest works by getting us to use our minds and imagination in ways that we might not be used to, in our everyday lives.

There has been amazing feedback from pretty much everyone who has tested the product while in development, and from those who have purchased it since its release. Let's put it this way, the feedback has been positive enough that we are now releasing European language versions with the backing of Sony Germany, and they are enabling us to being recording the next CD in the series next month.

I sincerely hope that this CD finds its way into the hands of those who need it and can benefit from it.

yours in music with blessings

Ciaran Hope
www.ciaranhope.com

posted in Home School - 0 replies

Chores and homeschooling

2005-02-01T23:37:24Z

Help me out with this little survey.
Most of the families we network with, do not have their kids do regular chores. Mine have regular chores that are just "being part of this Family" and then there are chores for money.
Do you have your kids do chores? Or am I really out of touch with the world today?

Dana

PS the kids are 11 and 13. They have to keep their own rooms, their laundry, sometimes cook a meal for the family (1-2 times a month), fix themselves something to eat if they are hungery outside of meal times. They also have to take turns cleaning the kitchen.
For money: they can clean the bathroom, vacuum, sweep, and such.

posted in Home School - 6 replies

Laws in your state

2005-01-03T22:09:22Z

I'm curious; what are the laws in your state for homeschooling?

And do you follow them?

And for those "unschooling" homes, do you follow those laws?

I will be moving to a different state and the laws there are tougher for homeschooling and I'm wondering if I could just get away with NOT following the laws they have.

Please, anyone?! Please help me out here and let me know what you think about Homeschool Laws and following them or not following them. :(

posted in Home School - 2 replies

New Term to Use

2004-12-21T04:39:48Z

I have decided that from now on I will be referring to the public schooling as "Collectivist Education Camps".

Please use this phrase when discussing the public school system, especially with critics of homeschooling. It will put them on the defensive. Wouldn't that be a nice change?

posted in Home School - 7 replies

Home schooling

2004-10-20T16:58:48Z

Pros and Cons of Home Schooling in North America
From the extreme to the mainstream

George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Edison and Albert Einstein all have one thing in common, their parents all home schooled them.

What about our children? Would home schooling make our children advance to the same level as these great men in history? Is home schooling really for us and for our children?

Mostly parents will choose home schooling because of educational reasons rather than ideological reasons. They are fed up with overcrowded classrooms where their children do not receive the one on one attention that they need, some schools have low academic abilities, and some schools show a lack of concern for their children's personal safety.

Reasons such as this have encouraged many parents to home school their children themselves.

Parents who advocate home schooling say that their children do learn more effectively at home because they are able to learn practical life experiences, such as in Mathematics they can be taught things such as planning a budget, home shopping and balancing checkbooks. These lessons can help them to learn the importance of money management, etc.

How effective has home schooling really proven to be? Some studies have shown that most children who home school have an I. Q, which is above the national average of their country.

However home schooling does also have its critics. Many school officials show concern over the lack of quality education that some parents give to their children. For this reason a lot of schools in some districts are not cooperative with parents who decide to home school their children. While some schools do cooperate with parents who home school, many remain skeptical, they fear that parents may not be capable of providing adequate home schooling for their children.

Another concern of educational professionals is that they feel that parents do not have the needed qualifications to teach their children at home. However, Home schooling advocates will tell you that as parents you don't need any formal qualifications to teach your child at home. All parents need to do is to know how to direct their child to the right resource channels, i.e., research books found in your local public library.

Parents and children could have the opportunity to both learn together. And if a subject is out of the parent's league, then professional tutors can be hired to reach our children that subject.

Another concern to take into consideration is the importance of not isolating our children from others. They need to have regular association with their own peers. In many lands home scholars often set up support groups, where the children can get together on a regular basis to perform plays, etc., and this can provide them with the much needed association together.

Another concern to take into consideration is the expense of Home schooling. Yes, it can be very expensive; things such as textbooks, etc., don't come cheap now. So if you choose to home school your child then this could very well work out for their benefit. However, like anything, serious consideration and careful planning need to take place first. Then your child might just turn out to be our next Thomas Edison.

Over the past decade, home schooling has shed its image as a social or educational aberration. Jacqueline Luffman, Statistics Canada During the last 20 years, the general public's familiarity with home schooling has evolved from a level of almost complete ignorance to one of widespread, if largely uninformed, awareness.

This evolution was stimulated by, and reflected in, heightened media interest in home schooling. Feature articles on home schooling graced the covers and pages of respective national publications (see Wallace, 1982; Feinstein, 1986; Stecklow, 1994; Maushard, 1996; Benning, 1997; Eisler and Dwyer, 1997; Kantrowitz and Wingert, 1998; Kay, 2001, and Cloud and Morse, 2001) such as Maclean's, The National Post, The Wall Street Journal, Time, and Newsweek, while national radio and television broadcasts have also shone a spotlight on home schooling. Consequently, the growth of home schooling has not escaped the attention of leading policymakers in both Canada and the United States. In 1999, for example, then-Texas Governor George W. Bush addressed an audience of 2,000 home schoolers and their parents.

Meanwhile, on September 16, 1999, the US Senate passed a resolution designating the week of September 19-25, 1999, as “National Home Education Week.” In the Canadian context, some policymakers now publicly acknowledge the growing popularity and importance of the home schooling movement Similarly, academic researchers and policy analysts are exhibiting more than a passing interest in home schooling In June 2000, for example, the Peabody Journal of Education devoted a 300-page issue exclusively to the topic of home schooling (McDowell and Ray, 2000). Such popular, political, and academic attention reflects the reality that, as Patricia Lines, formerly a senior research analyst for the US Department of Education and now a Senior Fellow at the Discovery Institute, concludes, home schooling parents are “reinventing the idea of school” (quoted in Kantrowitz and Wingert, p. 67).

Given the attention bestowed upon this flourishing but poorly understood private education practice, by surveying the available research literature this paper attempts to provide preliminary answers to a series of important questions. These questions include: What is home schooling? How does government regulate home schooling? What is the history of home schooling in North America? How many children are home schooled? What are the socio-demographic characteristics of home schooling families? How do home schooled children perform academically? What is known about the socialization of home schooled children? And What are the public policy implications of this experiment in private education?

The regulation and history of home schooling long considered a private matter in North America, education is not even mentioned in the US Constitution. Nor was it a concern for Canada's embryonic federal government. And so by default, education came under the aegis of individual states or provinces. Attitudes to home schooling are therefore highly divergent from state to state and province to province.- Barbara Kay, August 2001 Canadian regulation
According to Statistics Canada: Home schooling occurs when a child participates in his or her education at home rather than attending a public, private or other type of school. Parents or guardians assume the responsibility of educating their child and may develop their own curriculum guidelines (Luffman, 1998).

Home schooling is legal in all 10 Canadian provinces. In regulatory terms, each province has its own specific rules governing home schooling; most require that home schooling parents comply with the Education Act in the respective province. In practice, this means that the provincial government insists only upon the home schooled child receiving “satisfactory” instruction in the home environment. In most provinces, parents must register their home schooled children with their local school or school board. Four provinces (Alberta, New Brunswick, Newfoundland, and Prince Edward Island) require parents to submit an application before being allowed to home school. Alberta is the only province to require testing. Eight provinces issue curriculum guidelines to home schooling parents but these same provinces do not require that the curriculum be government approved. Prior to last year, only Alberta and the Northwest Territories (two of the three Canadian jurisdictions that provide funding to home schooling parents) require the approval of curricula. Last year, however, Manitoba passed legislation prescribing government-sanctioned curricula for home schoolers. No province, however, requires that home schooling parents possess teaching qualifications.

US regulation

The US Government defines home schooling as, “The education of school-aged children at home rather than at a school” (Lines, 1993, p. 1). In 1980, home schooling was illegal in 30 states. It has only been legal in all 50 states since 1993. However, specific state laws constitute a patchwork of regulations. In practice, there are high regulation, Home. A detailed province-by-province breakdown of home schooling regulations in Canada is provided in Statistics Canada's “A Profile of Home Schooling in Canada.” For example, the British Columbia School Act of 1989 gave parents the statutory right to educate their children at home on the provision that they “provide each school-age child with an educational program.” In Ontario, the Education Act states that a child is exempt from attending school if he or she is receiving “satisfactory instruction at home or elsewhere.” moderate regulation, and low regulation states. High regulation states may require parents to inform the respective educational authority that they wish to begin to home school, maintain compulsory attendance laws, require that the home school curriculum be approved by the state, conduct periodic visits to the home, administer standardized tests, and require that home schooling parents be certified teachers. (As the Ludwig von Mises Institute's Mark Brandly has explained, this latter requirement is often drawn up by state legislatures beholden to teachers' unions that want to use certification laws to discourage home schooling (Brandly, 1997).) Moderate regulation states may require parents to send notification and provide test scores and/or professional evaluation of the student's progress. Low regulation states do not require parents to initiate any contact with the state. For example, there are 41 states
that have no minimum academic standards for parents who home school their children.

History

Throughout history, societies have practiced home schooling (Gordon and Gordon, 1990; and Stevens, 2001). In fact, home schooling (conducted either by parents or private tutors) was widespread throughout North America until the 1870s, when compulsory school attendance and the training of professional educators coalesced to institutionalize education in the physical environment that today we recognize as school. Notable home schooled Americans include, for example, presidents George Washington, John Quincy Adams, Abraham Lincoln, Woodrow Wilson, and Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Other successful products of American home schooling include inventor Thomas Edison, General Robert E. Lee, civil rights activist Booker T. Washington, writer Mark Twain, and industrialist Andrew Carnegie. Although home schooling did continue in a limited fashion after the 1870s, it was not until the 1960s that this educational practice received renewed attention and interest from parents and educators. The intellectual roots of the two strains most evident in contemporary North American home schooling are both a generation in length
The first strain is ideological, and classifiable as the Christian Right. Its philosophical leader is the former missionary Dr. Raymond Moore. In 1969, this then-US Department of Education analyst began researching the institutionalization of children's education. His primary conclusion, disseminated in publications such as Home Grown Kids and Home-Spun Schools, was that a child's entry into formal education should be delayed until ages.

The second strain of home schooling is pedagogical and traces its theoretical lineage to the libertarian Left, as led by the late teacher and humanist John Holt. During the 1960s, Holt advocated educational decentralization and greater parental autonomy (sometimes known as “laissez-faire home schooling”), more recently referred to as “unschooling.” Holt's thesis is that the most civilized way to educate a child is through home schooling. To propagate his ideas, Holt wrote the highly controversial books How Children Fail and Teach Your Own; in 1977, he founded the bimonthly home schooling magazine Growing Without Schooling. The evolving regulatory relationship between home schooling parents and government is most recently addressed in Malkin, 2001.

In Canada, most home schooling parents do so for religious or pedagogical reasons. See Smith, 1993. Approximately five percent of home schooling follows the unschooling approach, which does not adhere to a structured curricula, allowing students to learn at their own pace and according to their own interests. Although the contemporary image of home schooling parents depicts a homogeneous, deeply religious, socially conservative sub-group of the population, back in the 1960s and 1970s most home schooling parents were members of the countercultural Left, principally advocates of New Age philosophies, ex-hippies, and homesteaders. By the mid-1980s, however, most home schooling parents could be accurately described as part of the Christian Right. Today, 75 percent of American home schoolers are practicing Christians (Livni, 2000). However, in terms of religiosity, home schooling is not proving to be the exclusive preserve of Christian groups. In fact, “growth in home schooling may be reaching a broader range of… families and values” (Bielick, Chandler, and Broughman, 2001, p. 4; McDowell, Sanchez, and Jones, 2000; Lines, 2000b; and Welner and Welner, 1999). Muslim Americans, for example, are the fastest growing sub-group within the home schooling movement. The number of home schooled Muslim Americans is predicted to double every year for the next eight years (Bielick, Chandler, and Broughman, 2001, p. 4; McDowell, Sanchez, and Jones, 2000; Lines, 2000b; and Welner and Welner, 1999).

The growth of home schooling

There has been very rapid growth in home schooling in both Canada and the United States over the past 20 years. In Canada, “with the help of regionally based support groups and national organizations, the home schooling movement has been gaining momentum” (Luffman, 1998); the number of Canadian home schooled children has increased every year during this period. In 1979, just 2,000 Canadian children were home schooled (Statistics Canada data, as cited in Wake, 2000). By 1996, the respective provincial ministries of education put the number of home schooled children at 17,523, or 0.4 percent of total student enrolment-a 776 percent increase over just 18 years. However, Canada's home schooling associations claimed a much higher figure-between 30,000 and 40,000, or approximately one percent of total student enrollment. By 1997, the home schooling associations claimed there were approximately 60,000 Canadian home schooled children (Eisler and Dwyer, 1997, p. 64). Today, it is estimated that there are more than 80,000 children being educated in private homes. If accurate, this suggests a doubling of the home schooled population in only a few years (Wake, 2000).

In the United States, various estimates suggest home schooling is growing at a rate of between 11 to 40 percent annually (Ray, 1994; Cloud and Morse, p. 49). In 1985, there were only 50,000 American home schooled children; by 1992, there were 300,000 home schooled children (Gutterson, 1993). In the fall of 1995, the US Department of Education estimated the number of home schooled children at between 500,000 and 750,000 (Lines, 1997, p. 4). In 1999, the US Department of Education estimated that approximately 850,000 students were being home schooled (see Table 1) (Bielick, p. 3). However, according to the Home School Legal Defense Association, by the fall of 1996 there were 1.2 million home schoolers. Currently, the United States has 50 million students attending 85,000 public schools and 26,000 private schools (U.S. Department of Education, 1996, table 5.). Therefore, home schoolers may comprise approximately 2.4 percent of the school-aged population, although a more recent estimate places the total as high as 1.7 million, or 3.4 percent of the school-age population (Rhodes, 2000).
In comparative terms, the collective number of Home Schooling. This figure excludes Quebec homeschoolers, as the Quebec Ministry of Education does not collect data on homeschooling. In comparison, there are currently 500,000 American children attending charter schools and 65,000 receiving school vouchers.

Table 1: Number of Students and Number and Percentage of Home Schooled US Students, Ages 5-17, with a Grade Equivalent of Kindergarten to Grade 12, by selected characteristics. Characteristic Number of Students Number of Home Schooled Students Percent Standard Error
Total 50,188,000 850,000 1.7 0.14
Grade equivalent, K-5 24,428,000 428,000 1.8 0.20
Kindergarten 3,790,000 92,000 2.4 0.52
Grades 1-3 12,692,000 199,000 1.6 0.29
Grades 4-5 7,946,000 136,000 1.7 0.28
Grades 6-8 11,788,000 186,000 1.6 0.24
Grades 9-12 13,954,000 235,000 1.7 0.24
Race/ethnicity
White, non-Hispanic 32,474,000 640,000 2.0 0.19
Black, non-Hispanic 8,047,000 84,000 1.0 0.31
Hispanic 7,043,000 77,000 1.1 0.25
Other 2,623,000 49,000 1.9 0.65
Sex
Female 24,673,000 434,000 1.8 0.19
Male 25,515,000 417,000 1.6 0.17
Number of children in household
One child 8,226,000 120,000 1.5 0.24
Two children 19,883,000 207,000 1.0 0.14
Three or more children 22,078,000 523,000 2.4 0.30
Number of parents in household
Two parents 33,007,000 683,000 2.1 0.21
One parent 15,454,000 142,000 0.9 0.16
Non-parental guardians 1,727,000 25,000 1.4 0.82
Parents' participation in the labor force
Two parents-one in labor force 9,628,000 444,000 4.6 0.55
Two parents-both in labor force 22,880,000 237,000 1.0 0.17
One parent in labor force 13,907,000 98,000 0.7 0.16
No parent in labor force 3,773,000 71,000 1.9 0.48
Household income
$25,000 or less 16,776,000 262,000 1.6 0.27
25,001-50,000 15,220,000 278,000 1.8 0.24
50,001-75,000 8,576,000 162,000 1.9 0.30
75,001 or more 9,615,000 148,000 1.5 0.28
Parents' highest educational attainment
High school diploma or less 18,334,000 160,000 0.9 0.15
Voc/tech degree or some college 15,177,000 287,000 1.9 0.25
Bachelor's degree 8,269,000 213,000 2.6 0.42
Graduate/professional 8,407,000 190,000 2.3 0.46
Note: Numbers may not add to total due to rounding. Number and percent of home schoolers excludes students who were enrolled in school for more than 25 hours and students who were home schooled due to a temporary illness.
Source: US Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Parent Survey of the National Household Education Surveys Program, 1999.
Children being home schooled in the United States today exceeds the individual public school enrollment of 41 of the 50 states (Ray, 1997a). As a reflection of the growth in home schooling, the US Census Bureau now includes home schooling-related questions in its survey. Such growth has stimulated a significant demand for intellectual and practical resources for those interested in the theory and practice of home schooling. Consequently, Practical Home Schooling magazine regularly sells over 100,000 copies, while its publisher, Mary Pride, has authored The Big Book of Home Learning, which has sold 250,000 copies. The online bookseller, Amazon. com, currently lists more than 200 home schooling books in its catalogue. Why is home schooling growing so fast? Although parents home school their children for a myriad of reasons, the principal stimulus is dissatisfaction with public education, Clearly, “home schooling is… the Bell wether for a mushrooming disaffection with the public education system” (Kay, 2001). As an American home schooling parent recently commented: Not every home schooler is part of a middle-class Christian Republican family. The decision to home school is not made solely on the basis of conservative political or religious views.Many people make this decision because of the difficulties with our current school system, [or] because their children have differing learning styles (Cleaveland, 2001).

Claudia Rebanks Hepburn, The Fraser Institute's Director of Education Policy, summarized the state of public education in Canada as follows: Canadian education is not just inefficient but seriously inadequate…Dropout rates, literacy levels, and academic achievement are signals of the dismal state of Canadian education today. Indicators published by the OECD show that 27 percent of Canadian adolescents drop out of high school-a higher rate than any other OECD country. Of those young adults who have completed high school in the past decade, 33 percent are insufficiently Home Schooling 8 The Fraser Institute PUBLIC POLICY SOURCES, NUMBER 51 Table 2: Number and Percentage of Home Schooled US Students by Reason for Home Schooling Reason for Home Schooling Number of Home Schooled Students Percent Standard Error
Better education at home 415,000 48.9 3.79
Religious reasons 327,000 38.4 4.44
Poor learning environment at school 218,000 25.6 3.44
Family reasons 143,000 16.8 2.79
Develop character/morality 128,000 15.1 3.39
Object to what school teaches 103,000 12.1 2.11
School does not challenge child 98,000 11.6 2.39
Other problems with available schools 98,000 11.5 2.20
Student behaviour problems at school 76,000 9.0 2.40
Child has special needs/disability 69,000 8.2 1.89
Transportation/convenience 23,000 2.7 1.48
Child not old enough to enter school 15,000 1.8 1.13
Cannot afford private school 15,000 1.7 0.77
Parent's career 12,000 1.5 0.80
Could not get into desired school 12,000 1.5 0.99
Other reasons* 189,000 22.2 2.90

*Parents home school their children for many reasons that are often unique to their family situation. Some of the “other reasons” parents gave for home schooling in the Parent- NHES: 1999 study were: It was the child's choice; to allow parents more control over what their children were learning; flexibility; and parents wanted year-round schooling.
Note: Standard error excludes students who were enrolled in school for more than 25 hours and students who were home schooled due to a temporary illness. Percents do not add to 100 percent because respondents could choose more than one reason. Source: US Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Parent Survey of the National Household Education Surveys Program, 1999. literate to cope in contemporary society… Public opinion polls show that confidence in the education system is at a 30-year low. Tangible proof of this is the growing number of children withdrawn by their parents each year from government schools: the percentage of families choosing independent (private) schools has doubled over the past 25 years, while the popularity of home schooling is unprecedented and growing rapidly (Hepburn, 1999, p. 4).

When asked to rate their public schools, 45 percent of Americans give only a C, D, or F grade (Gallup and Elam, 1988, p. 36). Unfortunately, “many public schools-and their baleful unions and wretched bureaucrats, their rigid rules and we-know-best manner-have done a lot to hurt themselves” (Cloud and Morse, p. 48). Despite large increases in government spending on public education over the past generation, the outputs of American public education are increasingly disappointing. Alarmingly, for example, American graduates are frequently illiterate; hence the need for America's private sector firms to spend billions of dollars annually on employee literacy programs (Schargel, 1993, p. 67).

What, then, are the specific comparative advantages of home schooling, at least as perceived by those who choose to educate their children in this manner? There are a variety of reasons provided by home schooling parents in both Canada and the United States and the most common to both countries may be summarized as follows:
o The opportunity to impart a particular set of values and beliefs.
o Higher academic performance through one-on-one instruction.
o The opportunity to develop closer and stronger parent-child relationships.
o The opportunity for the child to experience high-quality interaction with peers and adults.
o The lack of discipline in public schools.
o The opportunity to escape negative peer pressure (e.g., drugs, alcohol, and premarital sex) through controlled and positive peer social interactions.
o The unaffordability of private schools, and
o A physically safer environment in which to learn.

Most recently, the safety issue in particular has spurred public interest in home schooling. This reflects both the fact that, for example, one in four American public school students has been a victim of violence at or near her school (cited in Richman, 1994, p. 111), and the heightened interest in safer schooling immediately following the April 1999 tragedy at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado (and subsequent copycat incidents in both Canada and the United States) (see, for example, Sink, 1999). In a Newsweek poll, 63 percent of adult Americans said it was very or somewhat likely that a shooting incident could happen at their local schools. 12
This surge in interest in home schooling is also greatly facilitated by new technology, specifically the growth of the Internet. Among home schooling families, access to the Internet is well above average. In 1996, 86 percent of American home schooling families owned a computer and used it for educational purposes. At that time, nationally, only one in three families had a computer. Today, between 93 and 94 percent of home schoolers have access to a computer; by comparison, as of June 2000, only about half of all American households had Internet access (Heuer, 2000).

Such technology allows 71.1 percent of home schooling parents to individualize their education. Polling conducted April 21-22, 1999, as reported in Bai, 1999, p. 27. Traditional curriculum to suit their child's specific needs (Ray, 1997b, p. 8). As in the United States, recent Canadian experience suggests that, “Cheaper computers, computer programs, easy access to the Internet and the increased amount of educational material available online are encouraging more parents to keep their children at home rather than sending them to school” (Wake, 2000). Clearly, “the Internet is especially bringing home schoolers together…(as) contrary to the isolated image of the home schooler, the Net provides contacts all over the world” (Gooderham, 1996). The Internet's ability to facilitate educational inquiry is being subsidized by British Columbia's Ministry of Education. Since 1996, a provincial program, known as E-Bus, has provided each school board with approximately $4,000 per interested home schooling family so that the school board may, in turn, provide each of these families with a computer, a CD-ROM, Internet access, a selection of software, and ongoing on-line assistance. In return, the students must demonstrate that they are performing at the level of their classroom peers and submit their work to an on-line instructor for grading. Also in 1996, the Alberta government initiated a program linking home schooled children with public school teachers through the Internet, fax, and telephone communications. The socio-demographic characteristics of home schooling families Both Canadian and American home schooling generally attracts two types of families: ideologues and pedagogues. The ideologues are usually, but not exclusively, religious conservatives, while the pedagogues are preoccupied with improving their child's academic and social environment (Van Galen, 1991). Interestingly, a 1990 Canadian survey found that, although only 25 percent of home schooling parents claimed no religious or spiritual commitment at all, partisan allegiance was evenly divided among the three major political parties (Priesnitz, 1990).13
Regardless of type, however, “In terms of demographics, home school students are not a cross-section of the public” (Rudner, 1999). Some research indicates that the average American home schooling family earns an above average income. The median income of $52,000 (1997) for home schooling households compares very favorably with the median income of $37,581 (1997) of all American households (Rudner, 1999). However, other recent data “indicates that the household income of home schoolers… is the same as the household income of non-home schoolers. The same percentage of home schooled and non-home schooled students lived in households with annual incomes of $50,000 or less (64 percent)” (Bielick, et al., p. 8). Home schooling parents have above-average levels of education. Among American parents who home school, 81 percent have studied beyond high school compared with 63 percent of parents nationwide (Bielick, et al., p. 9; Cook, 1999).

Importantly, home schooling families are almost exclusively two-parent families. After all, “In order to home school, parents may need to dedicate a significant amount of time to schooling their children. Because of the time required, home schooling usually involves two parents-one who participates in the labor force and one who home schools.” (Bielick, et al., p. 8). Lawrence Rudner found that 97 percent are married couples compared to only 72 percent of American families. At that time, the Progressive Conservatives, the Liberals, and the New Democratic Party comprised the three major federal political parties. with school-age children (Rudner, 1999). The Parent Survey of the National Household Education Surveys Program found 80 percent of home schooled children living in two-parent families compared to 66 percent for non-home schoolers.

Furthermore, 87.7 percent of home schooling mothers do not work outside the home (Ray, 1997b). Overall, 52 percent of home schooled children are raised in two-parent families where only one parent works outside the home compared to 19 percent for non-home schooled children (Bielick, et al., p. 8). The average size of a home schooling family is also above average-62 percent of home schooling families have three or more children compared to 44 percent of non-home schooled families, while 56 percent of all American families with school age children have only one or two children.

How do home schooled children perform academically? Home schooled students receive a more varied education than does a child who is conventionally schooled.-Isabel Lyman, Cato Institute As student testing is not compulsory in all states and provinces, test data may not be fully representative of overall student performance. Nonetheless, according to the US Department of Education, “Virtually all the available data show that the group of home schooled children who are tested is above average” (Lines, 1995). Such impressive results have been observable for at least 15 years. An analysis of SAT scores since 1985 in Washington State, for example, finds that home schooled children score consistently above average (Lyman, p. 14). Dr. Howard Richman and his colleagues found that the home schooled in Pennsylvania score, on average, at the 86th percentile in reading and at the 73rd percentile in math (Richman, Girten, and Snyder, 1992).

From coast to coast, and from border to border, home schooled students in the United States surpass the national averages on both of the major college-entrance tests, the ACT and the SAT. For the third consecutive year, home schooled students outperformed public school students on the ACT. The ACT exam includes curriculum-based achievement tests in English, mathematics, reading, and science. From 1998 to 2000, home schoolers averaged 22.7 on the ACT, compared to a national average of 21 (the ACT test has a scale of 1-36) (The Washington Times, 2000a). Home schoolers averaged 1,083 on the SAT, compared with a national average score of 1,016.

The most recent and most comprehensive study of American home schooling was led by leading statistician and measurement expert, Dr. Lawrence Rudner of the University of Maryland. The study measured 20,760 home schooled students in all 50 states (Rudner, 1999). Rudner concluded that, “Those parents choosing to make a commitment to home schooling are able to provide a very successful academic environment.” For example, “In every subject and at every grade level of the [tests], home schooled students scored significantly higher than their public and private school counterparts.” Home schoolers' average score fell between the 82nd and the 92nd percentile in reading and reached the 85th percentile in math. Overall, test scores for home schoolers fell between the 75th and 85th percentiles. Public school students scored at the 50th percentile, while private school students' scores ranged from the 65th to the 75th percentile. Interestingly, having at least one parent who is a certified teacher has no significant effect on the achievement levels of home schooled students. The test scores of students whose parents had ever held a teaching certificate were only three percentile points higher than those whose parents had not-in the 88th percentile versus the 85th percentile. However, the children of university graduates perform significantly better than do children whose parents do not have a degree. However, regardless of whether their mothers held a degree or did not complete high school, the children's scores remained between the 80th and 90th percentile. By contrast, in 8th grade math, public school students whose parents are college graduates score at the 63rd percentile, whereas students whose parents have less than a high school diploma score at the 28th percentile. Students taught at home by mothers who never finished high school scored a full 55 percentile points higher than public school students from families with comparable education levels (Ray, 1997a). According to Rudner, “The mean performance of home school students whose parents do not have a college degree is much higher than the mean performance of students in public schools.”

Almost one-quarter (24.5 percent) of home schooled students perform one or more grades above their age-level peers in public and private schools. Grade 1 to 4 home school students perform one grade level higher than their public- and private-school peers. By Grade 8, the average home schooled student performs four grade levels above the national average (Ray, 1997a). One may contrast this with the American public school system where advancement between grades, under a system of so-called “social promotion,” is primarily a function of age rather than of aptitude. Students who have been home schooled throughout their entire academic lives have higher SAT scores than students who have attended other educational programs. The SAT scores improve from the 59th percentile for those home schooled for only one year to the 92nd percentile for those home schooled for seven years (Ray, 1997a).

There are achievement differences among home schooled students when classified by family income, race, gender, amount of money spent on education, parental education (as alluded to earlier), and television viewing. However, these differences are far less dramatic than those observed among public school students. For example, regardless of family income, home schooled students score between the 82nd and 92nd percentiles on the SAT (Ray, 1997a). Overall, the empirical evidence clearly demonstrates that: Home education may be conducive to eliminating the potential negative effects of certain background factors. Low family income, low parental educational attainment, parents not having formal training as teachers, race or ethnicity of the student, gender of the student, not having a computer in the home, infrequent usage of public services (e.g., public libraries), a child commencing formal education relatively later in life, relatively small amounts of time spent in formal educational activities, and a child having a large (or small) number of siblings seem to have less influence on the academic achievement of the home educated. More specifically, in home education, educational attainment of parents, gender of student, and income of family may have weaker relationships to academic achievement than they do in public schools (Ray, 1997a, chapter 4).

Although there is far less Canadian research data to examine, the academic performance of Canadian home schooled students appears to be comparable to the American experience. In the largest study to date of Canadian home schooling, Dr. Brian D. Ray found home schooling students scoring, on average, at the 80th percentile in reading, at the 76th percentile in language, and at the 79th percentile in mathematics. The Canadian average for all public and privately educated students is the 50th percentile. Ray's study also found that students whose parents are certified teachers perform no better than other students and that neither parental income nor parents' educational background has a significant impact on student performance (Ray, 1994).

The international evidence on the academic performance of home schooled students is equally encouraging. For example, a recently completed three-year study conducted by researchers at England's University of Durham found that home schooled students noticeably out-performed their public school peers in both literacy and mathematics (Livni, 2000). The fact that home schooling appears to improve academic performance regardless of geographic location and political jurisdiction has stimulated interest around the world. The United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, and Switzerland are among a host of developed nations with rapidly growing home schooling movements (Billups, 2000).

Importantly, in the United States 69 percent of home schooled children plan to pursue a post-secondary education (Ray, 1997b). In the absence of school transcripts, etc., home schooled applicants are increasingly presented with the option of submitting to admissions offices any standardized test scores, letters of recommendation, and a portfolio of their written work. Also, many home schooled students are writing the General Educational Development tests, a high school equivalency exam, in order to demonstrate their academic progress to the 75 percent of American universities accepting such students. In recent years, home schooled students are gaining admission and scholarships to the most prestigious universities. Over 700 post-secondary institutions across the United States, including Harvard University, Yale University, Stanford University, MIT, Rice University, and the Citadel, have admitted home schooled students (Leung, 2000). September 2000 saw the opening of Patrick Henry College, in Virginia, the first university established especially for home schooled children.

The National Center for Home Education estimates that one million home schooled students will enroll in post-secondary institutions over the next decade (The Washington Times, 2000b). This is unsurprising considering that, “Home schoolers bring certain skills-motivation, curiosity, the capacity to be responsible for their education-that high schools don't induce very well” (Jon Reider, Stanford University admissions official, quoted in Clowes, 2000).

To the north, an increasing number of Canadian universities and colleges are accepting home schooled students. These include the University of Toronto, York University, Dalhousie University, the University of Saskatchewan, and St. Francis Xavier University. Many of these post-secondary institutions require some type of standardized testing, be it provincial examinations or SATs, before offering admission. The socialization of home schooled children I have never let my schooling interfere with my education.-Mark Twain

In 1999, the National Education Association (NEA), the largest public sector teachers' union in the United States, declared that, “The NEA believes that home schooling cannot provide the student with a comprehensive education experience.” The preponderance of social science research clearly refutes this assertion. Contrary to the concerns of the educational establishment, the typical home schooled child participates in a wide variety of extracurricular activities. The average home schooled student is regularly involved in 5.2 social activities outside the home, including afternoon and weekend programs with public school students (e.g., sports, scouts, church groups, ballet, Little League, neighborhood play, part-time employment, and voluntary work), and day-time field trips and cooperative programs with groups of other home schooled students (Mattox, 1999). Ninety-eight percent of home schooled students are involved in two or more outside functions on a weekly basis (Farris, 1997). This reflects, in part, the fact that The Fraser Institute 13 Home Schooling PUBLIC POLICY SOURCES, NUMBER 51 home schooled children watch much less television than their public school peers. Of all home schooled children, 65 percent watch one hour or less of television per day, compared to 25 percent nationally. On average, 40 percent of American fourth-graders watch over three hours of television a day, but among home schooled children, only 1.6 percent consumes comparable amounts of television (Rudner, 1999).

In 1992, Prof. Larry Shyers assessed whether or not home schooled children suffer from retarded social development. His research observed children in free play and group interaction activities. Shyers found that public school children had significantly more problem behaviours than did the home schooled. Possibly this is because the primary models of behavior for the home schooled are their parents, rather than their peers. Shyers also concluded that there was no significant difference between home schooled and non-home schooled children in terms of either self-concept development or assertiveness (Shyers, 1992).

Commenting on his ongoing investigation into the long-term effects of home schooling, education policy researcher J. Gary Knowles pronounced, “I have found no evidence that these adults were even moderately disadvantaged… Two thirds of them were married, the norm for adults their age, and none were unemployed or any on any form of welfare assistance” (Knowles, 1991). According to Prof. Thomas C. Smedley's personal interaction and communications research, home schooled students are more mature and better socialized than are those sent to either public or private school (Smedley, 1992). Data has also been collected suggesting that home schooled students are friendlier than their public school peers, as well as more independent of peer values as they grow older. Research by Dr. Raymond Moore has indicated that the home schooled are happier, better adjusted, more thoughtful, competent, and sociable children
(Moore, 1986).

The list of benefits to the home-schooled appears to exceed even its academic and social advantages. For example, Prof. John Taylor (1986) found that the home schooled have significantly higher self-esteem than those in public schools. According to Prof. Mona Delahooke (1986), the home schooled are less peer dependent than private school students, and the home schooled are as well adjusted, socially and emotionally, as their private school agemates. Prof. Linda Montgomery (1989) found that home schooled students are as involved in out-of-school and extracurricular activities that predict leadership in adulthood as are those in the comparison private school (who are more involved than those in public schools). The successful socialization of home schooled children is aided immeasurably by the fact that each province and every state has at least one home school association. In fact, 85 percent of home schoolers either belong to a home school association or plan to join one (Lyman, 2000). Importantly, “Home school associations offer students the chance to interact with other home schoolers whether on the Internet, in study groups or for field trips. Some home schooling associations offer shared facilities, such as a library or gymnasium, and some have organized athletic teams and competitions for students” (Raycroft, 2000). Most such associations provide newsletters, curriculum advice, legal counsel, and networking opportunities, as well as sponsor conferences and organize yearbooks. Some even administer graduation ceremonies.

Conclusion

Home schooling, initially off the radar screen… has in the 30 years of its modern revival become a completely mainstream alternative to institutional schooling of any kind, public or private. No longer monolithic, easily accessibly, adaptable and responsive to its consumers… home schooling is the still extreme but rapidly Home Schooling 14 The Fraser Institute PUBLIC POLICY SOURCES, NUMBER 51 assimilating cultural prototype for inevitable reforms to public education in the coming decades, already in vigorous germination in the form of school voucher programs and charter schools (Kay, 2001). This paper has established that home schooling is a thriving educational movement both in Canada and the United States. It has also empirically demonstrated that the academic and socialization outcomes for the average home schooled child are superior to those experienced by the average public school student. Consequently, does the rise of home schooling provide any implications for education policy in North America?

There is one overriding lesson for policymakers to learn from this survey of home schooling. As home schooling researcher Isabel Lyman pithily described the American experience: “Home schooling has produced literate students with minimal government interference at a fraction of the cost of any government program” (Lyman, 1998). A breakdown of the respective American costs produces a startling comparison. For example: The parents spent, on average, $546 per child per year for home education (and the median was $400). State schools spent an average of $5,325 per student (pre-kindergarten through the 12th grade) during school year 1993-94 (US Department of Education, 1996). This cost in state schools did not include construction, equipment and debt financing… It is clear that the direct costs of public (state-run) schooling in the United States are at least 975 percent (or about 10 times as much) of what the home education families in this study spent on educational materials and services (Ray, 1997a, ch. 4).

Most tellingly, perhaps, the $546 spent per home schooled student produces an average 85th percentile ranking on test scores; the $5,325 spent per public school student produces an average 50th percentile ranking. In fact, both in Canada and the United States, most home schooling families “have achieved their goals… without a dime of government funding” (Lyman, 1998). In British Columbia, public and private schools do receive a government grant for each registered home schooled child but, in most cases and in most jurisdictions, home schooling families are not dependent on public, tax-funded resources. Furthermore, home schooling families may be saving their fellow taxpayers significant sums of money. For example, according to a study conducted in Oregon, home schoolers save that state's taxpayers $31 million annually (Ray, 1993). Overall, it may be argued that home schoolers serve “as models of economy and effectiveness” (Audain, 1987). Such realities suggest that both Canadian and American policymakers should consider whether or not home schooling parents, whose property taxes subsidize public schools, merit a reduction in those taxes.

It is also the case that while, in many jurisdictions, home schooling has been largely deregulated, “further deregulation would make parents' task easier” (Lyman, 1998). After all, a comparison of home schooled students' performance in highly regulated, moderately regulated, and unregulated American jurisdictions found no statistical difference. That is, the degree of government regulation has no significant effect on the academic performance of home schooled children. It was found that whether a given state imposes a high or low degree of regulation, home schooled students' average test scores are at the 86th percentile (Ray, 1997b).

It appears that there may be growing recognition of this reality. Hence, the American home schooling community triumphed politically when it successfully lobbied the US Congress to abandon plans to require that parents acquire certification as teachers before being allowed to home school their children. According to Hudson Institute senior fellow Chester E. Finn, Jr., this was an im- The Fraser Institute 15 Home Schooling PUBLIC POLICY SOURCES, NUMBER 51 pressive demonstration that, “Americans are becoming fussy consumers rather than trusting captives of a state monopoly. They've declared their independence and are taking matters into their own hands” (Finn, quoted in Kantrowitz and Wingert, 1998, p. 67). A majority of the public is also aware that an alternative instrument for the delivery of education may be available. A 1998 Newsweek poll, for example, found 59 percent of Americans agreeing that home schooled students are at least as well educated as public school students (Kantrowitz and Wingert, 1998).

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child declares that, “Parents have the prior right to determine the form of their children's education… the State's right to intervene in the education process is limited to ensuring that the children's right to education is fulfilled.” If Canadian and American policymakers, often so enthusiastic to comply with the aforementioned international organization's latest edict, are seriously committed to the meaning of this universal declaration, government interference in the area of home schooling will be limited. Although home schooling is neither desirable nor possible for all families, it has proven itself to be a relatively inexpensive and successful private alternative to public (and costly formal private) education. As such, it merits both the respect of regulators and the further attention of researchers.
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posted in Home School - 0 replies

What curriculum do you use?

2004-08-21T19:08:39Z

I'm new to homeschooling and investigating curriculums. What curriculum do you use?

posted in Home School - 4 replies

New to the tribe

2004-08-01T20:52:29Z

I´m an unschooling mother of 3, only one still at home. We´ve always unschooled, although the kids opted to check out schools from time to time. Those were generally brief experiments. We´ve always stayed pretty much under the government radar, living in several countries and not registering with the local state schools (or collectivist education camps...love it!) I enjoy home schooling lists because at this point I´ve been there and done that as well as being there and doing that.

posted in Home School - 0 replies

how many unschool there kids?

2004-07-01T06:31:13Z

Greetings, looking for info on what to do when your unschooled kid wants to go to school, how did you deal, and what did you do?
I am so curious
herbanmama

posted in Home School - 8 replies

Favorite general homeschool site

2004-06-04T09:17:53Z

HI all! What is your favortie homeschool web site?
I love Ann's site at http://www.gomilpitas.com/homeschooling/index.htm
Ann is a neat lady. I have only "met" her on
a hs email list I am on. Any others?
MAKE a great day! Cathi

posted in Home School - 1 reply

r any funky girls in bellingham??

2004-06-02T06:38:27Z

i am homeschooling my almost 5 year old girl and am lookin for some extra buddies for her to learn with anybody out there???

posted in Home School - 0 replies

Are you part of a homeschool network?

2004-01-07T20:20:27Z

Some people homeschool so they can do their own thing, others want the support of an organization of homeschoolers. I've done it both ways. When I started out I belonged to a homeschool group so organized we called ourselves an academy and wore uniforms to required field trips! That was back in the early 1980s. Later I was completely independent and it was less stressful.

posted in Home School - 1 reply

How long have you been homschooling

2004-01-01T07:22:20Z

We have been homeschooling for almost 4 years, son age 8 and daughter age 14, we pulled the kids out in the middle of the year, because of the issues with the school.

posted in Home School - 7 replies

How would you describe...

2003-12-31T15:14:24Z

your homeschooling style?

posted in Home School - 1 reply

Reading web site?

2003-12-26T20:49:32Z

Now, this is NOT for hs my kids, but it's still my fav reading site...
http://www.evanovich.com/
You have to read Janet Evanovich books. All of them are funny. Complete fluff, no world changing events, just fun mind candy :) MAKE a great day! Cathi

posted in Home School - 0 replies

Favorite Math site?

2003-12-26T20:47:26Z

I don't know if this is my favortie. But you will find TONS of math links here:
http://www.spa3.k12.sc.us/mathlinks.html

posted in Home School - 0 replies