Our friends at the Fordham Institute recently shared information from a new book that profiles the homeschooling sector titled Homeschooling in America: Capturing and Assessing the Movement. Take a look at some of the interesting info they share below. 

Homeschooling in America: Capturing and Assessing the Movement
John Horton / October 11, 2012

An oft-overlooked sector in American K-12 education has also been its most rapidly growing: homeschooling. There are currently more than two million home-school students in the U.S., marking a growth rate of between 7 and 12 percent per annum since the 1970s.

This book-cum-literature review profiles this expanding sector, tracking its prevalence, demographics, history, rationale, instructional methods, and impact—drawing data and conclusions from an impressive seventeen pages of references.

Many points are unsurprising, though the breadth of data provides a uniquely robust representation of this group: Homeschoolers tend to be white (93 percent), conservative (93 percent), and squarely in the middle class (with wealthier families opting for private schools and poorer families lacking the economic flexibility needed to keep a parent out of the workforce). The vast majority are Christian (92 percent)—the rise in homeschooling parallels the rise in Christian fundamentalism in the states—though Muslims mark the fastest growing sub-set of homeschoolers over the past few years.

The average home-schooled family has two to three children; the parents are about 20 percent more likely to have a college degree than non-home-school parents; and the children score higher on standardized tests than their public school peers. Homeschooling matches geographic population dispersion in all regions save the Northeast, where it is underrepresented.

The number of homeschoolers currently tops the number of charter-goers in the U.S., yet little attention is paid to the former. Kudos to author Joseph Murphy for compiling this work—and for spotlighting this shadowed sector in K-12 education.

SOURCE: Joseph Murphy, Homeschooling in America: Capturing and Assessing the Movement(Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin, 2012).

In this week-long Homeschool blog series, we highlight the history, philosophies, myths, and policies related to homeschooling, one of the important options for education in Ohio. An estimated 25,000 students are educated at home in Ohio, part of the more than 1.5 million homeschool students throughout the country.

If you have ever wondered what it takes to homeschool, here are some helpful websites that provide both practical and personal perspectives on the process.

www.homeschoolinginohio.com/ & www.h-i-o.org/index.php

http://www.ode.state.oh.us/GD/Templates/Pages/ODE/ODEDetail.aspx?page=3&TopicRelationID=698&ContentID=5223&Content=104696 (ODE Overview)

www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/education/s_759897.html (one Pittsburgh mom’s story)

www.thehomeschoolmom.com/newtohomeschooling/index.php (active homeschool mom blog)

Are you a homeschool family? What websites have you found helpful?

In this week-long Homeschool blog series, we highlight the history, philosophies, myths, and policies related to homeschooling, one of the important options for education in Ohio. An estimated 25,000 students are educated at home in Ohio, part of the more than 1.5 million homeschool students throughout the country.

“We must transform education from a one-size-fits-all system to one that delivers a personalized and customized education to each student.” – South Carolina Superintendent of Schools

In many ways, homeschooling is the ultimate in individualized education. Families can choose approaches, curricula, and topics that match with their child’s strengths and interests. One-on-one or small group instruction is the norm.

The website “Homeschooling in Ohio” outlines some of the approaches to homeschooling that parents can use:

Classical/Trivium – The classical method of education, based on the Trivium, is a traditional model of learning and teaching. Read more about this method and find out how homeschoolers are using it to teach their children at home.

Unschooling – Unschooling is more than just not going to school. It is following your child’s interests to get the most out of learning through living.

Montessori – The Montessori approach to education can work very well in the home environment. Learn about incorporating Montessori techniques at home, national support organizations, and how to find resources and materials.

Waldorf – Explore the Waldorf philosophy of education and see how it can be integrated into learning in the home.

Learning Styles – Knowing your child’s learning style can help you teach him or her in the best way possible. Explore these diverse ways of learning and get tips on the best way to help your child grasp and learn new material.

Eclectic Homeschooling – What do you call the homeschooler who doesn’t necessarily subscribe to a certain homeschooling method? Well, the term eclectic fits just perfectly. Eclectic homeschooling involves a diverse and unique approach to learning at home.

Homeschool families across Ohio employ these and other approaches to design the best education experience that they can for their children. Do you homeschool? What approach do you use?

In this week-long Homeschool blog series, we highlight the history, philosophies, myths, and policies related to homeschooling, one of the important options for education in Ohio. An estimated 25,000 students are educated at home in Ohio, part of the more than 1.5 million homeschool students throughout the country.

This fun video shows some of the accomplishments within the homeschool movement.

In this week-long Homeschool blog series, we highlight the history, philosophies, myths, and policies related to homeschooling, one of the important options for education in Ohio. An estimated 25,000 students are educated at home in Ohio, part of the more than 1.5 million homeschool students throughout the country.

Homeschooling is an option that many families now take for granted as part of the school choice landscape. But it hasn’t always been so clear.

Mark and Diane Stevenson of the Christian Home Educators Stark County Association began educating their children at home 25 years ago when homeschool families faced obstacles beyond just developing their yearly educational plans. Here we interview Mark to find out more about the long road it took to make it clear that families have the right to educate their children themselves.

Mark, thank you for joining us.

Thanks for having me.

How did you and your wife first learn about the option of homeschooling?

Around 1985, we heard Raymond and Dorothy Moore on Focus on the Family’s radio program with James Dobson. They had written a series of books aimed at the concept of homeschooling. We took interest at that point and started to explore the possibilities. At that time, we had two children and not a single friend or family member that homeschooled.

At that time, 25 years ago, what supports were in place for families and what, if any, support from the state?

We felt alone at first until we found a support group. Then we found our place in everything. We were able to connect with families that decided to do the same thing!

Believe it or not, families’ legal right to homeschool their children were being challenged by their local school districts. In 1987, the Schmidt Family in Columbiana County had to go to court to defend their right to educate their children themselves. At that time, they sort of “won” their case, which meant that they were allowed to continue homeschooling but they had to pay hundreds of dollars in fines for each child. Homeschool families across the state collected funds to help the Schmidts pay their fines. In 1988, a family in Toledo actually faced jail time for their decision to homeschool until local media began to spotlight their case and the judge relented.

Wow, that is unbelievable that a family would have to pay the state for the right to educate their own children at the same time they were saving the state money! What happened next?

In 1988, in part because of these attacks on homeschool families, the State Board of Education realized they needed to begin creating a framework for the growing homeschool movement. They commissioned a 19-member “Citizen’s Advisory Committee to Study Home Based Education” to develop a means of “fair and equitable” treatment of all Ohio home educators. For the homeschool community, it was important that the committee recognize that while the state needed to ensure that children are provided the necessary educational opportunities, they didn’t necessarily need to be educated in any particular manner or place. Discussion among committee members was intense and contentious.

The result was a new process adopted by the Ohio Department of Education that required families to notify their local district superintendents of their intention to homeschool. The process that was agreed upon is still in place today and allows homeschool families the flexibility they need to educate their children in the manner they think is best.

Now that homeschooling is firmly established as an option for parents, have you found it growing in popularity?

Actually, it has grown exponentially. It is popular, in many ways. It almost has a counter-cultural feeling. Like, here’s our family doing the “great adventure.” Well, okay, not every day is like that in homeschooling. Most days can be rewarding when you see that “aha” moment in your own child. And then, there are days when it’s like trudging through sludge to convey a concept. But in the end analysis, homeschooling parents realize this sacrifice of time and effort will only be there in this fashion for a set number of years, and then the child will fly the nest and start their own family.

However, leaders in our movement still need to be vigilant. The pioneers of the movement made many sacrifices, which need to be reiterated to and remembered by today’s families. It takes diligence to maintain our freedom to home educate without state interference, and that’s why homeschoolers continue to be engaged in politics and elections.

Mark, thank you so much for sharing these insights! As families continue to fight for their ability to choose the best environment for their children, the example of the homeschool community is heartening.

In this week-long Homeschool blog series, we highlight the history, philosophies, myths, and policies related to homeschooling, one of the important options for education in Ohio. An estimated 25,000 students are educated at home in Ohio, part of the more than 1.5 million homeschool students throughout the country.

Homeschooling is the only type of educational option in Ohio that receives no per pupil funding. Homeschool families are still required to share their education plans with their local school district and share results of annual assessments.

The national Homeschool Legal Defense Association is a group that keep supporters abreast of legal, media, and policy issues that affect homeschooling.

HLDA works in partnership with the Ohio-based Christian Home Educators of Ohio (CHEO) to address legislative issues (like this one) that affect homeschool families across the state. CHEO also publishes a bi-monthly magazine called the “Ohio Homeschool Companion” about homeschooling in Ohio.

Advocates like these are helping homeschoolers stay connected and informed.