The first step to homeschooling is making your decision to home educate your child. It is important to become informed and knowledgeable about some of the main concerns you may have. Explore these areas of our website to learn more about the initial decision to homeschool.
|
| |
| Making Your Decision |
| |
The reasons people decide to educate their children at home are varied and can be unique to each family. Some look towards a better educational experience, others are concerned with moral and social issues, some are concerned with safety, and still others have special needs that they wish to address. Explore these reasons and others that have led families to homeschooling.
|
|
| Advantages of Homeschooling |
| |
Ask anyone who loves homeschooling what the advantages are, and you'll probably hear a long list of the benefits of educating children in the home. Homeschooling is a journey and an adventure, with benefits and rewards for the entire family. Come find out what these advantages are and decide if homeschooling is right for you.
|
|
| Teaching Your Own Children |
| |
Are you qualified to teach your own children? The answer is yes! It is challenging, but rewarding, to educate your children in your home. Find out what these challenges are and how to address them.
|
|
| Socialization |
| |
"But what about socialization?" So the typical question goes to anyone who homeschools. Find out what socialization means to homeschooling families and strategies to engage your children and your entire family in social activities and connections.
|
|
| Research & Statistics |
| |
Learn about current research and statistics involving homeschooling families, the homeschool movement, and the educational system.
|
|
| Public School Issues |
| |
Many parents are basing part of their decision to homeschool on issues with public schooling, from bullying to poor academic performance to problems with governmental control.
|
|
| Community Outreach |
| |
Want to help homeschooling integrate into the community at large? Are you a homeschool group leader who talks with the media or provides information to new and curious homeschoolers? Here are tips to help you present homeschooling to the public and the media.
|
|
|
|
|
|
The Kingdom That Never Was: Inaccuracies in a Sociological Study of Homeschooling |
|
Larry and Susan Kaseman |
|
A PhD thesis on homeschooling was published recently by Princeton University Press titled Kingdom of Children: Culture and Controversy in the Homeschooling Movement by Mitchell Stevens. This sociological study of homeschooling contains serious misinformation that we homeschoolers need to understand and be able to counter. We may not be able to prevent this book from contributing to the mainstream media's and the academic world's misunderstanding of homeschooling, but if we don't at least respond to these ideas, misunderstanding of homeschooling will increase. |
|
|
|
The Benefits and Disadvantages of Homeschooling |
|
Sonlight Curriculum |
|
Here you'll find a brief discussion of the benefits and disadvantages of homeschooling. After reading it, you should be able to better identify whether or not homeschooling may be right for you and your family. If you take time to think about each benefit and disadvantage and apply it to your personal situation, you'll learn which benefits you just can't live without... or, on the other hand, the disadvantages you know you won't be able to live with.
|
|
|
|
Special Ed: Factory-Like Schooling May Soon Be a Thing of the Past |
|
Britton Manasco |
|
Britton Manasco, writing for Reason Magazine, looks at the advantages of homeschooling, along with some interesting facets of home education. Discusses the benefits of encouraging independent thought and decentralized learning practices. The article also takes a look at the state of today's classrooms and the limitations of traditional notions of education. There is also a discussion of the use of technology in the homeschool environment and how this relates to the issue of socialization. |
|
|
|
The Why of Homeschool |
|
Isabel Lyman, Ph.D. |
|
Focusing on homeschooling and the media, Isabel Lyman's doctoral dissertation analysis of over 300 newspaper and magazine articles revealed that the top four reasons to bypass conventional schooling were dissatisfaction with the public schools, the desire to freely impart religious values, academic excellence, and the building of stronger family bonds.
|
|
|
|
Academic Statistics on Homeschooling |
|
Many studies over the last few years have established the academic excellence of homeschooled children. Includes summaries of studies and state Department of Education statistics on homeschoolers.
|
|
|
|