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.
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| Making Your Decision |
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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.
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| Advantages of Homeschooling |
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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.
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| Teaching Your Own Children |
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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.
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| Socialization |
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"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.
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| Research & Statistics |
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Learn about current research and statistics involving homeschooling families, the homeschool movement, and the educational system.
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| Public School Issues |
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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.
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| Community Outreach |
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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.
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Research Shows Benefits of Homeschooling |
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Dr. Raymond S. Moore |
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Home education at its best, is seldom well understood by writers and even by many within the homeschool movement. Although it plays a key role among most homeschool families, religion is no longer the overriding reason for it, but rather quality education and family togetherness. In achievement and socialization, homeschool significantly excel conventional schools in all states. |
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Support for Home-Based Education: Pioneering Partnerships Between Public Schools and Families Who Instruct Their Children at Home |
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When it comes to homeschooling, two points are clear: The ranks of homeschoolers are steadily increasing, and there is a growing trend in forming partnerships between homeschooling families and public educators. This publication, by Patricia Lines, reports on the practices of states and school districts experimenting with such partnerships. Many homeschooling parents remain wary of public educators and institutions. Lines discusses these issues directly and offers information and suggestions about such programs. This link takes you to the Clearinghow on Educational Policy and Management, where you can purchase the entire study or simply read the foreword and introduction.
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Homeschoolers: Estimating Numbers and Growth 1999 |
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Patricia M. Lines |
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This technical paper provides an estimate of the number of children in homeschooling. Of particular note is their estimate of the numbers of children with any type of homeschooling experience. Based on an estimate of an average turnover rate of 2 years, this study estimates that the number of children with some homeschooling experience, by age 18, would be around 6 to 12 percent of the population. The study also looks at the filing status of homeschoolers in various states and the possible under-estimation of non-filers.
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The Homeschooling Image: Public Relations Basics |
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Mary Griffith |
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This free e-book download contains Mary Griffith's work addressing issues concerning the image of homeschoolers as presented by individual homeschoolers and homeschool organizations. It is written for support group leaders and activists in the homeschooling movement who want solid information on dealing with the public. Topics include: Getting Started, Looking Professional, Announcing Yourself, Being Interviewed (with tips for talking with the media, print interviews, broadcast interviews, and talk radio), Putting Your Message Out, and Events & Community. This book was originally published in 1996. |
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The Benefits and Disadvantages of Homeschooling |
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Sonlight Curriculum |
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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.
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