The rising number of parents choosing home schooling
for their children over the past two decades is a reflection of a
rising number of reasons causing their dissatisfaction with public
schools. Many parents fear for their children’s safety, are concerned
that overcrowded classrooms may mean that their children are not
getting the individual instruction they need from overworked teachers,
and would prefer to instill their own moral or religious convictions in
their children as a part of an educational curriculum. So they have
turned to home schooling.
The basics of home schooling, however,
are something that any parent should understand before deciding to take
on the job. While home schooling allows a certain freedom of
curriculum, and there are some states, including Missouri, Texas, and
Illinois which keep a strictly hands-off policy toward home schooling,
many other states require that parents submit a curriculum of the
subjects they intend to teach to their school districts.
They may
test parents to determine if they qualify as home teachers; and they
may send state inspectors to determine if the proper setting for home
schooling. Many states also require that parents periodically submit
their children’s attendance records, examination scores, and progress
reports. They may also stipulate the minimum amount of time you are
expected to spend studying each subject.
The basics of home
schooling regarding testing and graduation also vary from state to
state. There are states which demand that home schooled children either
undergo standardized testing or get tested by accredited teachers. The
State of California is now encouraging all home schooled children to
take the same term-end standard tests that public school children must
take.
Homed Schooling Graduation
Some states regard
home schools as the equivalent of private schools, and that they have
similar graduation requirements. But other states have established no
graduation requirements and have left the determination of which
students should graduate up to the individual school districts. This
policy carries over to home schooled children as well.
There are even states which do not recognize home schooled
children who have completed the equivalent of a high school education
in any way, but those children can still continue on to college if they
perform well in their college entrance exams and have sufficient
extra-curricular interests.
The basics of home schooling vary so
widely from state to state, in fact, that the first thing you should do
if you are considering it for your children is find some home schooling
parents in your area and talk to them about their experiences in
educating their children within your state’s guidelines.
Home
schooling can be the most rewarding activity you and your children ever
share, but you should not enter into it without having a very clear
idea of the basic home schooling requirements in your state. Once you
have accounted for them in your curriculum and lesson plans, you and
your kids can tailor your home schooling experience any way you like!
