“I’m a people-pleaser and a rule-follower. Sometimes I feel overwhelmed with everything [my son] is required to know, and some kind of oversight for me would help me out. I think some oversight for the people in our co-op would also go a long way.”
I am currently a homeschooler of two children, ages 8 and 6. I accidentally stumbled upon this website while searching for, ironically, state public education standards by grade level. You see, I’m a huge proponent of regulation and oversight of homeschools, but because we lack such oversight and guidance in Texas, I often turn to the state standards to give me some clue as to what all my children should be doing. I desperately wish I had more guidance and regulation. I consider myself a rule-follower and a perfectionist, to a damaging degree.
I am a Christian, but religion played absolutely no part in my choice to homeschool. I guess I would fall into the ‘educational opportunities’ category, but let me explain. When my son was born, we were living in a very small suburban town with a high crime rate, large gang population, and a failing school that was being closely watched by the state. My husband had a firsthand seat to the disturbing show that was this educational implosion, because he was the middle school band director at the time. We both knew that we A. needed to leave this awful community in which we had absolutely no friends, and B. come up with a different plan for educating our son if we were still living in that community by the time he was school-aged.
My husband has a bachelor’s degree in music education, and I have my masters degree in psychology. We are both very motivated people with solid educations under our belt. We both attended public school and thrived in that setting. However, I grew up in a very large city with countless resources available to me. I took art, I sang in the choir, played violin in the orchestra, served on student counsel, attended FCA, and even participated in a youth council that was staged similarly to the city council and gave us exposure to the ins and outs of how a city is run. Even in elementary school, we had computers, art, music, P.E., and library time every week. I took tumbling, was actively involved in my church choir, and loved my dance classes. We knew our child didn’t stand a chance getting any of those experiences in the small town we lived in, so I began researching other alternatives.
At this same time, I met a mom who homeschooled her child for the early years (K-4th) for the same reasons. She too was concerned about the school and the level of crime in our small community. She too was highly educated and wanted more for her son. She told me stories about hatching baby chicks together in an incubator they assembled together in the garage, reading her child Tolkein when he was five, and taking amazing field trips to nearby zoos and museums that our local school could never dream of affording. I was hooked. I had never considered homeschooling, but hearing her describe it, and knowing how successful her then-fifteen year old son was, I was completely open to the idea. So I began researching homeschooling, and I taught myself everything there was to know about the different “types” of homeschoolers, curricula choices, homeschooling types, etc.
We no longer live in that same town, and my husband no longer teaches music. After years of working in small Tier 1 schools struggling with poverty, gangs, limited resources, and tiny school districts who only care about football games and not music or the arts, he made a career change several years ago. My son is now 8, and we have since adopted two children from foster care with varying educational and behavioral needs. I homeschool our middle child, who is 6, and send our youngest (5) to public school so he can receive the benefits of behavioral adjustment therapy. (Which, because of a shift in school practices, he no longer receives, but I know his behaviors are over my head at home on a daily basis).
I mentioned that we no longer live in that troubled town, but we still live in a small Texas town. This one is more rural and remote, which is a disadvantage for sure. While this community experiences less violence, the school is still struggling, and my children would still not experience all of the wonderful enriching opportunities I had growing up. The best thing I can say about our one school here (all kids, grades PreK to 12 are on one campus), is that they do the best they can. The school, like most Texas schools, is obsessed with football and hires/fires a new athletic director every single year. There is no award-winning science program, and my husband knows firsthand just how hard he tried to turn around their mediocre band program.
They’re stuck with teachers who try their hardest but a school board who refuses to funnel money into supporting or improving the arts and sciences. My son has many friends who attend this school, because it is a small community and we are very involved in the biggest church here. Many of my mom-friends whose children attend the school volunteer on a weekly basis to help the teachers by pulling struggling students out of the class to help with math or reading. These are not teacher moms. They are moms like me who are just desperate to save the school and help the kids who are falling behind. In one second grade classroom, there are three mom volunteers who come three times weekly to assist in tutoring other kids. This just shocks me. When I see things like this, I think my son would be no better off going to the school and being pulled out by Timmy’s mom than he is at home with me. It’s a sad state indeed.
My son plays basketball and soccer every winter and spring. He takes swimming lessons and will join a local swim team with other homeschooling and public school friends next summer. He participates in summer arts and robotics camps. We visit museums, attend co-ops with our homeschool group, and I try my hardest to make sure he’s getting everything covered that needs to be covered so there are no gaps. (I am sincerely terrified of him having gaps anywhere in his education).
I have felt extremely alone in my homeschooling community. We have several homeschooling friends in our group who are Christians like us but not overly religious or conservative. We tend to stick close to them. However, a vast majority of our homeschooling group are anti-vaxers, homeopathic ultra-conservatives who don’t own televisions and don’t cut their hair. I can’t even remotely relate to these women, and I try to avoid the field trips they arrange. (Such as one young earth geological field trip last fall, which promised to teach children the “truth” about the age of the earth from a biblical perspective). I mean no disrespect to young earthers, but I sincerely worry about these kids. I attended a private Christian University, and I still recall discussing evolution, and in my undergraduate geology class we were taught the layers of the earth in the terms of eons, not centuries. I worry about children fitting in or feeling behind when they reach college w hen science and religion are so closely blended. I think one can stand strong with or against the other.
Since we’re so involved in church, I don’t teach my son any Bible curriculum. We discuss Sunday Sermons and I answer his biblical and theological questions as best as I can, but he has wonderful Sunday School teachers who do a great job every week. I feel like I handle his faith upbringing in the same way as my Christian public school friends, and I’m okay with that.
I worry about record keeping, so I tend to keep everything they do. I worry about falling ill one day or finding ourselves in a financial position where I have no choice but to return to work. All of these concerns keep me motivated, but what an awful form of motivation to have on my shoulders! I’m a perfectionist who constantly worries about where he is academically or where he needs to be, and I find myself looking up state standards at least several times a month for guidance. I would so much prefer regulation for homeschooling. I’m a people-pleaser and a rule-follower. Sometimes I feel overwhelmed with everything he is required to know, and some kind of oversight for me would help me out. I think some oversight for the people in our co-op would also go a long way.
I have had him tested in reading, and he is right on target. I just worry so much about every other little thing. What am I missing? Are there gaps? What else can I do to help? This would all be so much easier for me if I had some kind of guide, as teachers do. And yes, I think it would even help for him to have testing. I’m not a huge fan of the state standardized tests and the emphasis on the test (it leaves little room for exploration or creativity in the classroom, and often overlooks science and social studies), but this year I am planning on purchasing a standardized test on my own to know exactly where he stands.
Policies protecting children from educational neglect would weed out the people who are not doing their job as homeschoolers and would only serve to support and protect people like me who are trying their hardest to give their best to their children. What a peace and freedom I might have if I had a more specific standard to aim for in our home academy. I could remove the burden of scraping around the Texas public schooling website for the second and third grade standards, and instead just find joy again in teaching my child. If we were tested or checked up on, we could have something specific to aim for each year, rather than just hoping that we’re on target. Unlike many of the homeschoolers I know, I don’t have a distrust of doctors, police, or even public schools. I know if we had more options where we live, and if I could guarantee my son might have an educational experience similar to my own, I would happily enroll him in public school. We don’t homeschool to avoid things or hide from any public entities, and I don’t teach my children any conspiracy theories or instill distrust or fear into them. But I feel like we’re floating in the ocean alone with too many options and too little oversight.
E. Bradshaw is a homeschooling parent in Texas. For additional thoughts and experiences of homeschooled parents, see our Testimonials page.
Last Updated: 26 October, 2023 by CRHE
Gov. Burgum: Don’t Remove Homeschool Accountability
For Immediate Release: North Dakota lawmakers should add assessment options, not create loopholes
Canton, Ma., 3/27/2017—North Dakota House Bill 1428, which would allow homeschooling parents in the state to opt out of the state’s assessment requirement if they have a philosophical, moral, or religious objection to the use of standardized achievement tests, has passed the state house and senate and is headed for the governor’s desk. “Accountability is critical to ensuring that all homeschooled students receive a basic education,” said Rachel Coleman, executive director of the Coalition for Responsible Home Education, a national nonprofit organization founded by homeschool graduates. “Accountability benefits both homeschooled students and homeschooling parents. HB 1428 harms both groups.”
In North Dakota, current law requires homeschooled students to take a standardized achievement test in grades 4, 6, 8, and 10. Homeschooling parents who have a bachelor’s degree or teaching certificate may opt out of this requirement if they have philosophical, moral, or religious objections to standardized testing. HB 1428 would allow any homeschooling parent to opt out if they have philosophical, moral, or religious objections or if they have a bachelor’s degree or teaching certificate, rather than requiring both. This would dramatically widen the number of parents able to opt their children out of state accountability.
In explaining their support for HB 1428, some lawmakers have pointed out that parents of children in public school are allowed to opt their children out of the state’s standardized testing requirements. Coleman disagrees with this comparison. “Children who attend public schools are assessed in a variety of ways,” Coleman said. “Homeschooling parents should be given options for meeting the state’s assessment requirements, but not allowed to opt out of accountability altogether.” CRHE recommends allowing homeschooling parents to choose between standardized testing and having a portfolio of the student’s work reviewed by a certified teacher. To answer lawmakers’ concerns without compromising the quality of homeschooled children’s education, CRHE recommends amending the state’s homeschool law to allow parents who object to testing to have their children’s progress reviewed by a certified teacher.
While homeschooling can provide children with a quality, child-centered, innovative education, this is not always the case. “I have spoken with homeschool graduates who have turned 18 with such limited math and science skills that college is not an option,” said Coleman. “These are individuals who were deprived of access to educational resources.” The research on homeschooling suggests that homeschooled students have lower math scores than their public schooled peers, and that they may attend college at lower rates. Several studies have found that homeschool graduates who do attend college are less likely to major in STEM fields, suggesting that the gaps incurred while being homeschooled affect these students’ career choices. Numerous homeschool graduates from educationally neglectful backgrounds have spoken out in favor of accountability for homeschooling.
As an unintended consequence of the bill, HB 1428 would remove required mandatory reporter contact. State law requires that homeschooled students’ standardized testing take place at the school district or under the administration of a certified teacher. This requirement ensures that every homeschooled student in North Dakota is seen by a mandatory reporter at least once per year. This is important because while most homeschooling parents involve their children in a variety of extracurricular programs and events, abusive parents have learned that they can use homeschooling to isolate a child and conceal abuse. A 2014 study of child torture found that 47% of school-aged victims examined were withdrawn from school to be homeschooled, typically after the closure of a child services case. HB 1428 would allow abusive parents to opt out of mandatory reporter contact, leaving homeschooled children more vulnerable to abuse and neglect.
“Standardized testing has serious drawbacks and should not be the only option for assessing homeschooled students,” said Coleman. “But lawmakers can address these concerns without removing accountability altogether. North Dakota’s homeschooled children are depending on it.”
The Coalition for Responsible Home Education is a national organization founded by homeschool alumni and dedicated to raising awareness of the need for homeschooling reform, providing public policy guidance, and advocating for responsible home education practices.
Last Updated: 26 October, 2023 by CRHE
CRHE’s Rachel Coleman Testifies in Iowa
For Immediate Release: Iowa lawmakers hear testimony on protections for at-risk homeschooled children
Canton, Ma. 03/14/2017—On Monday, March 6th, Rachel Coleman, Executive Director of the Coalition for Responsible Home Education, testified before Iowa Government Oversight Committee Members in Des Moines, Iowa. In January, Iowa Senator Matt McCoy introduced SF 138, which would require quarterly well checks for homeschooled children. While SF 138 has not been able to move out of committee this session, Sen. McCoy has pledged to revise this legislation and introduce a new bill next year. Sen. McCoy introduced SF 138 in response to the death of Natalie Finn, a sixteen-year-old homeschooled child who died of starvation and severe abuse in October 2016. Coleman’s testimony on Monday was part of a series of three hearings designed to further explore the role homeschooling can play in hiding child abuse.
“Homeschooling gives parents power,” Coleman said in her testimony. “When that power is exercised wisely, the experience can be profoundly positive; when that power is exercised in malicious and abusive ways, children can die.” Coleman suggested revisions to Sen. McCoy’s bill and argued that Iowa is well suited to such legislation. “Iowa’s homeschool law includes three different legal avenues for homeschooling, offering the perfect opportunity to give parents options while ensuring student safety,” Coleman told the committee.
Coleman drew attention to themes CRHE has identified in its Homeschooling’s Invisible Children database, which catalogues cases of severe or fatal abuse in homeschool settings. “A history of past child services reports and intervention is the number one theme we see in the homeschool child fatalities we review,” Coleman told the committee members. “In many of these cases, homeschooling begins after the closure of a child services case or child abuse investigation.” Other themes include social isolation, food deprivation, adoption, and special needs. “When homeschooling occurs in an abusive home, the ordinary safeguards in place to protect school-age children disappear,” Coleman said.
“We recommend preventing homeschooling in cases where parents have been convicted of violent crimes, sexual offenses, crimes against children, or other offenses that would disqualify them from teaching or volunteering in a public school,” Coleman stated, pointing to the first of its three recommendations. CRHE also recommends a flagging system to catch cases where parents begin to homeschool after a founded child abuse claim or a history of child abuse reports. “Parents who use homeschooling as a cover for abuse frequently have concerning histories of involvement with child protective services,” Coleman explained. Finally, CRHE recommends ensuring that homeschooled students have contact with mandatory reporters such as certified teachers or healthcare professionals.
Coleman finished her testimony by describing a moving conversation with the grandmother of Adrian Jones, a homeschooled child whose father and stepmother fed his body to the family’s pigs after starving him to death. “I was shaking when the conversation ended,” Coleman told the committee members. “I cannot imagine what it must be like for his grandmother to have to live with this every day.”
“It does not have to be this way,” Coleman told those assembled. “We can—and must—do better by these children.”
Click here to read the full text of Coleman’s written testimony.
The Coalition for Responsible Home Education is a national organization founded by homeschool alumni and dedicated to raising awareness of the need for homeschooling reform, providing public policy guidance, and advocating for responsible home education practices.
Last Updated: 23 March, 2021 by Rachel Coleman
Child Abuse, Homeschooling, and the CECANF Report
Last October, sixteen-year-old Natalie Finn of West Des Moines, Iowa, died of starvation and severe abuse at the hands of her parents, who homeschooled her to conceal her abuse. After meeting with officials from Iowa’s Department of Human Services about Natalie’s death, which occurred in his district, Iowa State Senator Matt McCoy expressed a desire to prevent future such tragedies through legislative change.
In January, Sen. McCoy introduced SF 138, which would require quarterly well-checks for homeschooled children. Scott A. Woodruff, a Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA) attorney, subsequently wrote a letter on behalf of HSLDA opposing this legislation.
In his letter, Woodruff misrepresents the findings of the Commission to Eliminate Child Abuse and Neglect Fatalities (CECANF), which released its findings early last year, and leaves out information pertinent to the wellbeing of homeschooled children.
We fully intend to hold HSLDA to Woodruff’s professed support for monitoring children with past abuse and neglect reports. The next time legislation is introduced to create a flagging system to catch cases where children are withdrawn from school to be homeschooled after a concerning history of child abuse and neglect reports, we expect HSLDA to support it.
We have responded to Woodruff’s letter in full here.
Last Updated: 26 October, 2023 by CRHE
You Can Write a Letter to the Editor!
The best research and data on homeschooling won’t affect much change if no one knows about it. That’s why we wrote tips for contacting your legislators and writing letters to the editor, so you or anyone you know can start spreading the word. We know, however, that taking that first step on your own and putting your voice out there can be intimidating–so we are happy to share our own example!
This week we sent the following letter to the editor of Business Insider, an online news provider that focuses on business and technology. As you will notice, the letter itself is brief, compared to our more extensive reaction below. Keeping this short required us to strictly prioritize; Business Insider published three different articles we felt worthy of our response, and we had a lot of evidence to dispute some of their claims. Our interaction with them is an example of how an LTE can be meaningful even if it’s not published. Editorial staff replied with a promise to update the articles with information we shared.
It is disappointing to watch Business Insider routinely publish imbalanced, inaccurate articles on homeschooling. In the February 3rd article, “One of the most pervasive stereotypes in education is no longer true,” senior innovation writer Chris Weller uncritically quotes homeschool advocate Dr. Brian Ray’s unsourced claim that homeschooled students are “doing just as well or better” than their peers. Weller also cites Richard G. Medlin’s 2013 review of the research on homeschooling and socialization despite critique by Dr. Milton Gaither, one of the most prominent names in homeschooling research, which throws into question the article’s conclusion.
In the January 23rd article, “Americans are rejecting the ‘homeschool myth,’” Weller uses Dr. Ray’s unsourced claim that homeschooling grows at a rate of 8% per year and an unsourced claim that the U.S. Census found that 2 million children were homeschooled in 2010 to justify his estimate that as many as 3.5 million children are currently homeschooled. The U.S. Census has never collected homeschooling data. The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) does, but they did not release an estimate in 2010, and their 2012 estimate is both lower—1.77 million—and points to a smaller growth rate. Weller follows with an unsourced claim that homeschooled children score better than their peers, but does not address testing data that finds homeschooled students less proficient than their peers in math.
This is not the first time we have felt compelled to correct misleading claims about homeschooling made by Weller in Business Insider. Last summer we published a thorough critique of his August 20th article, “Why Homeschooling Is the Smartest Way to Teach Kids in the 21st Century.” That article, like these, was rife with misinformation. As we noted then, irresponsible reporting on homeschooling benefits no one. Parents need accurate information to make informed choices for their children.
Rachel Coleman
Executive Director
Coalition for Responsible Home Education
As is common when writing letters to the editor, space did not permit us to flesh out our concerns as fully as we might have liked. If you are trying to formulate your own LTE, you might note the difference between all the information we had available, the bulk of which we outline below, and what we chose to include in our letter above.
We noted in our LTE that Dr. Milton Gaither has critiqued Richard G. Medlin’s review of the research on socialization; Weller did not mention that Medlin’s review had been questioned by other scholars. We did not have room, however, to include quotes from Gaither’s review, in which he wrote that Medlin left out “a lot of important work,” was not explicit enough about which of the studies he cited “were using shoddy methodology,” and failed to include “one of the most important studies ever of homeschooling,” the 2011 Cardus Education Survey. Because we did not have space to outline Gaither’s specific concerns with Medlin’s review, we simply stated Gaither’s credentials and included a link to his critique.
We also did not have room to provide specific details regarding the homeschool growth rate. The estimates the NCES released for 2007 and 2012 would suggest an average growth rate of 3.3% per year during this period. (The NCES conducted its surveys again in 2016, but that data has yet to be released.) Had we had more room, we could also have noted that there is some indication homeschooling may be on the decline in certain states. The International Center for Home Education Research reported in fall 2016 that of 9 states that release data on homeschool enrollments, 6 reported an increase and 3 reported a decrease. When Business Insider responded to our LTE expressing interest in amending their articles, they asked for this additional information on the homeschool growth rate. This may happen to you as well, so it is a good idea to make sure you have data and links on hand to provide if asked.
In addition to arguing that homeschooled students do better academically than their peers, Weller also claimed that homeschool graduates perform better in college than graduates of other educational methods. We did not have space to address this. If we had, we could have pointed out that Weller cited a 2009 study of a private research university but did not mention that only 1% of students at this university were homeschooled, compared with 3% of students overall. This creates an effect calling “creaming”, where only the best and the brightest of a given group are representing the group, giving the impression that all members of the group do as well as these non-randomly-selected members do.
Weller also did not mention that the 2011 Cardus Education Survey found that formerly homeschooled adults were less likely to attend college and reported lower SAT scores than their peers, or evidence that homeschooled students may under-attend college. He similarly did not mention research which suggests that homeschooled students who attend college are less likely to major in STEM fields, likely the result of a well-documented homeschool math gap that leaves many students with a deficient grounding in math and related fields.
Your LTE does not need to be as data-driven as ours was. You may find it more natural to speak from your experiences, and those of your friends. Regardless of exactly what you say or how you say it, it’s important that you use your voice and have your message heard. Your opinion, your experiences, and your view matter. Whether you plan to center experiences or research, we have resources with guidance and talking points to help you get you started. If you can’t find particular data you’re looking for, get a letter published, or receive a response from your paper that you’d like to share, please feel free to contact us!
Last Updated: 26 October, 2023 by CRHE
Kentucky Senate Bill 181 Would Create Protections for At-Risk Homeschooled Children
For Immediate Release: Lawmakers should act now to prevent abusive parents from using homeschooling to isolate their children and conceal abuse
Canton, Ma. 02/22/2017—Last week, Kentucky Senate Democratic Leader Ray Jones of Pikeville introduced Senate Bill 181, which would prohibit parents found to have abused their children from homeschooling them. Jones told reporters that he introduced the bill in response to the discovery that an 8-year-old homeschooled girl in Berea, Kentucky, had been subjected to months of torture by her parents, who removed her from school to homeschool her after a substantiated abuse claim. “We are pleased with Sen. Jones’ bill and urge the Kentucky legislature to act,” said Rachel Coleman, executive director of the Coalition for Responsible Home Education (CRHE), a national nonprofit organization that advocates for homeschooled children. “We have documented hundreds of cases like the one in Berea, where children are withdrawn from school to be homeschooled after a substantiated abuse claim. These children often go on to be tortured or even die.”
CRHE runs the Homeschooling’s Invisible Children database, which catalogues cases across the country where abuse and neglect occur under the guise of homeschooling. In many of these cases, parents withdraw a child to homeschool after teachers demonstrate a willingness to report signs of abuse, thus preventing future reports. Barbara Knox, a researcher at the University of Wisconsin, observed this phenomenon in a 2014 study of child torture: 47% of the school-aged cases she reviewed involved homeschooling, which she wrote was “designed to further isolate the child” and “typically occurred after closure of a previously opened CPS case.”
According to the Lexington Herald-Leader, the Berea girl’s parents evaded social workers’ efforts to follow up on the case by denying them entry to the home; the case was improperly closed due to lack of progress. Ordinarily social workers can access a child at the child’s school, but this is not possible when a child is homeschooled. The girl’s case is similar to that of Teddy Foltz-Tedesco, an Ohio boy who was withdrawn from school after a teacher made a report of suspected child abuse; his parents denied social workers access to their home, and the case went nowhere. But Teddy’s abuse continued—he suffered internal bleeding and brain contusions, which led to his death in early 2013. Other Kentucky children have suffered a similar fate. Michaela Watkins, a 10-year-old homeschooled girl in Clark County whose case was known to child services, died of severe abuse in 2007. And just this month, Joseph Bishop of Ludlow died of severe medical neglect; he was removed to homeschool two years before his death despite an open child services case.
“In too many cases, abusive parents take advantage of the homeschool law to conceal abuse,” said Coleman. “Legislators need to take this problem seriously and do something about it.” CRHE recommends preventing parents who have committed violent crimes, sexual offenses, or crimes against children from homeschooling. Pennsylvania is currently the only state to have such a provision (see 24 P.S. § 13-1327.1(b)(1)), while Arkansas prohibits homeschooling when there is a registered sex offender in the home (see Ark. § Code 6-15-508); neither state currently enforces these provisions in a meaningful way. CRHE also recommends creating a flagging system to prevent homeschooling in cases with previous histories of child services involvement, like that in the Berea case. No state currently has such a provision, though lawmakers in several states have proposed various versions.
“SB 181 would offer vital protections to homeschooled children,” said Coleman. “We urge Kentucky lawmakers to consider Sen. Jones’ bill. No child should be abused in secret without anyone to go to for help.”
The Coalition for Responsible Home Education is a national organization founded by homeschool alumni and dedicated to raising awareness of the need for homeschooling reform, providing public policy guidance, and advocating for responsible home education practices.
Last Updated: 26 October, 2023 by CRHE
House Bill 2196 and Senate Bill 6 a Boon to West Virginia Homeschooled Students
For Immediate Release: Access to public school athletics programs provides homeschooled students with substantial benefits
Canton, Ma. 02/22/2017—For the third year, West Virginia lawmakers have introduced legislation to grant homeschooled students the ability to participate in public school athletics programs. The West Virginia Secondary School Activities Commission currently requires student athletes to be enrolled in the public school they represent, preventing homeschooled students from participating. House Bill 2196 and Senate Bill 6 would change this. “We urge West Virginia lawmakers to support House Bill 2196 and Senate Bill 6,” said Rachel Coleman, executive director of the Coalition for Responsible Home Education (CRHE), a national nonprofit organization that advocates for homeschooled children. “It is well documented that access to public school athletics programs benefits homeschooled students without creating problems for either public schools or other students.”
HB 2196 requires homeschooled students to participate in public school athletics programs in the district they would be zoned to attend, and SB 6 outlines detailed academic eligibility requirements for these students. These provisions are designed to meet concerns voiced by critics. “Legislation like HB 2196 and SB 6 often faces opposition from individuals who worry that allowing homeschooled students to participate would take opportunities away from other students,” said Coleman. However, the Organization of Virginia Homeschoolers conducted a 2012 survey of state athletics associations which found that granting homeschooled students access to public school athletics has not caused problems in those states that have already done so. “Research suggests that homeschooled students tend to gravitate toward activities without a limit on participants, such as cross country running or tennis, so these critics’ fears seem to be unfounded,” said Coleman.
Meanwhile, studies show that participation in public school athletics programs greatly benefits homeschooled students. In October 2016, CRHE conducted a survey of 150 homeschool graduates’ athletics experiences. The participants overwhelmingly believed that athletic participation was beneficial to homeschooled students (87%) and supported making public school athletics available to homeschooled students (80%). Many participants pointed out that community athletics programs are often limited: “Once I reached junior high age there were no longer any community sports available,” wrote one participant; another noted that public school athletics programs “are very often the only access for students like myself who grew up in underprivileged areas.” Survey respondents who participated in public school athletics viewed their experiences positively; and many respondents, especially those whose educational and social experiences with homeschooling were more negative, believed participation in public school athletics would have improved their homeschool experience.
Last year, fifteen-year-old Bryson French, a homeschooled student in Winfield, West Virginia, who has played baseball since he was seven, told reporters that being prevented from participating in public school athletics programs limited him to participating in summer travel teams only. “Right now, where I play for my travel team, we play 30 to 40 games every season,” Byson explained. “All of my teammates are playing an additional 20 to 30 maybe 40 games with their school teams, so I’m missing out on half the season they get to do.” Access to public school athletics programs would ensure that children like Bryson have the resources and access they need to fully participate in their chosen sports.
Currently, 30 states grant homeschooled students access to public school athletics programs, putting West Virginia in the minority. “The evidence is clear that granting homeschooled children access to public school athletics improves homeschool outcomes,” said Coleman. “There is no good reason for denying these children access. We urge West Virginia lawmakers to support the state’s homeschooled students and pass HB 2196 and SB 6.”
The Coalition for Responsible Home Education is a national organization founded by homeschool alumni and dedicated to raising awareness of the need for homeschooling reform, providing public policy guidance, and advocating for responsible home education practices.
Last Updated: 26 October, 2023 by CRHE
House Bill 58 a Boon to Kentucky Homeschooled Students
For Immediate Release: Access to public school athletics programs provides homeschooled students with substantial benefits
Canton, Ma. 02/17/2017—House Bill 58, which would allow Kentucky homeschooled students to participate in public school athletics programs and was filed by Kentucky Representative Stan Lee, is currently before the House Education Committee. “We are pleased to see this continued effort on the behalf of homeschooled students in Kentucky,” said Rachel Coleman, the executive director of the Coalition for Responsible Home Education (CRHE). “The research is clear: access to public school athletics programs benefits homeschooled students in substantive and measurable ways.” CRHE was founded by homeschool graduates in 2013 to advocate on behalf of homeschooled children.
HB 58 is virtually identical to last year’s House Bill 76, which was referred to the education committee but never brought to a vote. It would allow homeschooled students to participate in interscholastic extracurricular activities, including athletics, at their assigned public school; participating students would be required to provide documents verifying their academic eligibility. “Legislation like HB 58 often faces opposition from individuals worried that allowing homeschooled students to participate would take opportunities away from other students,” said Coleman. However, the Organization of Virginia Homeschoolers conducted a 2012 survey of state athletics associations which found that granting homeschooled students access to public school athletics has not caused problems in those states that have already done so. “Research suggests that homeschooled students tend to gravitate toward activities without a limit on participants, such as cross country running or tennis, so these critics’ fears seem to be unfounded,” said Coleman.
Meanwhile, studies show that participation in public school athletics programs greatly benefits homeschooled students. In October 2016, CRHE conducted a survey of 150 homeschool graduates’ athletics experiences. The participants overwhelmingly believed that athletic participation was beneficial to homeschooled students (87%) and supported making public school athletics available to homeschooled students (80%). Nate Crawford, a survey participant who was homeschooled in Kentucky, stated that, in many cases, public school athletics are “the only way for homeschoolers to participate in institutional athletics and competition.” Survey respondents who participated in public school athletics viewed their experiences positively; and many respondents, especially those whose educational and social experiences with homeschooling were more negative, believed participation in public school athletics would have improved their homeschool experience.
Sarah P., a survey participant who was homeschooled in Kentucky, believes that participation in a public school athletics program would have given her “the opportunity to engage with and make friends with people” outside of her home. “I would have learned what it means to achieve, how to share in that excitement, and how achievement can have such positive effects on one’s self esteem. I would have had another adult to look to as a role model and even perhaps someone I could talk to about what was going on at home,” Sarah said. Access to public school athletics programs provides concrete benefits for homeschooled students, especially those in rural areas.
“The evidence is clear that granting homeschooled children access to public school athletics improves homeschool outcomes,” said Coleman. “It’s time to let these children play.”
The Coalition for Responsible Home Education is a national organization founded by homeschool alumni and dedicated to raising awareness of the need for homeschooling reform, providing public policy guidance, and advocating for responsible home education practices.
Last Updated: 26 October, 2023 by CRHE
Governor McAuliffe: Sign House Bill 1578
For Immediate Release: Access to public school athletics programs provides homeschooled students with substantial benefits
Canton, Ma. 02/17/2017—Homeschooled students in Virginia have long been barred from participating in public school athletics programs governed by the Virginia High School League, but that may finally be changing—if Gov. Terry McAuliffe does not veto House Bill 1578 like he did similar legislation last year. HB 1578 was passed by the Virginia Senate on Monday after clearing the Virginia General Assembly late last month. “We urge Gov. McAuliffe to sign HB 1578,” said Rachel Coleman, executive director of the Coalition for Responsible Home Education, a national nonprofit organization that advocates for homeschooled children. “It is well documented that access to public school athletics programs benefits homeschooled students without creating problems for either public schools or other students.”
HB 1578 is identical to both last year’s Senate Bill 612 and House Bill 131 and the previous year’s House Bill 1620; this legislation cleared both houses of the Virginia legislature only to be vetoed twice by Gov. McAuliffe. The governor has argued that the legislation would create inequality because homeschooled athletes would not have to meet the same academic standards as public schooled athletes. However, the legislation requires homeschooled athletes to have “demonstrated evidence of progress in compliance” with the state’s homeschool law, which includes an academic assessment requirement, “for at least two consecutive academic years” in order to participate. “Legislation like HB 1578 often faces opposition from individuals worried that allowing homeschooled students to participate would take opportunities away from other students,” said Coleman. However, the Organization of Virginia Homeschoolers conducted a 2012 survey of state athletics associations which found that granting homeschooled students access to public school athletics has not caused problems in those states that have already done so. “Research suggests that homeschooled students tend to gravitate toward activities without a limit on participants, such as cross country running or tennis, so these critics’ fears seem to be unfounded,” said Coleman.
Meanwhile, studies show that participation in public school athletics programs greatly benefits homeschooled students. In October 2016, CRHE conducted a survey of 150 homeschool graduates’ athletics experiences. The participants overwhelmingly believed that athletic participation was beneficial to homeschooled students (87%) and supported making public school athletics available to homeschooled students (80%). Ruth Anderson, a survey participant who was homeschooled in Virginia, noted that in many cases “the public system is either the only choice or the best choice for an athletic program.” Survey respondents who participated in public school athletics viewed their experiences positively; and many respondents, especially those whose educational and social experiences with homeschooling were more negative, believed participation in public school athletics would have improved their homeschool experience.
Anna Rose, a survey participant who was homeschooled in Virginia, supports opening public school athletics programs to homeschooled students: “I would have gotten exposure to the outside world if I’d paticipated in a public school athletics program,” Anna Rose explained. “I might have even come in contact with mandatory reporters or teaching that would have informed me about the ongoing abuse in my family.” Access to public school athletics programs provides concrete benefits for homeschooled students, especially those in rural areas or those with unstable home environments.
A full thirty states grant homeschooled students access to public school athletics programs, putting Virginia in the minority. “The evidence is clear that granting homeschooled children access to public school athletics improves homeschool outcomes,” said Coleman. “Governor McAuliffe: It’s time to let these children play.”
The Coalition for Responsible Home Education is a national organization founded by homeschool alumni and dedicated to raising awareness of the need for homeschooling reform, providing public policy guidance, and advocating for responsible home education practices.
Last Updated: 26 October, 2023 by CRHE
Public Funding for Homeschooling Must Come With Accountability
For Immediate Release: The success or failure of public funding for homeschooling rides on how it is structured
Canton, Ma., 02/17/2017—Over the past year, the question of public funding for homeschoolers has garnered increased attention. This past September, Donald Trump promised to create a school choice program that included homeschooling; last week, the Senate confirmed Betsy DeVos, a supporter of school choice and vouchers, as Secretary of Education. “The idea of public funding for homeschooled students is not new,” said Rachel Coleman, executive director of the Coalition for Responsible Home Education (CRHE), a national nonprofit organization that advocates for homeschooled children. “What’s new is the idea of promoting public funding for homeschooled students from the federal level.”
The idea of vouchers for homeschooled students has already been broached in Congress. On January 23rd, Rep. Steve King (IA) introduced House Resolution 610 in the United States House of Representatives. This legislation would repeal the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 and restrict the Department of Education to one function only—awarding block grants to states that agree to comply with an education voucher system. Under this program, local educational agencies would be required to distribute funds to students who attend private schools or who are homeschooled, in a manner that ensures that the money will be used for educational purposes. HR 610 has only three co-sponsors.
“While HR 610 is unlikely to pass, the question of public funding for homeschoolers is likely here to stay,” said Coleman. “Our primary concern is ensuring that public funding is always accompanied by accountability.” CRHE runs Homeschooling’s Invisible Children, which catalogues cases where homeschooling has been used to hide abuse or neglect. In a number of these cases, unscrupulous parents have fraudulently used subsidies for the care of adopted children with special needs, pocketing the money and abusing the children; these actions have gone unnoticed because the children are not attending school. CRHE is also aware of cases where neglectful parents have opted to homeschool without any intention of educating their children, solely in order to avoid the effort of taking their children to school every day. “Only a handful of states require assessments for homeschooled students; most states never ask for evidence that education is taking place,” said Coleman. “In the absence of accountability, providing public funding for homeschooling risks creating an incentive for neglectful parents to pull their children from school solely in order to pocket the money.”
A number of states present case studies for how public funding can enhance homeschooled children’s experiences—but only when it goes hand in hand with accountability. Minnesota gives homeschooled students access to the public health and guidance and counseling services provided by their local public schools. Other states allow homeschooled students to enroll in individual public school classes, or to participate in public school athletics or extracurricular activities. In Iowa, school districts run “Home School Assistance Programs” that provide homeschooling families with access to teachers and educational resources. An estimated majority of Alaska’s homeschooled children are enrolled in the state’s popular “correspondence school” programs, which provide parents with $2,000 per child for education-related expenses. These programs require quarterly progress reports and annual testing, and give parents access to resource centers and certified teachers as they design their homeschool courses and choose curriculum. All of these options expand the public resources available to homeschooling families.
“We know that homeschooled children can benefit from publicly funded resources, as well as from public funding for textbooks or tutoring,” said Coleman. “But these programs have to be implemented in a way that ensures accountability and avoids incentivizing fraud, working against children’s interest in a quality education.”
The Coalition for Responsible Home Education is a national organization founded by homeschool alumni and dedicated to raising awareness of the need for homeschooling reform, providing public policy guidance, and advocating for responsible home education practices.
Last Updated: 6 February, 2020 by CRHE
E. Bradshaw: “Some kind of oversight for me would help me out”
“I’m a people-pleaser and a rule-follower. Sometimes I feel overwhelmed with everything [my son] is required to know, and some kind of oversight for me would help me out. I think some oversight for the people in our co-op would also go a long way.”
I am currently a homeschooler of two children, ages 8 and 6. I accidentally stumbled upon this website while searching for, ironically, state public education standards by grade level. You see, I’m a huge proponent of regulation and oversight of homeschools, but because we lack such oversight and guidance in Texas, I often turn to the state standards to give me some clue as to what all my children should be doing. I desperately wish I had more guidance and regulation. I consider myself a rule-follower and a perfectionist, to a damaging degree.
I am a Christian, but religion played absolutely no part in my choice to homeschool. I guess I would fall into the ‘educational opportunities’ category, but let me explain. When my son was born, we were living in a very small suburban town with a high crime rate, large gang population, and a failing school that was being closely watched by the state. My husband had a firsthand seat to the disturbing show that was this educational implosion, because he was the middle school band director at the time. We both knew that we A. needed to leave this awful community in which we had absolutely no friends, and B. come up with a different plan for educating our son if we were still living in that community by the time he was school-aged.
My husband has a bachelor’s degree in music education, and I have my masters degree in psychology. We are both very motivated people with solid educations under our belt. We both attended public school and thrived in that setting. However, I grew up in a very large city with countless resources available to me. I took art, I sang in the choir, played violin in the orchestra, served on student counsel, attended FCA, and even participated in a youth council that was staged similarly to the city council and gave us exposure to the ins and outs of how a city is run. Even in elementary school, we had computers, art, music, P.E., and library time every week. I took tumbling, was actively involved in my church choir, and loved my dance classes. We knew our child didn’t stand a chance getting any of those experiences in the small town we lived in, so I began researching other alternatives.
At this same time, I met a mom who homeschooled her child for the early years (K-4th) for the same reasons. She too was concerned about the school and the level of crime in our small community. She too was highly educated and wanted more for her son. She told me stories about hatching baby chicks together in an incubator they assembled together in the garage, reading her child Tolkein when he was five, and taking amazing field trips to nearby zoos and museums that our local school could never dream of affording. I was hooked. I had never considered homeschooling, but hearing her describe it, and knowing how successful her then-fifteen year old son was, I was completely open to the idea. So I began researching homeschooling, and I taught myself everything there was to know about the different “types” of homeschoolers, curricula choices, homeschooling types, etc.
We no longer live in that same town, and my husband no longer teaches music. After years of working in small Tier 1 schools struggling with poverty, gangs, limited resources, and tiny school districts who only care about football games and not music or the arts, he made a career change several years ago. My son is now 8, and we have since adopted two children from foster care with varying educational and behavioral needs. I homeschool our middle child, who is 6, and send our youngest (5) to public school so he can receive the benefits of behavioral adjustment therapy. (Which, because of a shift in school practices, he no longer receives, but I know his behaviors are over my head at home on a daily basis).
I mentioned that we no longer live in that troubled town, but we still live in a small Texas town. This one is more rural and remote, which is a disadvantage for sure. While this community experiences less violence, the school is still struggling, and my children would still not experience all of the wonderful enriching opportunities I had growing up. The best thing I can say about our one school here (all kids, grades PreK to 12 are on one campus), is that they do the best they can. The school, like most Texas schools, is obsessed with football and hires/fires a new athletic director every single year. There is no award-winning science program, and my husband knows firsthand just how hard he tried to turn around their mediocre band program.
They’re stuck with teachers who try their hardest but a school board who refuses to funnel money into supporting or improving the arts and sciences. My son has many friends who attend this school, because it is a small community and we are very involved in the biggest church here. Many of my mom-friends whose children attend the school volunteer on a weekly basis to help the teachers by pulling struggling students out of the class to help with math or reading. These are not teacher moms. They are moms like me who are just desperate to save the school and help the kids who are falling behind. In one second grade classroom, there are three mom volunteers who come three times weekly to assist in tutoring other kids. This just shocks me. When I see things like this, I think my son would be no better off going to the school and being pulled out by Timmy’s mom than he is at home with me. It’s a sad state indeed.
My son plays basketball and soccer every winter and spring. He takes swimming lessons and will join a local swim team with other homeschooling and public school friends next summer. He participates in summer arts and robotics camps. We visit museums, attend co-ops with our homeschool group, and I try my hardest to make sure he’s getting everything covered that needs to be covered so there are no gaps. (I am sincerely terrified of him having gaps anywhere in his education).
I have felt extremely alone in my homeschooling community. We have several homeschooling friends in our group who are Christians like us but not overly religious or conservative. We tend to stick close to them. However, a vast majority of our homeschooling group are anti-vaxers, homeopathic ultra-conservatives who don’t own televisions and don’t cut their hair. I can’t even remotely relate to these women, and I try to avoid the field trips they arrange. (Such as one young earth geological field trip last fall, which promised to teach children the “truth” about the age of the earth from a biblical perspective). I mean no disrespect to young earthers, but I sincerely worry about these kids. I attended a private Christian University, and I still recall discussing evolution, and in my undergraduate geology class we were taught the layers of the earth in the terms of eons, not centuries. I worry about children fitting in or feeling behind when they reach college w hen science and religion are so closely blended. I think one can stand strong with or against the other.
Since we’re so involved in church, I don’t teach my son any Bible curriculum. We discuss Sunday Sermons and I answer his biblical and theological questions as best as I can, but he has wonderful Sunday School teachers who do a great job every week. I feel like I handle his faith upbringing in the same way as my Christian public school friends, and I’m okay with that.
I worry about record keeping, so I tend to keep everything they do. I worry about falling ill one day or finding ourselves in a financial position where I have no choice but to return to work. All of these concerns keep me motivated, but what an awful form of motivation to have on my shoulders! I’m a perfectionist who constantly worries about where he is academically or where he needs to be, and I find myself looking up state standards at least several times a month for guidance. I would so much prefer regulation for homeschooling. I’m a people-pleaser and a rule-follower. Sometimes I feel overwhelmed with everything he is required to know, and some kind of oversight for me would help me out. I think some oversight for the people in our co-op would also go a long way.
I have had him tested in reading, and he is right on target. I just worry so much about every other little thing. What am I missing? Are there gaps? What else can I do to help? This would all be so much easier for me if I had some kind of guide, as teachers do. And yes, I think it would even help for him to have testing. I’m not a huge fan of the state standardized tests and the emphasis on the test (it leaves little room for exploration or creativity in the classroom, and often overlooks science and social studies), but this year I am planning on purchasing a standardized test on my own to know exactly where he stands.
Policies protecting children from educational neglect would weed out the people who are not doing their job as homeschoolers and would only serve to support and protect people like me who are trying their hardest to give their best to their children. What a peace and freedom I might have if I had a more specific standard to aim for in our home academy. I could remove the burden of scraping around the Texas public schooling website for the second and third grade standards, and instead just find joy again in teaching my child. If we were tested or checked up on, we could have something specific to aim for each year, rather than just hoping that we’re on target. Unlike many of the homeschoolers I know, I don’t have a distrust of doctors, police, or even public schools. I know if we had more options where we live, and if I could guarantee my son might have an educational experience similar to my own, I would happily enroll him in public school. We don’t homeschool to avoid things or hide from any public entities, and I don’t teach my children any conspiracy theories or instill distrust or fear into them. But I feel like we’re floating in the ocean alone with too many options and too little oversight.
E. Bradshaw is a homeschooling parent in Texas. For additional thoughts and experiences of homeschooled parents, see our Testimonials page.