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: 12 May, 2017 by CRHE
Fund Our Groundbreaking Homeschool Study!
There are an estimated two million children being homeschooled in the United States today—and researchers, policymakers, and educators have no idea how they’re doing. At a time when education is assessed and measured everywhere, homeschooled kids remain invisible: How are their math skills? Are they reading at the level of their peers? Are they going on to college? Are they getting the resources they need?
Help the Coalition for Responsible Home Education (CRHE) complete a study that will provide the most comprehensive picture of homeschooled students’ academic performance to date. Using publicly available but never-analyzed data from Alaska and Arkansas, CRHE will compare homeschooled students’ performance with that of their peers and analyze their performance across a wide variety of subject areas and a range of demographic characteristics.
Where will we get our data?
CRHE will use data released by the Arkansas Department of Education’s Home School Office and the Alaska Department of Education & Early Development. This data, which is collected by the state, has never been studied before. For background on this data, read our preliminary article on the Alaska data and this brief discussion of the Arkansas data.
What’s wrong with the studies we have?
Existing studies of homeschooled students’ academic performance draw on volunteer participants, oversampling students from college-educated families and excluding lower-performing students. This leads to misleading information about homeschool achievement. Our study will paint a more representative picture of homeschooled students’ academic performance and needs, reporting how they are really doing.
Why should we care?
Over the past few years, an increasing number of formerly homeschooled students have come forward to say that they were educationally neglected. Many have called for policies to create more accountability for homeschooling. Efforts to create effective homeschool policy are hampered by a lack of accurate data. We advocate for homeschooled children. To do this, we need to understand the factors that contribute to homeschool success or failure.
Our study will ensure that lawmakers have the data they need to legislate responsibly; give parents the data they need to make decisions about whether homeschooling is best for their families; and give formerly homeschooled students a clearer picture of where they fit in the world. You can help us make this happen.
We need your help!
As a 501c3 nonprofit organization, we rely on donations from supporters. Our budget is small and our staff puts in hundreds of volunteer hours to complete our day-to-day work. Our research analysts have been working on the Arkansas and Alaska data for several years, but a lack of funding has severely limited the number of hours they can put in each week. This fundraiser will allow us to finally finish this study.
All money raised will go toward paying our research analysts a fair hourly wage to complete this project. With funding, our research team will be able to enter the data, conduct the analysis, and write up findings by the end of fall 2017. We anticipate being able to submit the study to a peer-reviewed journal by spring 2018.
All donations to CRHE are fully tax deductible.
Our Research Team
Chelsea McCracken, Senior Research Analyst
McCracken has a BA in math and a PhD in social science, including graduate work in statistics. She will conduct a statistical analysis of testing data from Alaska.
Rachel Lazerus, Research Analyst
Lazerus received her MPP at the Harris School of Public Policy at the University of Chicago with a focus on educational policy. She will analyze testing data and homeschooling populations in Arkansas.
Rachel Coleman, Executive Director
Coleman is a Ph.D. candidate in U.S. history and wrote her master’s thesis on homeschooling. She will research and outline the background of homeschooling in both states.
Last Updated: 26 October, 2023 by CRHE
Summer 2017 Internship Program
This summer will be the third year of our summer internship program!
In the past, our summer interns have created infographics, developed social media content, written histories of homeschooling in individual states, contributed to ongoing research programs, and conducted policy research. We have enjoyed working with a variety of individuals, engaging with supporters, and bringing new people into our network. We are excited to see what our summer interns will accomplish this summer!
We are looking for social media and research interns willing to work for CRHE on a part-time as-available basis over the summer. Our internships are unpaid, but the work our interns do provides them with valuable experience and lines on their resume. All internships will take place remotely, via computer, so a strong internet connection is required.
To apply, please fill out our CRHE Internship Application. We will be accepting applications through Friday, May 18th. You can read a description of each of these internships below.
Social media intern
We are looking for two social media interns, one to work on CRHE’s social media accounts and one to work on those associated with our HIC database project. As a social media intern, you will develop social media content and shape awareness-raising social media campaigns. The social media experience you gain may be attractive to a future or current employer. Familiarity with Facebook and/or Twitter is required.
Responsibilities:
Time commitment: 5-10 hours a week, 1-2 hours per weekday
Research intern
Our research interns provide support on a variety of projects. We are interested in taking on several research interns, so you may have some flexibility in choosing which projects interest you most. You will gain experience with research, writing, and working independently and as part of a team–skills that may be attractive to a future or current employer. Some familiarity with using Google Drive is recommended but not required.
Possible Projects:
Time commitment: 5-15 hours a week, flexible schedule
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.