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Eta Sigma Alpha

National Home School Honor Society

by Joanne Juren

Texas Home School Coalition REVIEW © November 2002

An exciting opportunity for today’s home schooled students is membership in Eta Sigma Alpha National Home School Honor Society.   Eta Sigma Alpha (HSA) is the first honor society established exclusively for home schooled students.   Founded in 1999 by Joanne E. Juren, M.Ed., executive director of the Home Education Partnership (HEP) of Texas, it has grown into a national organization.

 In 1997, Juren contacted the National Honor Society (NHS) with the intent of forming a home school chapter for her sons and others in a local support group.  She was told that the NHS was not allowing home schooled students to join.  As a former member of the National Association for Secondary School Principals (the sponsoring organization for the National Honor Society), Juren was very disappointed with the reason that home schoolers were being denied membership.  The major explanation given was that there was no consistency of grading standards within the home school community.  She argued that, as a former public school administrator, she could attest to the fact that there was no consistency from teacher to teacher, school to school, or district to district.  Though they agreed with her, home schoolers were still not going to be allowed to join the NHS.  Therefore, Juren decided to research honor societies and start one for home schooled students. 

Juren visited with Dr. Eddie Weller, honors program director at San Jacinto College South and a former sponsor of Phi Theta Kappa National Honor Society for the Two-Year College, to brainstorm for ideas about forming an honor society.  First they decided on a name.  Eta (H) and Sigma (S), the Greek symbols for h and s were chosen, along with Alpha (A), the first letter of the Greek alphabet.  Thus Eta Sigma Alpha means the “first home school” honor society.  Once the name was determined, Juren and Weller began to brainstorm for ideas for the membership requirements.  It was decided to require a 3.5 grade-point average based on a 4.0 scale.  A test score of 1200 (SAT) or 26 (ACT) or 120 (Verbal/Math – PSAT) would be required; a 90% on the composite battery on the IOWA, Stanford, or California achievement tests would also be accepted.  By requiring a test score, both felt that an accepted method of measuring the home schooled student’s achievement against national/standardized norms would allow them to address the major concern voiced by the NHS.

Today the home school honor society has grown from one chapter to seven and has become a national organization with one chapter chartered in Tennessee.  One of the seven chapters is a junior honor society whose members are in seventh and eighth grades.  The mission of Eta Sigma Alpha National Homeschool Honor Society is “to form integrity in students through four aspects:  leadership, community service, networking, and scholarship.”  Students work together as a team to achieve goals, actively participate in public service projects, and develop leadership skills by directing and planning the activities of the honor society.  Students are not only recognized for academic and scholastic achievements but are also developing leadership skills, contributing to their communities through service projects, making new friends, and having fun!

Different chapters have different requirements.  For example, the Alpha Chapter of HSA is located in Houston.  To join, students must be enrolled in classes through HEP of Texas, submit an application for membership, provide a transcript of grades, provide proof of test scores, submit five names for letters of recommendation, and complete a short statement about why he/she wants to join HSA.  The adult sponsors then review the application and gather the letters of recommendation.  Once approved, the student is inducted into the Alpha Chapter at the HEP of Texas annual Homeschool Stars Banquet.  Students receive a yellow honor cord to wear at graduation. 

Recently the Alpha Chapter sponsored a service project that entailed making over 2000 DNA test kits for the Laura Recovery Center.  These kits were distributed to Houston-area home schoolers in June.  The honor society members raised funds to pay for the materials for the kits and then assembled the kits during several work sessions.  The members have been trained in how to use the kits to collect DNA evidence and shared this knowledge with parents.  Needless to say, the students have learned much with this project and will provide a valuable service to Houston-area home schoolers.

The honor society provides a wonderful opportunity for students to be recognized and honored for their outstanding academic achievements.  College officials show enthusiasm when they learn about a home school honor society, and HSA members have found that membership in HSA is opening doors of opportunity for them at colleges and universities.  Scholarship committees are also very impressed to learn that a national honor society exists to honor home schooled students. 

Home Education Partnership of Texas began the Alpha Chapter of HSA in 1999. For more information, visit their website.

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