At THSC’s request, Governor Rick Perry has proclaimed March 12-18, 2006, Home Education Week in Texas. Start making plans for your support group to raise awareness of home education in your community. For example, many groups ask their city councils and/or county commissioners for similar proclamations. Click on Governor Perry's picture to see more ways groups have used Home School Week in Texas as a public relations tool.

The annual THSC Awards Banquet will be held on March 17th in San Antonio during this special week, and many people who have helped further the cause of home education in Texas will be recognized, along with leaders and students from within the home school community.

Tuesday, March 7th, is Primary Election Day. However, because you can never be sure what Election Day might bring in your home-school-family world, make an effort to vote early! Contact your county party headquarters for early voting locations. Click on the graphic to the left to see the Secretary of State website for county election officials.

Don’t forget to check out www.thscpac.org (click on the link below) for a list of home school-friendly candidates endorsed by THSC PAC.

Thanks to donations given by many of you, THSC was able to develop and mail packets of information about home education to over 600 Texas judges who hear custody disputes. These judges rule in such cases on the basis of what they believe is in the best interest of the child. Now they will have information to help them see the validity of home education!

Included in these packets were a letter of introduction by THSC president Tim Lambert, a copy of the 2005-2006 Handbook for Texas Home Schoolers (which includes much information about the success and legalities of home schooling in Texas), and a copy of a paper on home education, Home Schooling: from the Extreme to the Mainstream by the independent Fraser Institute, that empirically demonstrates that the academic and socialization outcomes for the average home schooled child are superior to those experienced by the average public school student (click on graphic to see the complete document).

Once more, Texas home schoolers have teamed up with THSC to make a different in the public policy arena. Thanks again for your help!

Crunchy Cons?
In a commentary appearing at DallasNews.com, February 23, 2006, columnist Rod Dreher penned a column entitled “The new conservatism: It's crunchy.” He spoke of the conservatives of today and many of the things they have in common, including home schooling. An excerpt follows.

“Home-schooling is so common now that there are lots of kids whose parents share a common set of cultural values, and who are creating healthy countercultural peer groups for them. Being nonconformist about your kids' schooling doesn't mean you have to turn into hermits, but it does mean taking a stand outside the mainstream.”

Meet My Teachers: Mom And Dad
Michelle Conlin, in her article that appeared at BusinessWeek Online on February 20, 2006, tells of affluent families who have chosen to homeschool their children in order to ensure a quality education, even over sending them to the expensive schools the parents had attended themselves. An excerpt follows.

“No longer the bailiwick of religious fundamentalists or neo-hippies looking to go off the cultural grid, homeschooling is a growing trend among the educated elite. More parents believe that even the best-endowed schools are in an Old Economy death grip in which kids are learning passively when they should be learning actively, especially if they want an edge in the global knowledge economy. ‘A lot of families are looking at what's happening in public or private school and saying, “You know what? I could do better, and I'd like to be a bigger part of my kid's life,”’ says University of Illinois education professor Christopher Lubienski.”

When a member family was told that they could not withdraw their child from the school to homeschool and would have to go to the school and complete their forms, THSC Association president Tim Lambert wrote the letter that can be read by clicking on the link below.

Have you enjoyed the articles from the E-Newsletter about home schooling lately? Like today’s article, “Computer and Online Home Schooling,” and “Home Schooling – the Great Adventure” a few weeks ago? If the answer is “yes,” then you might enjoy reading more such articles and getting additional help with your home school out of THSC Association’s 2005-2006 Handbook for Texas Home Schoolers.

Click on the graphic to see the entire table of contents from the Handbook. This is a great tool to have on hand whether you need it for your own information or are talking to new home schoolers about their questions. You can order the Handbook online by clicking on the link below.

As the month of February (Black History Month) draws to an end, we would like to share an article by Johnson Obamehinti, often-published author in the THSC REVIEW magazine. The following from the February 2003 issue is shared for your information and enjoyment.

“The month of February has been set aside as Black History month in America. Not only is this recognition to benefit African Americans but also to help all as a society to embrace and appreciate God’s creation. It is my desire that through the following synopsis of African American inventors, we as home schoolers can have a broader understanding of the contributions made by African Americans to the world at large.”