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Home Schooling in the News

Tennessee Home Schoolers Face Job Losses—Diplomas Invalid?

Three Tennessee daycare workers have lost their jobs, and a police officer is in danger of losing his. These people were not habitually tardy or insubordinate; the police officer has an exemplary record. The only problem with these employees is that they all have diplomas from home schools, and in Tennessee, that is a huge problem right now. The only thing that can save their jobs now is passage of H.B. 1652, which would revise the new interpretation that the Tennessee Department of Education has placed on the way the state views diplomas from home schools.

“While testing is part of home school curriculums, it is a small sliver compared to the time spent throughout the year in public schools preparing students for the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills."

Where's the Evidence of Abuse?

In this article for the Dallas Morning News, Scott Henson asks what evidence of abuse Child Protective Services has actually found in the case of the Fundamentalist Latter Day Saints members in Eldorado. He alleges that the only thing the court in the case has really objected to is the belief system the children have been taught.

Why is the State Called Texas?

“ Texas. What's in a name? Perhaps a whole linguistic misunderstanding.“You may have heard the name comes from the Spanish name for the Tejas Indian tribe or kingdom. But none such ever existed."

Home School Graduates Adjust to Life at UT

Mary Hooper, reporter for The Daily Texan, examines how former home schoolers are adjusting to life at a large university. She delves into what being homeschooled was like for these students, how they were “socialized,” and what it has meant for them in college life. The report also describes the college application process for home schoolers at UT.

Breaking the Law?

“She's crunched by a budget, like most California teachers. She faces an increase in class size, like most California teachers. She makes no protest. There's nobody to protest to. Except maybe her husband."

Congressional Resolution to be Introduced by Congressman Buck McKeon in Support of Homeschooling, Parental Rights

Nearly three dozen members of Congress including the senior Republican on the U.S. House Education Committee today announced plans to introduce a resolution in support of parental rights in education, including the rights of parents who choose to home school their children.  The resolution comes on the heels of the California 2nd District Court of Appeal decision (In re Rachel L.) that found parents without teaching credentials who home school their children are violating California law….

Threat to Homeschooling

John Stossel writes that a California appellate court ruling that parents have no constitutional right to homeschool their children, pinned its decision on the statement that "a primary purpose of government schools is to train schoolchildren ‘in loyalty to the state."

Court to Reconsider California Ruling

The Pacific Justice Institute received word on March 26 that the ruling which declared most forms of home schooling in California unlawful was vacated. This means the decision will not go into effect and the case will be reheard, with another set of briefings due to occur later this month.

NY Times Article Lauds Home School Basketball Tournament

A reporter from The New York Times attended the last night of the National Christian Homeschool Basketball Championship. In his article, reporter Joe Drape describes the scene prior to the 6-A Girls’ Championship game and interviews several players.

California Resists Home School Ruling

On March 12 Time magazine published an account of some small relief to the Calif. home educators regarding the recent shock of a court ruling, which outlaws home schooling. 

Courts Outlaw Home Education in California

The following is from a San Francisco Chronicle article, March 7:

“A California appeals court ruling clamping down on homeschooling by parents without teaching credentials sent shock waves across the state this week, leaving an estimated 166,000 children as possible truants and their parents at risk of prosecution.

Judge Orders Homeschoolers into Government Education

WorldNetDaily, February 29, 2008

Home Schoolers' Setback Sends Shock Waves Through the State

San Francisco Chronicle, March 7, 2008

See what TIME magazine has to say about the issue.

Criminalizing Home Schoolers, Mar. 07, 2008

California Resists Home School Ruling, Mar. 12, 2008  

Governor Vows to Protect Homeschooling

San Francisco Chronicle, March 8, 2008

Does this ruling impact Texas home schoolers?  

Tim Lambert answers this question and addresses the results of the primary elections in Texas.

CBS News Video: Why Families Home School

The CBS Early Show recently did a two-part story on home schooling.  The first part, “Three Ways to Home School,” shows that home schooling allows children the time to pursue passions they would  otherwise have no time for, including socializing with other children. 

The second story shows the reasons different families homeschool. It focuses on a military family whose father is a Marine, serving in Iraq at the time of the interview, and a family that suffered a tragic loss.

George Washington on Church and State

A book review by Tom Pauken of Dallasblog.com discusses a new work by Tara Ross and Joseph Smith, Jr.: Under God: George Washington and the Question of Church and State.

Connecticut Parents Advocate Bill on Leaving Public School

Home schooling parents in Connecticut are supporting the passage of a bill that would clarify the requirements to withdraw a child from public school to homeschool him. The proposed bill would allow parents to simply send a certified letter to their public school if they decide to homeschool.

While a Department of Children and Families (DCF) spokesman stated that his department no longer investigates complaints of neglect just because a family is homeschooling, when families and schools clash over withdrawing a child, a call is usually made to DCF.

But What About Socialization?

This article reports on the results of several research projects comparing home schooled students to students in public schools. Researchers studied self-esteem, suicide rates, and how students treated other people during the different studies.  The results will encourage home schoolers and soothe the qualms of skeptical relatives.

Winners of Home School Video Contest on YouTube

A distance learning school in California sponsored a video contest for home schoolers in which the students answered the question: What’s cool about home school?  A 14-year-old from Santa Paula took first place.

Locking a Nation into Permanent Childhood

Vin Suprynowicz uses John Taylor Gatto’s research to argue that government schooling has become a business whose only success comes from making learning seem difficult.

Heisman Trophy Winner’s Parents to Share Testimonies

Bob and Pam Tebow, the parents of Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow, are among the keynote speakers at the iTell365 Evangelism Conference, set for March 2-4 at First Baptist Church of Orlando.

Home School Basketball Team Making the Grade

The Homeschool Christian Youth Association (HCYA) basketball team plays in a renovated baseball facility and has no home games, but they are considered one of the top teams in the Houston area.

Kyle Orth Wins Piano Scholarship

Kyle Orth, a 16 year-old, home schooled junior from Richardson, has earned a chance to compete in the Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) Senior Piano Competition in Denver, Colorado. The competition is in March.

“Chance” Meeting on Airplane Leads to Teen’s Adoption

Seeing 17-year-old Christina Friesen curled on the couch with her father affirms their obvious bond. She looks as content as any teenage girl who has her father's heart wrapped around her little finger.

SWAT Officers Invade Home

SWAT team officers invaded a home schooling family’s mobile home, after receiving permission from a local magistrate. The situation came about as a result of the father’s decision to monitor his son’s condition himself, after the boy hurt his head in a fall.

Georgetown Home Schoolers Use Puppets in Anti-Smoking Campaign

Home schooled students from Georgetown have developed and are performing a Muppet-like puppet show that teaches the dangers of smoking. They have presented the show at local elementary schools, and the response has been enthusiastic.

Utah Mom Exonerated

Denise Mafi, the Utah home schooling mom accused of breaking compulsory attendance laws and threatened with the removal of her children from her home, had all charges dismissed on December 7, 2007.

South Plains Home Schooler Wins 4-H Gold Star Award

Lifelong home school student Trevor Gicklhorn was honored with the 4-H Gold Star Award at a banquet November 19, 2007. Trevor, along with his family, has been involved in 4-H his entire life.

Truancy Hearing Targets Home Schooling Mom

Utah home schooling mom Denise Mafi has left her home to avoid having her children taken away. She left her home and all her belongings after being threatened with arrest. She plans to return to Utah for her trial on January 9.

Educrats Ride Bigot Bandwagon

Olivia St. John details renewed prejudice against home schoolers in Utah, South Carolina, and California. From a judge who completely denounces home schooling to the South Carolina democrat who compares a home school mom on the school board to Dick Cheney teaching a gun safety course, naysayers are boldly speaking out against freedom of education.

Crosby Homeschoolers Learn Lessons in Own Way

Five home schooling families in Crosby have formed a support group, enabling them to share ideas, hold each other accountable, and socialize. They even plan to show the THSC documentary, Taking a Stand in Texas: The Battle for Home School Freedom.

Former Home Schooler Wins Heisman

Tim Tebow, a home schooler raised by missionary parents, won the Heisman Award, college football’s highest honor, last week. Tebow played high school football in Florida while still being homeschooled. Florida law allows home schoolers to participate in extracurricular public school activities.

Couple Celebrates 80 Years of Marriage

An East Texas couple relates how they have sustained a marriage for longer than many people live! This charming pair blends humor and candor as they tell it like it was … and is.

Home Schooled Kids Barred from Activities

Home schoolers from New York state discuss being barred from extracurricular activities in their local public schools. The father, recently denied another request to have his children included in those activities, vows to continue lobbying for schools to allow home schooled students to join in extracurricular events and classes.

German Home Schoolers Facing $6300 Fine

Government officials in Germany are attempting to levy a hefty fine on parents who are refusing to require their children to attend public schools. The officials also want to “stamp out parallel societies” such as those supposedly inhabited by home schooling families and are looking for ways to “bring the religious convictions of the family into line with the … school attendance requirements.”

Dallas Home School Football Team Perseveres

It’s not easy to be a home school football player: substandard facilities (city park), human goal posts, and financial sacrifice. For these boys, however, it’s all worth it. Their Friday night dreams are being fulfilled—one game at a time.

Click here to see the video story.

Home School Team Excels at Robotics Competition

“Saturday was the end for many North Texas Boosting Engineering, Science and Technology students after six long weeks of practice. But for Whitewright, Sacred Heart, and Texoma Home Educators, it marked the beginning of state preparations.”

UIL Restricts Activities by Home Schoolers

Because of UIL restrictions, many home schooling parents in Texas have to choose between keeping their teens at home and sending them to the local public school. This hot topic is discussed by parents and school officials in this article out of Longview.

Report Provides Evidence of Academic Improvement in Lower Socio-Economic Families

The Fraser Institute reports that, despite lower education levels and lower socio-economic levels, parents still provide better education that public schools do for children in those affected groups.

More Time for Catapults!

This columnist contrasts his own educational experience with that of his children, who are home schooled. In his family, spontaneity, teachable moments, and relaxed learning work side-by-side with teaching the basics.

Home Schooling Comes of Age

Isabel Lyman reports on the advances home schooling has made in the last few decades. No longer considered an offbeat trend, its students and supporters are now found in athletics, academics, the arts, and politics.

Home Schooling: Both a Challenge and a Blessing

Several Houston-area families discuss their reasons for homeschooling. Those who began in the 1980s reflect on the changes, both in attitudes toward the lifestyle and in the choices of curricula and opportunities.

Virginia Home Schoolers in Public School Clubs

Students from home schools or private schools in Prince William County, Virginia, are now allowed to participate in some public school extracurricular activities.

It Doesn’t Have to Cost a Fortune!

Home school parents in the Kansas City area discuss how they make it work on single incomes, and in one case, as a single parent.

Popularity of Home Schooling Increases

Dr. Brian Ray, with the National Home Education Research Institute, cites statistical evidence that points to an increase in the numbers of home schoolers throughout the nation. Several families discuss the beginnings of their home schooling journeys and how things have changed since the early days of the modern movement.

Educational Options for Autistic Children

Lisa Jo Rudy, mother of an autistic 11-year-old son, discusses her reasons for deciding to homeschool him. She also enumerates the pros and cons of different educational options in this short opinion piece.

Why Parents MUST MySpace

Kevin McCullough of TexasInsider.org urges parents to get involved in this Internet networking craze in order to keep their children safe from cyberspace dangers.

Duggars Have 17th Child

Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar, home schooling parents from Arkansas, have just welcomed their 17^th child.

Home School Graduate Heads to West Point

After a weeklong camp at West Point a year ago, Grant Durham knew West Point was where he belonged.

Home School Graduate Leads Diabetes Study

Baqiyyah Conway, M.P.H., daughter of Helen Jones, a pioneer in the Texas home schooling movement, is the lead author of an abstract detailing research on the link between diabetes, body fat, and heart disease.

But What About Socialization?

Schools are taking on the problem of increased bullying.

Meet the Baker, Home Schooled Entrepreneur

Zach Pringle, a 15-year-old homeschooler, supplies local Whole Foods stores with brownies, scones and more from his commercial kitchen trailer.

Houston Area Brothers Excel in Competitions

Michael and Ryan Wham, home schooled brothers from Houston, have both done well in recent contests. Michael won a scholarship in an international science and engineering competition, and Ryan was recognized by C-Span for a documentary he filmed.

Two Different Home schooling Experiences: New York and Texas

A home school mom tells of the different experiences of homeschooling both in New York and then Texas, where people are free!

Homeschool Has Graduated

Two families homeschooled their children, believing that students who are allowed to move at their own pace are more likely to become successful.

Colleges, Universities More Welcoming of Homeschooled Students

Homeschool graduates find greater opportunities for a college education.

Homeschooling Spells Success

Home schoolers excelled once again at the National Spelling Bee.

Homeschoolers and the Bee

Homeschoolers make up 10 to 15 percent of contestants in the National Spelling Bee.

Home School Graduation, Alaskan-Style

Simon Carlson received his homeschool diploma from his mom and dad.

Home Schooling Proves Its Merit with Scholarships

In Minnesota, a home school student is one of the state's 53 National Merit Scholarship winners.

Some Parents Opt for School in the Kitchen

“What do a plastic surgeon, a talk show host, a veterinarian, an artist, and the maitre d’ at The French Room have in common? They have all chosen to homeschool their children.”

Students Taught by Mom Achieve at High Levels

The most recent and comprehensive study of American homeschooling, done by Dr. Lawrence Rudner of the University of Maryland in 1999, concluded, “In every subject and every grade level of the tests, homeschooled students scored significantly higher than their public and private school counterparts.

Skewed Report: Parent-Taught Drivers More Accident Prone

 A news article presents research by the Texas Transportation Institute.  THSC gives a response to this report.  Bills concerning parent-taught driving are before the Texas legislature.

Going to School 'Not Compulsory'

Councils in England are being reminded that parents have the right to educate their children at home if they wish.

Socialization: Homeschooling vs. Schools

“It was Theodore Roosevelt who said, ‘To educate a man in mind and not in morals is to educate a menace to society.’  Many homeschoolers share this sentiment when it comes to public schools, believing that the moral relativism, violence, peer pressure, drugs and promiscuity found inside their gates provide an inadequate setting to properly socialize their children.”

German Homeschool Girl is Home

“Melissa Busekros turned 16 today and is enjoying the day with her parents at their home in Erlangen, Germany, near Nuremberg. How long authorities will allow her to remain at home is unclear.”

Melissa Busekros Flees State Custody

Melissa Busekros, the schoolgirl taken by police and placed in a psychiatric hospital because she was diagnosed with a "school phobia" and was being homeschooled, has fled state custody to make a midnight trip back to her own family, according to Joel Thornton, president of The International Human Rights Group.

Homeschool Bill Revisited

A bill allowing homeschooled students to participate in public-school, extracurricular activities will be introduced this week in the Alabama State Legislature.

Council OKs Curfew Compromise

Local homeschool families in Paris, Texas, have persuaded the city officials to tentatively agree to a change in the daytime youth curfew that was designed to keep children under 17 off the streets during school hours.

“Youth Worker” Lies About Home Schooled Student

A youth services social worker apparently has lied to a German television station about a 15-year-old homeschool student ordered into a psychiatric ward because of her "school phobia," and another employee of the same state division shut down a scheduled 1-hour weekly visit with her family when her father showed her the statement.

Curfew Ordinances Reviewed

THSC advised the Paris, Texas, parents on ways to approach city officials to work for repeal or amendment of the curfew ordinance. Local newspapers carried the story, and later THSC was approached by the mayor of Paris, asking how to best deal with the situation.

Home-School Athletes: They Changed My Mind

Two girls from HCYA (Houston Christian Youth Association) have received Division 1 scholarships for basketball.  Houston Chronicle reporter Jenny Dial revised her ideas about home schooled athletes after meeting the Houston HYCA girls’ basketball team. 

Parents Pull Children Out of School, Protest TAKS

Several parents in Nixon, Texas, are homeschooling their children because of the TAKS test requirement in public schools.

Honoring Texas History Is Nothing to Be Ashamed Of

Any attempt to judge our history by today’s standards — out of the context from which it occurred — is at best problematic and at worst dishonest.

Homeschooling: Are Parents Making the Grade in Educational Decisions?

“On Sept. 7, 2006, police raided the home of Katharina Plett and arrested her for home schooling her 12 children. Home schooling is illegal in Germany and is becoming increasingly forbidden in many other European countries.”

Report on Home Schooling

A PBS program on home schooling was filmed in December and is now being broadcast on PBS stations around the country. The link below will give you the program via streaming video.  The transcripts and the link to view this streamed program follow these excerpts of the piece, which is posted on pbs.org.

Broadman & Holman Publishing Shifts Home School Emphasis

In his article that appeared at EthicsDaily.com on Jan. 3, 2007, Bob Allen documented the Southern Baptist Conventions LifeWay Christian Resources decision to discontinue its home school division with Broadman & Holman.

Continuing Account of Discrimination

In another report (See THSC E-Newsletter 1-2-06 for other stories.) about Ramon Perez–home school father, Christian, and police officer–Jordan Smith of the Austin Chronicle tells the officer’s reasons for pursuing legal action against the Austin Police Department.

Home School Job Discrimination

An Austin police officer was forced to resign due to discrimination based on his faith and the fact that he homeschools his children.  Check out the December Austin American-Statesman article.

See a CBS story with televised footage.

Many Roads to Quality Education

Many home educators have met with little or no support as they decided to teach their own.  Sometimes these dedicated parents themselves wonder if they are equipped.  Gain a little encouragement from the article by Kate Tsubata that was posted at washtimes.com, on November 27. 

Learning Writing Skills Through Nature

In a Dallas Morning News November 17, 2006, article, the account of a Rockwall home school family and their study group/co-op tells how one mother meets the needs of her children and other students.

Science, Education, and Reason??

David Anderson of the UK posted his analysis of the British Centre for Science Education and its views on home school regulation on blogspot.com.

Can Any School Ensure Safety?

According to syndicated columnist Cal Thomas, homeschool parents may feel like they have made the right decision after reading about the shooting at an Amish school in Pennsylvania. 

Benefits of Home Schooling Reported

An article posted at news8austin.com on October 25, 2006, reports on home schooling in print and on television.  In the report, both professional educators and home schoolers are interviewed, and National Home Education Research Institute statistics are cited as well.

Parents Choose Home Schooling for Food-allergic Child

In her article, posted October 17, 2006, The Cary News staff writer, Wendy Mondello, tells the story of how she and her husband made the decision to homeschool their son.

New York Students Thrive in Home Environment

The New York-based westsidenewsonline.com posted an article on October 29, 2006, highlighting several home school families’ activities and philosophies.

Amarillo Home School Team Volleyball Champs

Amarillo Home School Rockets win second national tournament.
Home schoolers made news in Amarillo as the Amarillo Rockets won the National Home School Volleyball Championship on November 4 for the second year in a row.

Quebec Evangelical Schools Under Government Threat

Our Christian neighbors to the north are experiencing government interference with the private education of their children. Read the article appearing at canada.com.

German Police Force Home School Children to Public School

In his article appearing October 25, 2006, at LifeSiteNews.com, Gudrun Schultz gives a disturbing account of the situation regarding home schooling in Germany.

Media Outreach to Home Schoolers

Many C.S. Lewis and The Chronicles of Narnia enthusiasts in the home school community were excited about seeing a quality portrayal of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe in American theaters. Movie makers have taken note and are now seeking input from the home school community.

Home School Kids Not Sheltered

New Jersey home schoolers answer the socialization question in an article by Michelle Pittman, which was posted October 22, 2006, in The Express Times at nj.com.

MIT Alumni Choose Home Schooling

A 2005 article that appeared in the MIT Technology Review is a source of encouragement and exhortation to home schoolers who might be wondering if they’re hurting their children’s chances for success by home schooling.

Colleges Seeking Home School Graduates

To many colleges and universities across the nation, home school graduates are becoming a desirable target for enrollment. AP reporter Alan Scher Zagier wrote an article documenting evidence of this positive change for home schoolers; the article is posted at cbsnews.com.

Dog Debate Leads to Home Schooling

There are many reasons that parents choose to homeschool their children. Diana Schoberg tells of an unusual one in her article, which was posted on August 26, 2006, at patriotledger.com.

Home School Community Could Teach Schools

Brandon Hendrickson, a graduate student at Arizona State University, wrote an entertaining and insightful article based on his experience of seeing home schooling from both sides.

Rally Around German Home Schoolers

THSC has been following the accounts of persecution of home schoolers in Germany.  In an article posted September 26, 2006, at WorldNetDaily, Bob Uruh tells of a call to contact the German embassy in an effort to affect change for our fellow home educators. 

Why We Homeschool

WebCommentary.com offers a platform for discussion of current issues. Contributing author Tom Barrett submitted an article that his wife had written in 2004, which chronicles her journey to home schooling.

First Day of (Home) School

Home school student Kyle Beck is a 15-year-old contributing writer for the Fauquier Times-Democrat. His commentary was posted at TimesCommunity.com on September 5, 2006.

German Government Not Home School-Friendly

There have been several postings over the last few weeks regarding a family, the father of which spent a week in jail for refusing to put his children in public school.

Home School Family in Germany Flees

German home-school family flees to Austria

German Parents Wanting to Homeschool Turn to EU Court

Teacher Textbook Editions Forbidden on eBay

When home school parents have opinions, they tend to share them. In this August 27th WorldNetDaily exclusive, read how a major online resource site drew ire from this community of educators after the company adopted a new policy.

Home Schooling vs. Public Schooling

Real life lessons and realities are not necessarily found in the classrooms of public institutions. In her commentary that appeared in an August 27th article in the American Chronicle, Mary Lanphier explains why alternative modes of education might prove the better option.

Take It From Someone Who Knows

The best testimonies come from those who were there for the experience. Home school student Ginny Davis explains the many valuable assets of her education in a commentary that appeared August 27 in the Lansing State Journal.

From Start to Finish

Some parents can never imagine that once they begin educating their children at home they will continue until their students graduate — but it happens regularly! In this article by reporter Rob Rogers that was printed in the Record Searchlight on August 27, learn how one family started their home schooling adventure and have sent their oldest child to college, with more students soon to follow.

Home Schooling In the News: Home Education and Athletics Make the Perfect Balance

A flexible schedule has proven to be one of home schooling’s most valuable assets. Athletes have found this particularly true as they strive to spend more time dedicated to their sport. In her August 23 article, Jodie Wagner of the Palm Beach Post tells the story of one female gymnast who discovered these benefits.

Parents Taking Charge of Education Matters

In an article posted Tuesday, August 15, 2006, on EastBayRI.com, the author gives a short history of home schooling in the U.S.  The article tells of the support and concerns that always arise in conversations about home education.

Independent Faces of Home Schooling

An article by Erin Pustay, which was posted on IndeOnline.com, follows the experiences of Ohio home school families, each with individual educational methods.

What Are We Teaching?

Some have cited a lack of diversity and too much parental input as a weakness in a home schooler’s education. Parents and friends connected to the home schooling movement refute these claims in a series of blogs posted August 10, 2006 on the The News-Sentinel Website.

High School – Real Life?

You have probably heard it before. “If you choose to not enroll your child in the public high school, then they will miss out on the wonderful ‘real world’ experiences their peers will have.” In her opinion column published in the July 27 issue of the Gilroy Dispatch, Cynthia Walker debunks this mainstream myth.

American Home Schoolers to the Rescue in South Korea’s Churches

Home schooling has advantages for missionaries in the field.