Home Education Magazine

September-October 1998 - Articles

Public School Programs and Our Community

Janie Levine Hellyer

It's Wednesday morning at the Smith house. Mrs. Smith is busy in the kitchen with her two younger children working on a science experiment. The older kids are finishing up their math in the dining room. Everyone pitches in and helps get lunch on the table, and the children begin discussing their plans for the afternoon. Unlike other homeschoolers, the Smith children will be going to the neighborhood public school this afternoon to meet with their teacher and participate in classroom group activities. They will turn in the work they did last week and receive assignments for the coming week. The Smiths are among the growing number of families across the country choosing to participate in public school extension programs. Most of us have seen some of the public school programs aimed at homeschoolers that are popping up across the country. When we consider these programs as one more option families can choose, they can be seen as positive and a step in the right direction. While most homeschoolers realize that public school extension programs make homeschooling available to many children who otherwise might not have the option, there is a growing concern about how they will affect the future of the homeschool community. Some fear a precedent is being set for public schools to control homeschooling. Others have looked at the sources for funding these programs, often funds aimed at "at risk students," and believe those participating in such programs are confirming the notion that homeschoolers fit into this category. Personally, I see the lack of information provided to parents in these programs very distressing. The question before us now is this: how should the homeschool community respond to these programs?

Many families who have used public school extension programs view them as stepping stones to independent homeschooling. They speak of gaining confidence as they watch their children learn and thrive, and of staff who have supported unschooling when it suits the family. Others believe that these programs are the very best option for their children, freeing them from requirements such as annual testing. As I have explored some of these public school extension programs, I have seen them working for many families.

When families are aware of all of their educational options, they can freely choose what they see will best meet the needs of their own children, right? Of course, but a concerning number of families in this type of program are not aware of their options. All too often, the first call a parent makes when attempting to get information about homeschooling is the local school. When the school runs a program, they will no doubt talk about their program. I've heard from several families that the schools are not telling families what their options are or providing them with the law so they can make a choice based on their family's needs. The school says, "Here is our homeschool program!" Period. It is impossible to make an informed choice on your options when you are unaware of them.

Homeschooling has come as far as it has during the last two decades because families have come together, shared information, and worked for the good of the homeschool community as a whole. Support groups and networks were established, helping to make homeschooling visible in our communities. These grass roots organizations representing a diverse cross section of our general communities have made strong impacts on the laws regulating homeschooling, and worked to ensure that information was available to everyone who wanted it.

In 1981, I knew a total of six homeschooling families in my community. We came from diverse backgrounds and homeschooled for a variety of reasons. That same year, we began networking with small groups of families in other communities, sharing information, and talking about how we could help create a climate in which homeschooling was an option for other families. Today, that same small community has nearly two hundred homeschooling families, and homeschooling is a legal option throughout the state. All this because families came together and created support groups and networks.

In some areas of our country, our support groups and networks are seeing fewer families come to them for information and membership is dwindling. If this trend was taking place because there was no need for information, because homeschooling had become so common-place that every family knew it to be an option, I would personally stand up and cheer. This does not, however, seem to be the case. It appears instead to be happening because in some places, the public school extension programs have set themselves up as a replacement for our inclusive support networks. The school programs often provide a parent support network of their own, group activities for enrolled children, and what amounts to a full-service network. What we are seeing in many places are programs that foster a sense of dependence on the school. Enrolled families have so much available in their own program, they don't feel a need to go out and find existing groups and services. Because they remain segregated from the rest of the homeschool community, it might be months or even years before the family realizes they might have other options.

Reactions from individual families, support networks and organizations has ranged from expressing subtle annoyance to defining homeschooling in a way that doesn't include families enrolled in public school extension programs. We've seen "declarations" by groups that announce the fact that they do not support public school extension programs. Many believe that we need to make a distinction in terminology to ensure that real homeschooling is viewed separately from these programs.

But wait. What is the difference between using a public school extension program and a private school? Are families who use private school extension programs also not real homeschoolers? How about independent homeschoolers who choose to purchase full curriculum packages? Do we also exclude them from our community? If so, who will be next? Will it be your neighbor who unschools in a way that doesn't fit the definition of homeschooling set by the state support network?

Yes, there are some real problems associated with public school extension programs, and we will continue seeing more problems as the number of such programs increase. Instead of attempting to separate ourselves and our groups from families in public school extension programs, we need to consider how we can best welcome them into the homeschool community, provide the information and resources they need to make an informed choice, and simply understand that they have a choice.

Let's not take the stand that homeschooling is fine as long as it's done the way we do it. We've seen far too much of that attitude in the exclusive groups over the years. This is not to say that we should ignore the problems we are seeing. We can work on these through our groups and organizations, our lobbying and educational efforts. Let us focus on the problems stemming from the institutional programs and not against the families using them.

Our goal should remain making homeschooling so visible, so common, that every family knows and understands it to be an option. The day that this becomes a reality will be a day of celebration for the entire homeschool community.

©1998, Janie Levine Hellyer

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