School Survival

I received this via email: I just wanted to let you know about North Star in Hadley, MA. My son started there this fall. It is Self Directed Learning for teens and is one of the boldest and cutting edge approaches to educating Middle and High Schoolers. Basically, we are a family that left school last […]

ARLINGTON - Evidence abounds to indicate the United States is lagging behind other advanced-industrial nations in educational achievement, despite massive infusions of resources in technological, science and math education. Over the past decade, the country has resorted to standardized testing and fact-based education to ensure children learn basic math, reading and writing skills.But University of […]

Back in February, a California court stunned the homeschooling families in the state when it declared that Mom or Dad had to have a credentialed teaching degree - or else their kids would be considered truants. The ruling affected approximately 200,000 children and raised protests from grass-roots activists all the way to the office of […]

A homeschooling family in Southern Germany spent six hours in a grueling German Family Court session this week with the hopes of regaining custody of their six homeschooled children, who have been held in state custody since January. After the long and confusing session, the Gorbers regained custody of their 3-year-old son. The judge, meanwhile, […]

For the first time in over 15 years, a United States jurisdiction has enacted laws that significantly increase restrictions on homeschooling freedom!This past Wednesday, the D.C. State Board of Education (SBOE) approved the State Superintendent of Education's June 27 draft of the home education regulations. After some discussion, the SBOE voted 5 to 1 in […]

We brought attention to the difficult climate for homeschooling in Germany in this column in March 2007. We shared the trials and tribulations of the Busekros family, whose 15-year-old daughter was forcibly removed from their home because she was being homeschooled. Melissa was placed in the psychiatric wing of a Bavarian clinic and was deemed […]

How we see ourselves and how others perceive us can be very different. That's one of the lessons from a recent survey by Ellison Research that looked at public attitudes toward various education options.On a five-point scale regarding the overall quality of education, public school received a 3 and homeschooling a 3.14. According to Ron […]

On Feb. 28, the California Court of Appeal for the Second Appellate District found in the case of In re: Rachel L. that a homeschooling family involved in a juvenile court proceeding did not have a right to homeschool in California unless the children's teacher held a California teaching credential. That decision sent shock waves […]

Tragedies can bring unintended consequences. Regrettably, this is happening here in our nation's capital, and homeschoolers are in the line of fire.It all started when District resident Banita Jacks was accused of murdering her four children, who had been dead for months when their bodies were found in January.It was reported that she was a […]

Just weeks after Banita Jacks was arrested for allegedly murdering her four daughters, a Washington D.C. family received a visit from a D.C. Child and Family Services (CFS) caseworker.Though the caseworker was there to investigate abuse allegations, she questioned the family about the children's schooling. Upon learning that the Hansons (name changed to protect privacy) […]