The Parent Home Educator Series: Tips for Learning at Home

Debunking Myths About Homeschooling

By Dr. NNeka Allen-Harrison | Co-founder | July 23, 2020

This Parent Home Educator Series focuses on helping you develop a framework and decision-making process for homeschooling or supporting your child while learning at home.

Let’s Talk About Socialization

Let me begin by saying this article was written to equip parents with the confidence necessary to homeschool their children amid misguided or uninformed naysayers unequivocally.

What About Socialization?

This is the infamous question often used in an attempt to devalue the benefits of home education. We will commence with a formalized definition of socialization. Simply put, social scientists refer to this term as a process through which an individual internalizes cultural and societal norms. This developmental process begins in infancy with immediate family. It continues throughout life by human interaction within other agents of socialization such as school, church, community, peer groups, and work  (See figure 1).  

It is important to note that your child’s self-esteem and self-concept is shaped by their interactions with these various external factors. This means your child’s development is directly and indirectly impacted by various facets of our society. Ponder this, children spend an average of 180 days in school every year. That is 6.64 hours per day or 1,195.20 hours per year with people who may not have the capacity to meet your little one's cognitive and social-emotional needs. While we know that positive socialization promotes optimal development,  the American public education system was never designed to nurture the individual needs of your child. 

So, what does all of this mean? Well, if self-concept refers to self-perception and self-esteem is related to self-worth, and U.S. public schools are primarily led by white males and females coupled with an 80% white teaching force, mull over the implications.  The trends we are observing in public education are not a coincidence; it was a methodical process. Under the current public education structure, your child is undergoing harmful racial socialization practices 1.195.20 hours per year while enrolled in a public school.  More specifically, your brilliant, beautiful, innocent baby is explicitly and implicitly learning about the social caste and class system in this country, their value, and position within proximity to whiteness. Many parents are not willing to play a game of chance with their child's livelihood. Your baby’s educational process must be holistic, purposeful, and strategically aligned with your values and cultural norms. With sufficient support and resources, you can offer your youngster a premiere education as a home-based educator.  

Homeschooling Trends for Black Families

In a recent study conducted on Black parent motivations for homeschooling, Dr. Brian Ray shares five fundamental reasons Black parents elect to homeschool. 1) religious or moral, 2) academic, 3) socialization, 4) individualized instruction, and 5) alternative religious and moral instruction. This data suggests that Black parents are choosing to navigate their child’s educational journey to ensure that their learning occurs in a safe and suitable learning environment. Dr. Ray’s study also provided comparative insight concerning outcomes for Black homeschoolers and their Black public school peers. His findings suggest that Black homeschooler’s test scores were exceptionally higher than those receiving a public education. Lastly, homeschooling among Black families is swiftly soaring above 10% percent of the home-education population. You are certainly not alone.

Outcomes for Homeschoolers

Another myth is that homeschoolers do not excel academically. Since home instruction is individualized and personalized, there is potential for the development of intrinsic motivation and a sense of agency. Whereas, in a traditional school setting, this may be hindered due to the pervasive systematic and systemic processes that underpin many k-12 educational settings.  Recent articles have revealed that homeschoolers score above the national average on ACT and SAT tests, academically outperform their peers in college, and tend to have a higher college completion rate.

School Choice

Now that we have addressed some myths about socialization, trends, and outcomes for homeschoolers, I will shed some light on homeschooling options. 

While school choice does impact traditional public schools financially, I believe parents should have options to choose the most suitable educational path for their child. The reality is, all U.S. states have allocated funds to pay for students to exercise their constitutional right to free and public education. Expenditures come from federal, state, and local revenue. Per pupil spending (PPS) varies by state and is based on several factors: operational cost, average daily attendance, cost of living, etc. For example, New York spends $21, 206 per pupil each year. Here is the good news, at least 21 states in the U.S. offer some form of school choice. School choice affords parents the option to select an appropriate educational setting for their child. This right provides 11 different opportunities for families; however, I will focus on homeschooling, education savings accounts (ESA’s), and school vouchers,  to contextualize this discussion. 

Arizona, Nevada, Florida, Tennessee, Mississippi, and North Carolina offer an ESA program. With this opportunity, parents have the option to reallocate their child’s PPS funds into a government savings account that is used to pay for educational expenses such as homeschool curriculum. Additionally, the voucher program is offered in Arkansas, Washington, D.C. Florida, Georgia, Indians, Louisiana, Maryland, Maine, Mississippi, North Carolina, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, Utah, Vermont, and Wisconsin. This alternative can be used to pay for online private school instruction like an online private homeschool academy. Check with your state department of education to determine guidelines. California does not offer ESA’s or the school voucher program. Nonetheless, parents do have the option to homeschool their children. 

Legal Homeschooling Options For California Residents

California residents have the following four options for homeschooling:  

Private School Affidavit (PSA)

With a Private School Affidavit, parents are required to file an annual PSA as well as assume full responsibility for the administration and education of their child. This includes student record keeping, curriculum planning, and assessment, etc. With this option, you are acting as a private school in your home. Once a PSA is filed with the California Department of Education, your school name and address are listed in the CDE Private School Directory. 

Private School Program (PSP)

A PSP assumes responsibility for filing and maintaining a PSA, academic record-keeping, and curriculum-planning at a fee. Parents function as the assigned teacher on record and perform duties collaboratively with the PSP. 

Independent Study Program (ISP) 

Public school independent study programs are offered through traditional public and charter schools. In this case, parents work in concert with certificated teachers to address learning goals for instruction. The curriculum is limited to availability and parental autonomy varies by school. While some programs offer more flexibility than others, this is typically an initial or short term course of action for most parents.  

 Tutoring

Under this option, parents with a teaching credential may pursue a private tutorial exemption to educate their child for authorized grades. With this exemption, parents are not required to file a private school affidavit or bound to reporting requirements. Some working parents with unconventional hours (i.e. doctors, entrepreneurs, law enforcement officers) elect to hire a credentialed teacher to facilitate their child’s learning under their supervision. 

Next Steps

While getting started with homeschooling may seem complex, it gets easier with each passing year. I suggest that you look for helpful resources and allow yourself permission to grow in this process. Remember Dr. Harrison and I will do our part to share our expertise, resources, and personal experiences. Although we are trained educators with over 20 years of experience, we are proud parents of three, and home-educators too. We are on this journey together. Onward!

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