Why did you choose
this subject?
I requested the topic of homeschooling
as I have personal ties to the experience
of obtaining my education at home. I was
pulled out of public school at the end of
grade 2 in order to be homeschooled. I’ve
personally witnessed the possible
benefits as well as the disadvantages. I
feel very strongly about the subject and
hope to shed some light from the
perspective of an “invisible child”.
My Experience &
Thoughts
My homeschooling education allowed me
to experience many of the benefits and
disadvantages of homeschooling. Because
of the disadvantages, I am extremely
opposed to homeschooling as it is
currently allowed. In my opinion, without
an actual trained teacher, the risks are
too high, and the benefits aren’t enough
for the child. I see that most parents
who homeschool do it for their own
convenience and not the benefit of their
children. While there are always
exceptions to the rule, I don’t believe
that allowing students to be
homeschooled against their will protects
their right to an education.
The Cause of My Opinion
I was homeschooled from the age of 9 until I dropped out at 15. My teacher was my mother who has
struggled with mental health problems for my entire life. She also never finished high school. She wasn’t
trained or prepared to teach a student with ADHD who has a completely different learning style than her
own. She didn’t have the support of a special education department and because she believes that ADHD is
a fake disease, was determined to make me learn in the only style she was able to teach. My education
suffered deeply for this. Throughout my education, subjects began to be above a level that my mother had
ever learned. I was then expected to learn subjects like math from reading vague instructions, which I failed
at. I never learned further than basic algebra because I couldn’t. I also couldn’t learn any science that
required math skills. At no point did the state check in to verify that myself and my siblings were even still
being homeschooled. In 2001, my mother notified CCSD that she was homeschooling her children, and they
were never heard from again. They can’t/don’t verify that homeschooled students are being educated at all.
That’s a very scary picture to imagine. During my EDU 201 course, I was able to observe a 3rd grade virtual
class. Because of Covid-19, these students had no choice but to be homeschooled. Some students continued to
excel; others had not logged into class a single time. Unfortunately, the latter was a larger percentage of the
class. CCSD provided computers and Cox internet service provided free or discounted internet service. The
individual school provided all necessary supplies, and still, these parents did not even have their children log
on. No child should have a lack of education in today’s world because of the disregard of his/her parents.
Objectives
Expected Outcomes
Viewers of this presentation will be able to:
• Understand what homeschooling is and entails.
• List the benefits and disadvantages homeschooled
children face.
• Assist students transitioning from homeschool into a
public or private school system.
Before The 1970s Homeschooling has been around since
the first settlers landed at Plymouth
Rock, however, as public schooling
became more available to all, it became
far less common. The first compulsory
education law was passed in Mississippi
in 1852. This created a large hurdle for
those who homeschooled their children
as it virtually outlawed homeschooling. It
wasn’t until 1971 that a group of Amish
families went to court against the law.
They said that the law was a violation of
their right to educate their children in a
way that properly aligned with their
values. The next year, the Supreme Court
agreed that public schools could not
infringe on their right to religious
expression which in this case was how
they were educated.
The 1970s and
Forward
• The modern homeschooling movement began in the
1970s by the hand of John Holt who believed that the
public school system was removing the individualism out
of school age children and turning them into employees,
rather than truly educating them. Though some view it as
exclusively secular or Christian, homeschooling has
gained a following in most groups regardless of political
affiliation or religion. In just a five-year span (1990-1995)
the number of students being homeschooled doubled
from 400,000 to 800,000. In 2019, the number was
around 2.5 million students.
• (I chose not to include 2020 or 2021 in the statistics
because of Covid-19. Unprecedented school closures
caused very skewed numbers)
Benefits
A more individualized education which
Time for more activities outside of
can focus more heavily on certain
Timeline flexibility. Students are able to school. Whether the student needs More religious freedom in education.
subject matter. This can help students
spend more time on material that they flexibility for their extracurricular Students can pray during school, sex
gain access to universities that
find more difficult to grasp and can activities or within a military family education can be removed from the
specialize in the same subjects. The
move more quickly through content that where moving is a constant, the student curriculum, and science can be taught
student can receive far more individual
they already know. doesn’t have to fall behind or adjust to a along with the bible.
attention than is possible in a public or
new teacher or material.
private school setting.
The ability to learn through experiences
Focus on life skills: Classes such as shop,
rather than only by lectures, books, and Control over diet. This can be very
home economics, and more have been
tests. Trips to aquariums, museums, important for students with severe food
removed from the public school system
farms, and more can be a child’s day of allergies. There is far less risk of
because of budget cuts. Parents can add
school. They may show more interest in exposure in a controlled environment
life skills such as cooking, sewing, and
learning from situations such as these than there is at school.
mechanics into lesson plans.
than from books or teacher lectures.
Possible Disadvantages During Education
Lack of a social life and
Lack of licensed No option for cooperative
social education for the Lack of motivation
support/instruction learning
student.
Culture shock for students
Child abuse can be easily who go on to
Lack of support staff Lack of actual transcripts
hidden. college/transition back to
public school.
Lack of access to clubs,
sports teams, etc. (This No requirements for
Lack of real-world
also brings a lack of education level of
experience.
scholarship opportunities parent/home teacher
through the same.)
Important Note
I find it important to note that while
researching possible disadvantages for
homeschooled students, outside of the ones
that I personally experienced, almost
everything found online as a disadvantage
was a disadvantage for the parent, not the
student. Not enough research is done into
the disadvantages for students. Here is a list
of the disadvantages found for the parents.
• Anxiety from lesson planning
• Dedication of time
• Income loss if one parent stops
working/starts working less
• Lack of free time
• Too much parent/child time
Long Lasting Disadvantages
• Social Anxiety
• Lack of study skills
• No understanding of group work
• No understanding of expectations from
professors in higher learning.
• Lack of exposure to diversity, leading to
negative feelings to those who are different.
• Mental health issues for those who were
mentally, physically, or sexually abused with
no exposure to other adults who could report
such abuse.
• Cultural dislocation
Requirements for Teachers
CCSD Other Places Parents Who
Homeschool
Nevada Elementary Every state in the U.S. None.
License - An elementary requires prospective teachers Imagine yourself at the
license (K-8) may be to have at minimum, a beginning, middle, or
granted to holders of a bachelor’s degree. Some
bachelor's degree from even end of high school.
an accredited college or states also have additional Would you trust yourself
university, provided requirements such as at that education level to
that the applicant has Nevada’s student teaching, teach someone else? Why
completed a program education coursework, etc. or why not?
for elementary school Education coursework adds a
teaching (including focus to special needs
student teaching, nine
semester hours in the students and additional
teaching of reading, and teaching methods for those
nine semester hours in with special needs. There is
elementary methods as also training in the proper
minimum way to behave around
requirements). children.
Lack of Licensed
Support Staff
Without the support staff that public
schools have, children may never be
diagnosed with a learning disability that
they have. The parent/home teacher
also lacks the support that colleagues
can bring when having trouble helping a
student to understand the subject
matter. School counselors are not
available to the student. Free or
discounted school lunches are also not
available for those who homeschool.
Support staff may be overlooked by
most, but for the student who needs
help, they are the most important thing.
Those In Support of
Homeschooling
• Home school Legal Defense Association (HSLDA): The
largest and most active group in defense of parents’ right
to homeschool. They claim that “God has given all parents
– no matter their religious beliefs or form of spirituality –
the right and the responsibility to direct the upbringing
and education of their children.”
• Family Protection Ministries (FPM): An organization in
Washington, D.C. which monitors legislative actions
affecting homeschoolers.
• ParentalRights.org: Working to preserve parental rights
through a Parental Rights Amendment to the U.S.
Constitution.
There are quite a few more localized groups that focus more
on legislation within their own state or county.
• 4.5 million homeschool students
• 41% of homeschool families are non-white/non-Hispanic
• Home-educated typically score 15 to 30 percentile points above
public-school students on standardized academic achievement tests.
(when parents have their students tested regularly)
• 87% of peer-reviewed studies on social, emotional, and
Statistics psychological development show homeschool students perform
statistically significantly better than those in conventional schools
Please keep in mind that these statistics are skewed. These numbers
are based on students who were/are active in homeschooling groups
and who were given standardized tests. A large number of
homeschooled students are not active in such groups and never
receive any type of standardized testing.
Homeschooling Requirements:
Federal
Because of Wisconsin v. Yoder in 1972, the
Supreme Court case that determined that
the parents’ right to freedom of religion
outweighed a state’s interest in education,
and the tenth amendment which gives no
power to the federal government over
education, there are no federal restrictions
or legislation that address homeschooling.
Students also have the right to an equal
education regardless of race, gender,
religion, or socioeconomic status. I predict
that there will one day be a Supreme Court
case which argues that parents’ right to
freedom of religion cannot deny a child
his/her right to an equal education.
Homeschooling Requirements:
Nevada
1. File a one-time notice of intent to homeschool which includes the
student’s name, age, and gender, the parent’s name and address,
a statement from the parent that states “that you have control or
charge of your child and the legal right to direct his or her
education, and that you assume full responsibility for your child’s
education while he or she is being homeschooled”, the last public
school attended by the student (if applicable), and an educational
plan showing you will be teaching the required subjects.
2. Parents are required to teach the following subjects: English,
Science, Math, and Social Studies
While parents must agree to teach the subjects listed above, there is
no oversight from the school district to ensure that the requirement is
followed or that any subject matter is being taught in general.
that transitioning students may be more shy or anxious around the large
Understand class until they can adjust.
How Teachers Understand that students may have been taught in ways that you are unacquainted with
Can Help
and attempt to meet them educationally so that they can continue learning.
Transitioning Monitor students for signs of abuse
Students
students appropriately to verify that students are placed in the correct grade
Test level.
out to the school counselor for support for the student during a possibly
Reach out stressful transition.
Sources
• HSLDA. (2021). Home School Legal Defense Association. https://hslda.org/legal/nevada
• Knowles, Marlow, Muchmore. (2010). A Brief History of Homeschooling. Responsible Homeschooling.
https://responsiblehomeschooling.org/research/summaries/a-brief-history-of-homeschooling/
• School Choice in the United States: 2019. (2019). National Center for Education Statistics.
https://nces.ed.gov/programs/schoolchoice/ind_05.asp
• A Brief History of Homeschooling. (2019, October 3). Great Homeschool Conventions.
https://greathomeschoolconventions.com/blog/a-brief-history-of-homeschooling
• TheHomeSchoolMom. (2019, December 28). Benefits of Homeschooling. https://www.thehomeschoolmom.com/benefits-of-
homeschooling-2/
• Parental Rights. (2021, July 21). About ParentalRights.org. https://parentalrights.org/about/
• Licensure. (2020). Clark County School District. https://ccsd.net/employees/prospective/information/licensure
• About. (2021). HSLDA. https://hslda.org/about
• About CRHE. (2020, October 17). Coalition for Responsible Home Education. https://responsiblehomeschooling.org/about/
More Sources
• Homeschooling: The Research,
Scholarly articles, studies, facts,
research. (2021, July 2). National
Home Education Research Institute.
https://www.nheri.org/research-facts-
on-homeschooling/
• Homeschooling State & Federal
Requirements: What You Should Know.
(2011, January 21). BrightHub
Education.
https://www.brighthubeducation.com/h
omeschool-rules-regulations/103879-
state-and-federal-homeschooling-
requirements/#federal-regulations-and-
requirements
