Light blogging for the past several weeks. Been working a lot on the correspondence regulatory issues. (There is more to come on that) Plus, took a couple weeks off in sunny, warm Florida.
Now that we are back home we’ve been tying up the loose ends of the academic year. Happily, today, John did his final […]

“Families drive learning,” Bror’s Blog comments on a study recently published by ETS. We live that everyday but ETS has quantified some of these effects in their report, The Family: America’s Smallest School. In the midst of debate over NCLB and school reform we have to remember the fundamental effect home has on academic success. […]

I’ve written a bit on the socialization aspect of homeschooling in the past few weeks. One of the serious downsides of our culture is how it defines ‘beauty’ for girls and young women. It’s a consequence of life in a brick-and-mortar school we’ve avoided by homeschooling. Our daughter missed out on the constant self-comparison and […]

One of my favorite history resources through the years has been Greenleaf Press. Rob and Cyndy Shearer provide great ‘twaddle-free’* books and study guides and other materials for those who homeschool in the Charlotte Mason tradition. I eagerly anticipated the annual print catalog with its listings and recommendations. Then it was the website with Rob’s […]

This from Indexed, a humorous blog for anyone who appreciates diagrams and index cards. There’s some discussion in the comments over what the point is.

I use Google Reader daily to skim through RSS feeds from blogs I like. I read lots of education blogs and some news and humor and, of course, articles about the beloved but often pathetic Cleveland Browns. Gary Davis at HomeSchoolBuzz has compiled a jaw-dropping list of homeschool blogs (including this humble blog) which includes […]

Those such as the Alaska Home Educators Alliance (AHEA) who advocate for less regulation of statewide correspondence schools (SWC) are adamant that they do have local control. That is, the parent in the home is the local control; the parent’s accountability to the district is all that is necessary. Let’s take a closer look at […]

Just back from the public comment and work session. Initial impressions are there is not as much controversy as anticipated judging by the public participation. Public comment did go overtime but not in overwhelming numbers. Comments were typically from parents who wanted more freedom to spend their allotments on Fine Arts and PE and to […]

This is a very hot issue right now and will be discussed at the State School Board work session Friday, September 21st. Statewide correspondence schools are subject to a 15% spending limitation on fine arts and P.E. and prohibited from using parent-purchased sectarian materials in student learning plans. In-district programs are not subject to these […]

My friend Paula points out this article on opposition to homeschooling in South Africa. There is a telling quote from Ina Kronje, KwaZulu-Natal Education MEC. KwaZulu-Natal is a South African province. MEC is Member of the Executive Council, a provincial cabinet level position, analogous to a state education commissioner. Ms. Kronje has some clout.
If schools […]