The latest news from the Jackson clan is that Micheal Jackson’s kids will continue to homeschool. Based on words by Joe Jackson shortly after Micheal’s death, I was concerned that the kids would be thrown unprepared into yet another new environment, a public school. He said the children needed to have “normal lives” and be with other children and would be enrolled in schools. Micheal Jackson’s mother, however, in her wisdom has decided that the children will continue to homeschool with the help of the private tutors they have always had. Thank goodness for some level of consistency in their … Continue reading →

In what appeared to be a case of a divorced family fighting over homeschooling, the judge has ordered the child into school because she held to strongly to her own religious beliefs. The judgment stated that the girl lacked “some youthful characteristics”, and “appeared to reflect her mother’s rigidity on questions of faith”. The child has been ordered to attend a public school where she “must begin to critically evaluate multiple systems of belief and behavior and cooperation in order to select, as a young adult, which of those systems will best suit her own needs.” (South Dakota Voice) Had … Continue reading →

Senate House Bill 1171 has been passed and allows homeschoolers who have a high school diploma or GED to teach their children without oversight. All homeschooling parents who do not have a high school diploma or GED will continue to be monitored closely. One would assume (or at least I do) that the state has found that the tough oversight on parents who have a high school degree or equivalent had been a waste of time and money. Any homeschooling parent worth their weight in salt knows that what you can teach, you can find someone who can. It is … Continue reading →

I recently wrote about a Petition for Duel Enrollment Programs in Georgia. I was surprised when I found out that Georgia colleges were not allowing local homeschoolers the same dual enrollment opportunities that it offered public school kids. Apparently, I was not the only person surprised because not long after a petition was started. The petition was successful. Here is an update from the HSLDA: According to Tonya R. Lam, associate vice-chancellor for student affairs of the Georgia Board of Regents, the Board of Regents changed its discriminatory policy denying homeschoolers participation in the college joint enrollment program at its … Continue reading →

When I think about the mom who just added 8 children to the six she already has, my only thought is “how is she going to get one on one time with each of them”. My next thought was of the Duggar Family. According to Newsvine.com, The Duggar’s homeschool because they could be with them day in and day out. Michelle says, we try not to schedule a lot on Saturday, which has been so wonderful. We can relax when the schedule is not as crazy as the rest of the week. We have a chance to find out what’s … Continue reading →

According to the HSLDA. the Rapid city School Board in South Dakota wants to recruit homeschoolers in an effort to bring more money into the district. Read more about Rapid City school budget woes. Here is an excerpt from HSLDA The Rapid City School Board created a committee last summer to examine budget issues for the school system. On January 22, their recommendations were made public. The report suggested that the school system could find additional revenue sources by “recruiting more homeschooled students into the district.” Other recommendations were made, as well. While I am sure that recruiting more students … Continue reading →

I have always thought of Jamaican education as superior to American Education. Having a great deal of Jamaican family members and friends, I had always observed that children coming to America from Jamaica were a couple of years ahead of American Children. They would always get skipped ahead a couple of grades, as far as their maturity would allow, and they tended to graduate from American schools at 15 or 16. With that said, I was somewhat aware of dangers and political unrest in Jamaica in recent years, but had no idea that it had affected Jamaican Education. Although, I … Continue reading →

A recent government survey is revealing that homeschooling is becoming more and more popular. In fact, that last for years has seen a growth rate of 36 percent according to this article at Christianpost.com. Meanwhile, it appears that the ratio of Evangelical homeschooling to other homeschoolers is changing. U.S. News and World Report reports that As Homeschooling Surges, the Evangelical Share Drops. While a great deal of homeschoolers do so in order to give their child an education that does not preclude religion, the evangelical coup on homeschooling is losing its grip. As an evangelical Christian, I have to say … Continue reading →

It figures. Considering that the vast majority of homeschoolers are anti-Obama, it is not shocking that his pick of a fellow Chicagoan, and buddy as the Secretary of Education would be viewed with suspicion. I spent some time perusing the internet searching for some connection to Duncan and any mention of homeschooling and found nothing. I did however, find a few opinions by homeschoolers as to our chances with him in office. Spunkyhomeschool, probably the most popular homeschooling blog online and definitely one of influence pointed out Arne Duncan’s recommendation of a high school for gay students. She also questions … Continue reading →

When I reported the finding of the New Jersey Homeschool Association the other day, I promised more information regarding the proposed homeschool legislation. The exact proposal can be found here Here is my interpretation of the exact proposal. Parents must submit a notarized letter to the school district each year that holds the name and age of students, the person who would be teaching them, the address and phone number of the homeschool location, and evidence that required subjects are taught in addition to up-to-date immunization records. They would have to prove that there is no one living in the … Continue reading →