HOMESCHOOLING
Many families today are choosing to educate their children at home. They do so for a variety of reasons, from concerns about the academic quality of local schools, to personal religious beliefs. The means for doing so are as diverse as the families themselves. Some parents teach most subjects in a home classroom setting; some participate in co-ops or networks and share teaching and activities with other parents; some use a combination of online, home-taught and local public school courses.

Following are some publications and organizations that deal with homeschool issues. We will continue to add new content, so come back again soon.

PUBLICATIONS 

Progress Report 2009: Homeschool Academic Achievement and Demographics 
Study | Homeschool Legal Defense Association | 2009
The anecdotal evidence of homeschooling’s success has been backed by multiple research studies. However, it has been at least 10 years since any major nationwide study of homeschooling was done. During that time, the number of homeschooled children has grown from about 850,000 to approximately 1.5 million, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.1 Other researchers think this number is conservative. Some estimate it as high as 2 million.2 As homeschooling’s appeal continues to broaden, familiar questions deserve to be revisited. Are homeschoolers still excelling? Do factors that traditionally impact academic achievement have a similar impact in home education? Is homeschooling still the best choice in education?

Homeschooling Sees Dramatic Rise in Popularity
Heritage Foundation | Lindsey Burke | January 28, 2009
In December, the U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics released new estimates on the number of American families homeschooling their children. . . . The report shows that approximately 1.5 million children (2.9 percent of school-age children) were being homeschooled in the spring of 2007, representing a 36 percent relative increase since 2003 and a 74 percent relative increase since 1999.

ORGANIZATIONS

The Adventist Home Educator
Providing support, encouragement and information for SDA parents who choose to educate their children at home.

Home School Foundation
The Home School Foundation is the charitable arm of the Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA) and is dedicated to bringing hope and tangible help to homeschoolers in need. The Foundation is a 501c(3) charitable organization, approved by the ECFA (Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability), and has a variety funds which provided nearly 1 million dollars in assistance and related expenses to homeschooling families last year.

Home School Legal Defense Association
The Home School Legal Defense Association is a nonprofit advocacy organization established to defend and advance the constitutional right of parents to direct the education of their children and to protect family freedoms. Through annual memberships, HSLDA is tens of thousands of families united in service together, providing a strong voice when and where needed.

Homeschoolers For Life
A national organization headquartered in Virginia whose mission is to help prolife homeschooling families include prolife work and activism, at an age appropriate level, into their family lives and curriculum.

Institute in Basic Life Principles
Founded by Bill Gothard, the Institute in Basic Life Principles is a Biblically based, not-for-profit, nonsectarian training and service organization.

Jewish Home Educator's Network
J.H.E.N. is a quarterly newsletter filled with thought-provoking articles, letters from readers that provide open dialogue on a wide range of interesting topics, mouth-watering recipes, creative holiday and craft ideas, stimulating book reviews, a Jewish calendar chock-full of information and original ideas, help columns with practical how-to advice on homeschooling.

NATHAN
NATional cHallenged Homeschoolers Associated Network is an international organization for homeschoolers of children dealing with disabilities.

The National Academy for Child Development
Designs very specific home educational and therapeutic programs for infants, children and adults given the labels including; Learning Disabled, Dyslexic, Distractible, ADD, ADHD, Hyperactive, Down Syndrome, Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, Williams Syndrome, Tourettes Syndrome, Rhetts Syndrome, Fragile X, Developmentally Delayed, PDD, Autistic, Cerebral Palsy, Brain Injured, Comatose, Retarded, Minimal Brain Dysfunction, Normal, Accelerated, and Gifted.

Native American Home School Association
Native American Heritage Association is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping the needy Native American families living on the Reservations of South Dakota. NAHA was started in 1993 by David G. Myers after a visit to the Reservations in South Dakota.

National Home Education Research Institute
NHERI's forte is in the realm of research, statistics, technical reports, data, facts, demographics, the academic world, consulting, academic achievement tests, and expert witness (in courts and legislatures) while serving people ranging from researchers and policy makers to professional educators, teachers, homeschoolers (home schoolers), and parents in general to the media, marketing consultants, and the general public. Simply put, NHERI is a key international leader specializing in homeschool research (i.e., home-education research).

RESOURCES & ORGANIZATIONS
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