January 2000

Booklet Guides Educators in Working with Homeschoolers

By PATRICK COLLINS

Just 20 years ago, educators would have balked at homeschoolers requesting permission to participate in public school activities. Very few would have believed that homeschooling parents would be interested in public school programs and services. It was the parents, after all, who fought so hard for the right to remove their children from formal school settings.

As homeschooling has become more common and readily accepted, however, the relationship between schools and families has shifted. Since the mid-1980s, homeschool parents have increased their collaboration and cooperation with local school boards, principals, and teachers. Because homeschoolers represent a significant portion of the student population that public educators can be required to serve, it makes sense for schools to know what is involved in such partnerships.

In Making Positive Connections with Homeschoolers, the 13th booklet in NWREL's By Request series, authors Jennifer Fager and Cori Brewster discuss the importance of schools partnering with homeschoolers and highlight the benefits of such unions.

"The good of the students is the most compelling reason for schools to attempt to build partnerships with homeschoolers," stress the authors. "Whether a child is enrolled full time in a formal school setting or not, the goal of public education is to improve learning outcomes by providing a quality educational experience for all school-aged children."

Beyond the benefit to students, there are three main incentives for educators to cooperate with homeschooled students and their parents:

Legislation. Although it varies from state to state, legislation is increasingly supportive of homeschoolers' requests for access to public school facilities. Oregon, Idaho, and Washington, for example, require schools to allow homeschoolers to enroll part time.
Enrollment and funding increases. Depending on local regulations governing school funding calculations, school districts may be able to receive funding for serving homeschooled children. Private schools can also benefit financially from collaborating with homeschoolers by charging a prorated tuition for students
Returning students. Schools that collaborate with homeschoolers can maintain positive working relationships with students who may eventually reenroll in the school. Many children are only homeschooled for a few years, and those whose academic progress has been regularly evaluated in relationship to the school's curriculum will have an easier transition back into the classroom.

Additional benefits of reaching out to homeschoolers include an improved school and district image within the larger community, a reassurance to concerned educators that homeschooled students' needs are being met and that they are making adequate educational progress, and an enhanced academic and social environment for both traditional and homeschooled students as a result of the added diversity each group brings to the other.

"Whether individual educators support the idea of homeschooling or not, the trend is clearly toward cooperating with homeschooling families," note Fager and Brewster. "The question put before schools now is how to work with homeschoolers to maximize learning opportunities for students while also benefiting the needs of all parties."

Making Positive Connections with Homeschoolers includes useful research on what homeschoolers want, ideas for implementation, guidelines for building successful relationships with homeschool families, and strategies for developing policies to address problems commonly experienced when schools and districts collaborate with homeschoolers.

The booklet also includes detailed descriptions of four Northwest school systems that continually work to reach out to homeschoolers. These programs represent some of the promising strategies being implemented across the nation.

For a free copy of Making Positive Connections with Homeschoolers, call Amy Steve at (503) 275-9720 or 1-800-547-6339, ext. 720.