President-elect Donald Trump Recognizes Homeschool Movement
Homeschooling is on the rise! In the last six years, the number of homeschooling families has grown from 2 million to 2.3 million in the United States alone.1 Many factors contribute to the decision to homeschool – student safety, quality of education, special needs concerns, religious beliefs and values, etc.
Research shows parents are more than capable of educating their children at home. The parent/teacher knows what is being taught and has the freedom to educate per the child’s strengths, interests, and weaknesses. According to a survey of homeschoolers conducted by Dr. Brian Ray and the National Home Education Research Institute, homeschoolers consistently perform above average academically.2 These results are not based on, or related to, the parents’ education. Other research points to above-average SAT and ACT test scores for children who are homeschooled.
Home education isn’t new. In the United States, historical figures such as Abraham Lincoln, Booker T. Washington, Thomas Edison, and Frank Lloyd Wright were homeschooled. And now just might be the easiest time to educate at home. It is legal in all 50 states with requirements ranging from none to approval of curriculum and proof of the parent’s own education.
Homeschoolers spend approximately $600-900 per year per child on curriculum and other materials.3 Typically, curriculum is the biggest expense, but there are numerous ways to save money without skimping on your child’s education, including frequenting the library, buying used curricula, and utilizing online sources.
The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine is a resource for support and encouragement for homeschooling families. Printed annually and available in a free quarterly digital format online, or by free app for tablets and phones, this magazine features authors and columnists, experts in their fields, who provide quality content. The Old Schoolhouse® makes available at no cost an enormous homeschooling information package to be claimed freely at www.TryHomeschooling.com.
Another popular resource families have discovered is SchoolhouseTeachers.com, an affordable online curriculum platform hosting more than 300 courses designed especially for homeschooling students, preK-12th grade. With its “Netflix-style” delivery (monthly membership fee), parents gain full access without limit to all the classes, report card generator, course certificates of achievement, an extensive media library powered by World Book, and hundreds of streaming videos, both educational and entertaining in nature.
As the number of homeschoolers continues to grow, and the vision of education expands, even the new United States President-elect, Donald Trump, has favorably acknowledged the homeschooling community and movement in campaign speeches around the country. Recently at the Family Research Council’s annual Values Voter Summit, Mr. Trump stated, “School choice means that parents can homeschool their children. 100%.”
To better understand homeschooling, pick up the free information package at www.TryHomeschooling.com, or contact The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine Publishers, Paul and Gena Suarez of Gray, Tennessee at Publishers@TheOldSchoolhouse.com or 1.423.444.5956.
