Homeschooling: Resources for Learning Outside the Classroom
The Homeschooling Web Guide can aid you in every stage of your homeschool research and implementation. Whether you're curious about the different kinds of home-based schooling or interested in trying it as the primary education in your household, the homeschooling resources here can get you started. Use the Homeschooling Web Guide to research the legal aspects, look for homeschool teaching and test-prep resources, and find online homeschool communities or news.
Expand All Guide SectionsWhat Is Homeschooling?
Homeschooling is when parents or guardians take responsibility for educating their children outside any school system. The Internet is a great resource for understanding what homeschooling is and how it is practiced around the United States.
Insights for Understanding What Homeschooling Is
- If you're looking for more general education information or resources, try our findingDulcinea Education Guide.
- When using a search engine, narrow your search for homeschool-related information by using more specific terms like "homeschool history" or "homeschool frequently asked questions." If you're not finding enough results, try synonyms such as "home education."
Top Sites for Understanding What Homeschooling Is
For a general overview of homeschooling ...
Home School Incorporated
answers some basic questions about homeschooling in its Q & A. Note that this site also sells curriculum, books and other homeschooling supplies so reviews or recommendations of these materials may be biased.
You Can Homeschool
offers an introduction to homeschooling and its history along with "Did you know?" facts. Use the links on the left to answer more of your questions.
Home Education Magazine
helps the beginner gain a better understanding of exactly what homeschooling entails. Use the FAQ link to answer your most basic questions and then read articles by people who are personally involved in homeschooling.
American Homeschool Association
has a lot of useful links and resources leading to additional information about different kinds of homeschooling, the history of homeschooling and even some materials for parents interested in implementing homeschool for their children.
For information on the different types of homeschooling ...
Home School Learning Network
describes the major homeschooling methods. Following each description is a list of additional resources with links to more information.
For common homeschool terminology explained ...
Families.com
has an extensive homeschool glossary of terms you might encounter when researching homeschool. Be careful not to confuse the ads throughout the page for actual content.
Deciding to Homeschool
One thing that all homeschoolers seem to agree on is that deciding to homeschool is not an easy choice, and it takes a lot of commitment to make it work. The Web has plenty of statistics, opinions and questions you should consider as you decide if homeschooling is right for your family.
Insights for Deciding to Homeschool
- See the "Homeschooling News and Advice" section of this guide to read some personal experiences from those who decided to homeschool.
- Most major homeschooling associations include a series of questions or other resources on their Web sites to assist parents in deciding whether to homeschool; be aware that these organizations ultimately encourage homeschooling as a way to educate children.
- Homeschooling is an emotional issue. The Internet is littered with biased information on both sides. Read a range of opinions, and look for articles from credentialed and/or knowledgeable sources.
- Don't just passively consume information. Post messages to discussion groups and initiate conversations with people in the homeschooling community as you explore this choice.
Top Sites for Deciding to Homeschool
For studies and statistics about homeschooling ...
Education Bug
gives a brief rundown of some basic homeschooling statistics, like the percentage of students being homeschooled, reasons for homeschooling and some facts on homeschooling families.
Home School Legal Defense Association
has a reference section with summaries of major studies and statistical information on all aspects of homeschooling. Statistics were gathered from independent evaluations, state departments of education studies and local school district evaluations.
The Ontario Federation of Teaching Parents
has a page called "Studies and opinions on home education" that includes several summaries and links. Scroll down the page to view a list of research studies and organizations that have conducted research on homeschooling.
National Home Education Research Institute
researches lots of home education-related topics from a pro-home education point of view. Access some of their research online for free; some detailed reports are available for a fee.
National Center for Education Statistics
presents the results from its 2003 study on parents' reasons for homeschooling. "Concern about environment of other schools" and "religious or moral instruction" were the big winners.
For help deciding if you're prepared to homeschool ...
Homeschool Teacher's Lounge
offers "Should I Homeschool?" a useful reality check for anyone considering homeschooling. It covers things like time and money, but also gets down to the real nitty-gritty with questions like "Do I have a good relationship with my child?"
Who knew?
NPR
produced a feature called "Homeschooling 101: Why We Do It" that examines three families and their different reasons for homeschooling. Read the text of the story or listen to the audio.
Homeschool Laws and Regulations
Homeschool laws and regulations vary from state to state. Because new laws are being passed all the time, one of the biggest challenges for the homeschooling parent is keeping up with the legal requirements. The Web provides a relatively painless way to stay current.
Insights for Homeschool Laws and Regulations
- Homeschooling laws vary by state; see some of the sites below for links to information about each state. Check your state government's Web site for more information about your local laws.
Top Sites for Homechool Laws and Regulations
For explanations of the kinds of laws that relate to homeschooling ...
eNotes.com
features the "Encyclopedia of Everyday Law," which includes an excellent history and overview of compulsory education laws, and provides a thorough introduction to relevant homeschooling law.
National Conference of State Legislatures
has overviews of compulsory education laws. They also provide information about recent legislation in all states.
For up-to-date information on homeschooling laws in your state ...
You Can Homeschool
organizes laws pertaining to homeschooling by state. Choose your state to find state homeschool organizations and links to legal homeschooling options.
Home School Legal Defense Association
includes a map of the U.S. that shows the different levels of legislative activity in each state. Find detailed sections on the laws of each state and currently active homeschool legislation across the country.
For information about homeschooling and immunization ...
Homeschool World
addresses the issue of immunizing your child and lists the states that allow for conscientious parental choice exemptions to immunization.
Homeschool Curriculum and Resources
Homeschooling parents stress the importance of planning and having access to adequate resources in order to educate their children. Creating a homeschool curriculum and resources is easy to do with the help of the Web.
Insights for Homeschool Curriculum and Resources
- Traditional books and lessons are available for sale online. There are even homeschool curricula that are entirely Web-based. Although almost all homeschooling sites have materials for sale, there's plenty of material available for free if you search around.
- Blogs are a great way to get homeschooling ideas in a less formulaic way. They're filled with unique tips and inspiration.
- See the findingDulcinea Teaching Web Guide for additional lesson plans, organizational tools, activity ideas and homework help resources.
Top Sites for Homeschool Curriculum and Resources
To help you choose a homeschool curriculum ...
Home School Learning Network
includes links to various articles designed to help parents find a homeschooling curriculum that works for their child's learning style. Decide which homeschool approach best suits your needs, or explore subject- or theme-based curriculum ideas.
FamilyEducation.com
has a useful article called "Choosing a Homeschool Curriculum" that discusses the advantages and disadvantages of various homeschool curriculum packages, and also includes information about the costs associated with each.
Home School Curriculum Advisor
takes you through the process of choosing a homeschool curriculum, beginning with the fundamental questions that should be asked at the start.
To enroll in an outside curriculum ...
Oak Meadow
is an accredited school for K-12 students. Use the curriculum with or without teacher evaluation, either online or in print format. Explore the site learn more about the resources Oak Meadow has to offer.
Calvert School
offers a complete homeschooling program for children in grades pre-K through 8. Choose from a whole curriculum, one course or an enrichment program.
Keystone National High School
is a nationally accredited online high school. Register for an entire degree program or just one course at a time. They also have an online program that maps out how many courses you need to graduate and your tuition. The program offerings even include AP and Honors courses.
For teaching resources ...
Home School, Inc.
provides an online organizational program for homeschool educators to manage their students' curriculums and progress. Create a username and password for free, then create a fully organized school term, following the prompts step by step. As a member, you also have access to the "Community & Forums" section.
Kids Online Resources
has a mind-boggling array of links. For the beginning homeschooler wondering how to start to the seasoned veteran looking for something new, this site has tons of practical information about lessons, activities and resources of all kinds.
Homeschool Central
is a resource center, made to help both new and experienced homeschoolers. Navigate the site using the navigation bar on the left or browse resource links by subject.
Homeschool Diner
presents topics with written explanations and advice as well as links to more detailed information. The original menu options disappear once you leave the homepage so you'll need to click "home" to get back to the main menu.
Love to Learn Place
has a Christian outlook and offers an extensive list of links organized by category. Links are organized by academic subject, information on homeschooling in general, sources for special needs students or information on the college application process.
For test preparation resources ...
Homeschool.com
is distinguished from other homeschooling pages by its useful resource guide. Find links to various tutorial and test preparation services. Don't miss the Testing link near the bottom of the page for more resources..
A to Z Home's Cool Homeschooling
has a lot of useful information about SAT and other college entrance exam testing schedules, test prep software and other testing-related issues.
For religious resources ...
Religious Resources
is a clearinghouse for online resources and materials for all major religions. Browse the list of sites recommended specifically for homeschooling or search the main directory for activities, games, clipart, music files and other resources to augment your religious homeschooling curriculum.
A to Z Home's Cool Homeschooling
has a directory of Christian homeschooling resources for those looking to bring religion into the homeschool experience.
Heart of Wisdom
is a Christian publishing company that produces homeschooling materials and curricula. Use the "Quick Links" on the right to find resources that can help you integrate Christianity into your homeschool approach.
Homeschooling News and Advice
The homeschooling community makes extensive use of the Internet to communicate and connect. Find helpful homeschooling news and advice below.
Insights for Homeschooling News and Advice
- Many sites offer free e-mail newsletters; these can provide an easy way to find homeschooling news and advice that's important to you.
- Blogs, discussion boards and chat rooms are all places where homeschoolers talk about their experiences. Try a blog search engine such as Technorati to find homeschool topics of interest to you.
- Search engines allow you to search both general Web sites and current news stories. To look for news, try searching on Breitbart.com or Newslink.
Top Sites for Homeschooling News and Advice
For homeschooling news . . .
Home Education Magazine
covers all the basic homeschooling issues in detail, and also has free blogs, newsletters, e-mail updates and links to homeschooling support groups in every state.
Homeschool World
is the official Web site of Practical Homeschooling magazine. Find an online catalog for homeschooling products and links to homeschool education organizations in every state. The site even lists some homeschooling events such as lectures, conferences and the Homeschool Prom.
Home School Legal Defense Association
features top stories in homeschooling news on its homepage.
For online homeschooling communities and advice about homeschool ...
Best Homeschooling
includes a range of opinions and advice from homeschooling parents and others involved in home education. Be prepared to scroll, though; there's no search function or navigation bar to guide you through this site.
A to Z Home's Cool Homeschooling
includes a section on "Homeschool Community Networking" that offers tips for building support group Web sites, provides links to homeschool chatrooms and blogs, and suggests other "community building resources."
HomeSchool Association of California
has a well-organized site that includes articles offering practical tips and strategies as well as emotional support. Topics range from getting started to homeschooler participation in sports.
To find blogs written by homeschooling families ...
HomeSchoolBuzz.com
has links to several homeschooling blogs in its "Blog Buzz" section. Find a complete list of contributing blogs on the left or browse the latest posts featured in the center of the page.
The Well-Trained Mind
is a guide to classical education at home and posts a list of many of the homeschool blogs that are available. Check out various authors and see whose experience best matches up with yours.
Why Homeschool
is a blog devoted to sharing the benefits of homeschooling. In addition to daily posts from the contributors, there's a collection of "best posts" explaining reasoning and resources for homeschooling.
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