Pacheco is one of approximately 15,000 residents in what is known as America鈥檚 first solar-powered town, defined by its environmental vision, hurricane and strong sense of community. Since welcoming its first residents in January 2018, Babcock Ranch鈥檚 population has soared, with plans to reach 50,000 in the years ahead.

As this future-focused community grows, its K-12 education landscape is expanding alongside it, shaped by the same spirit of innovation. With a rising assortment of public schooling, homeschooling and micro-schooling options, Babcock Ranch offers a distinct snapshot of today鈥檚 evolving education offerings and the families who choose them.

鈥淚t鈥檚 kind of like choose your own education adventure,鈥� said Laura Felker, who moved to Babcock Ranch from Colorado last spring. She enrolled her son in kindergarten at the Babcock Neighborhood School, a public charter school that opened in 2017, just a few months ahead of the community鈥檚 first residents. Babcock High School, also a public charter school, launched in 2022.

Felker was attracted to the school鈥檚 commitment to project-based learning, which is embedded into the curriculum. Her son has excelled at Babcock Neighborhood School, but when she heard about a new school opening in Babcock Ranch this fall, she was intrigued. Her son is academically advanced and in need of a more challenging learning environment, while also thriving with project-based learning. 鈥淚 wanted some kind of meet-in-the-middle microschool,鈥� said Felker, explaining that she was looking for a school that would blend the flexibility of homeschooling with the structure of traditional schooling, while prioritizing hands-on, project-based learning.

鈥淧rimer is able to do that,鈥� said Felker, referring to the venture-backed K-8 private school network that is opening a Babcock Ranch location this fall. Founded in 2019 by Ryan Delk, expects to have 19 teacher-led campuses across Alabama, Arizona, Florida and Texas in the upcoming school year 鈥� including Babcock Ranch. The company did not disclose its network-wide enrollment numbers or current registration figures for Babcock Ranch, but Felker says that many of her neighbors are excited about this new model.

鈥淗ands-on learning is going to become incrementally more and more important,鈥� said Felker, who leads data and AI strategy for a Silicon Valley-based company. She sees first-hand how emerging technologies are impacting the workplace and shaping the jobs of the future, and she wants a schooling environment for her son, and his two younger siblings, that mixes core academics with ample time for creative, community-based projects. 鈥淚 want that to be part of his schooling, so when Primer came, I think I was one of the first people to reach out because this is the exact thing that I’m looking for,鈥� she said.

Emerging schooling models like Primer are taking root in communities across the country, as families look for more personalized education options. In states such as Florida, expanding school choice policies make these models financially accessible to more families. Felker expects most of Primer鈥檚 tuition to be covered by the state鈥檚 education savings account programs.

While some parents like Felker use ESA funding toward private school tuition, today鈥檚 programs often enable much greater customization of learning. In Florida, for example, families are eligible for funding through the state鈥檚 Personalized Education Program, an ESA enabling them to tailor their children鈥檚 education in myriad ways, including covering homeschooling expenses, tutoring services, curriculum resources, online learning and part-time school fees.

This flexible funding, averaging about $8,000 per student per year, is what Pacheco uses to educate her 13-year-old daughter, Bella. When the family moved to Babcock Ranch in the summer of 2024 following that enchanting Friday night visit, Pacheco began homeschooling Bella, who had previously attended a public elementary school from kindergarten through fifth grade. 

Pacheco liked the school, but she wanted something more for Bella as she entered her middle school years. 鈥淚 always felt like the public school wasn’t the best fit,鈥� said Pacheco, a nurse practitioner who helped to co-found a family medicine practice with three Florida locations, including a new one opening soon in Babcock Ranch. 鈥淚t’s like a one size fits all, but that’s not how people are,鈥� said Pacheco, who was particularly concerned about the frequent focus on standardized testing in the public schools and the anxiety it created for her daughter.  

When she moved into Babcock Ranch, Pacheco discovered a large and vibrant homeschooling community. 鈥淭here are so many homeschooling groups,鈥� she said, often gathering for park meet-ups, enrichment activities and field trips to the aquarium and similar spots. Parents also take turns hosting lessons at their homes, which supplements the online curriculum that Bella uses for her core academics. 鈥淚t鈥檚 like a little homeschool village here. I love it,鈥� said Pacheco, adding that Bella is much happier than she was in a conventional classroom.

Babcock Ranch was designed to be a modern-day village, where community life is intentionally built. That same intentionality is shaping how Babcock Ranch families choose to educate their children. From project-based charter schools to homeschooling to emerging models like Primer, families have a growing array of learning options to consider.  

In Babcock Ranch, this variety isn鈥檛 only reserved for K-12 education. options are sprouting, and the community recently a partnership with Florida Gulf Coast University to create a new sustainability-focused campus center at Babcock Ranch.

鈥淭here is a lot of educational opportunity here, and it just keeps evolving for every layer of education,鈥� said Felker. 鈥淚t’s cool to see that type of vibrancy.鈥�

The majority of students in West Virginia who left public schools in the last three years were chronically absent, prompting concerns among educational officials and lawmakers that students are exiting the schools to avoid truancy penalties.

A bill in the House of Delegates sought to address the issue by pausing homeschool requests from parents of chronically-absent or truancy children. It was to make sure families weren鈥檛 avoiding legal ramifications for truancy.

But, as of Tuesday, the measure is dead for this legislative session.

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鈥淚 (saw) it as a way to help students to make sure that they鈥檙e receiving the proper education,鈥� said Del. Christopher Toney, R-Raleigh, who sponsored the legislation.

In the last three school years, 71.6% of students withdrawing to homeschool were chronically absent when they left to homeschool, according to data from the West Virginia Department of Education.

These were students who had 18 or more absences from school when they exited for homeschooling.

State Schools Superintendent Michele Blatt said the education department and Legislature should work together to protect children.

鈥淲e have great homeschool parents. It鈥檚 just in West Virginia 鈥� this data shows us that we have more students that are or more families that are pulling them out for the wrong reasons,鈥� she said.

Toney鈥檚 measure, , would have established a 90-day time limit during which a family involved in an active truancy or pre-petition process couldn鈥檛 withdraw a student for homeschooling.

鈥淭here should be specific safeguards in the code to protect student well-being during truancy proceedings,鈥� the measure said.

County schools superintendents brought the bill idea to House members, Toney said.

鈥淭his is the (students) that just repeatedly come back every six months or so,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hese are just the ones that keep bouncing back and forth.鈥�

The bill also cited concerns that families would use homeschooling over the summer as a way to bypass the required reading proficiency requirements in the . The landmark West Virginia education measure in third grade if they haven鈥檛 hit certain benchmarks in reading beginning in the 2026-27 school year.

Homeschool parents, advocates opposed measure

While the House鈥檚 Public Education subcommittee vetted the bill last week, homeschool lobbyists and advocates railed against the bill.

Thomas J. Schmidt, who represented the Home School Legal Defense Association, argued the state didn鈥檛 need 鈥渁 blanket 90-day barrier that punishes struggling students and ignores the fundamental rights of parents to direct the child鈥檚 education.鈥�

鈥淗ouse Bill 5053 claims that parents use homeschooling as an easy out or a shield to avoid accountability,鈥� Schmidt said. 鈥淗owever, the reality is that many of these parents only turn to homeschooling when the parent in the school is unable to protect the child from bullying, or when a child鈥檚 illness becomes chronic.鈥�

Del. Kathie Hess Crouse, R-Putnam, one of the House鈥檚 most fervent homeschooling supporters, told committee members that the bill was an attack on homeschoolers.

鈥淭his bill assumes that the public school can do a better job at protecting their children than the actual parent can,鈥� Hess Crouse said.

A county can deny a homeschooling request through a judge鈥檚 order if they feel it is detrimental to the student, she added.

The House鈥檚 Public Education Subcommittee didn鈥檛 advance the measure to the full House floor for a vote.

Toney said there were some issues with the bill that needed to be addressed, but he鈥檇 run out of time since Tuesday was the last meeting of the subcommittee this session.

鈥淲e鈥檒l look at it next year and see what language we need to put in there, and how we need to make it more tailored,鈥� he said.

Del. Anitra Hamilton, who serves on the Public Education subcommittee, said she thought it was a good piece of legislation.

鈥淲e really have to weigh student safety and student concern, versus inconvenience,鈥� she said. 鈥淪o it鈥檚 going to be one of those things where everybody鈥檚 not going to be happy, but we have to weigh what鈥檚 more important.鈥�

She cited where West Virginia children who were being homeschooled died due to abuse and/or neglect.

As a member of the minority caucus, Hamilton can鈥檛 put a bill on an agenda for consideration.

鈥淲hen a child has been harmed, then we all should do whatever we can, from a legislation standpoint, to uncover the problem and see what we can do legislative wise to prevent it from happening again,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 unfortunate that when we deal with these things, it becomes inundated with all of these other situational circumstances that really don鈥檛 outweigh a child dying.鈥�

As West Virginia educators , Blatt said that the education department has encouraged school employees to focus on chronically-absent children who may be experiencing issues at home preventing them from attending school.

鈥淲e鈥檝e tried to kind of change the mindset in the school systems that focus on the kids that we know may have other issues, as opposed to spending your time just doing data collection on a doctor鈥檚 note,鈥� she said.

is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. West Virginia Watch maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Leann Ray for questions: info@westvirginiawatch.com.

In 2019, I gave a keynote presentation at the Alternative Education Resource Organization鈥檚 (AERO) annual conference in Portland, Oregon. Founded in 1989 by Jerry Mintz, AERO has long supported entrepreneurial educators in launching new schools and spaces, with a particular focus on learner鈥慶entered educational models. It was about a month after my previous book was published, and I was talking about the gathering interest in unconventional education. Homeschooling numbers were gradually rising, and more microschools and microschooling networks were surfacing. I predicted that these trends would continue, but I said they would remain largely on the 颅edge鈥� as alternative education had for decades. They would offer more choices to some families who were willing to try new things, similar to those of us who eagerly embraced Netflix鈥檚 mailed DVDs when they first appeared. But I didn鈥檛 think these unconventional models would upend the entire education sector the way Netflix ultimately did with entertainment. I thought they would remain small and niche. I was wrong.

The COVID crisis catapulted peripheral educational trends into the mainstream, not only creating the opportunity for new schools and spaces to emerge but, more importantly, permanently altering the way parents, teachers, and kids think about schooling and learning. The pre鈥憄andemic tilt toward homeschooling and microschooling has converged with five post鈥憄andemic trends that are profoundly reshaping American education for families and founders. Together, these trends are shifting the K鈥�12 education sector from being an innovation laggard to an innovation leader.

Trend #1: The growth of homeschooling and microschooling

The nearby microschool for homeschoolers that my children attended before COVID was one of only a sprinkling of schooling alternatives in our area. Now, it鈥檚 part of a wide, fast鈥慻rowing ecosystem of creative schooling options鈥� both locally and nationally鈥� representing an array of different educational philosophies and approaches. Families today are better able to find an education option that aligns with their preferences. From Maine to Miami to Missouri to Montana, the majority of the innovative schools and spaces I鈥檝e visited have emerged since 2020, and many already have lengthy waitlists, inspiring more would鈥慴e founders. The demand for these options will grow and accelerate over the next ten years, as will the number of homeschooling families, many of whom will be attracted to homeschooling as a direct result of these microschools and related learning models. Indeed, data from the Johns Hopkins University Homeschool Hub reveal that homeschooling numbers continued to grow during the 2023/2024 academic year compared to the prior year in 90 percent of the states that reported homeschooling data, shattering assumptions that homeschooling鈥檚 pandemic鈥慹ra rise was just a blip. Parents that otherwise wouldn鈥檛 have considered a homeschooling option will do so because homeschooling enables them to enroll at their preferred microschool or learning center.

One particularly striking and consistent theme revealed in my conversations with founders as I鈥檝e crisscrossed the country is that their kindergarten classes are filling with students whose parents chose an unconventional education option from the start. These parents aren鈥檛 removing their child from a traditional school because of an unpleasant experience or a failure of a school to meet a child鈥檚 particular needs. They are opting out of conventional schooling from the get鈥慻o, gravitating toward homeschooling and microschooling before their child even reaches school age. This trend is also likely to accelerate, as younger parents become even more receptive to educational innovation and change.

Trend #2: The adoption of flexible work arrangements

Today鈥檚 generation of new parents grew up with a gleeful acceptance of digital technologies and the breakthroughs they have facilitated in everything from healthcare to home entertainment. These parents see the ways in which technology and innovation enable greater personalization and efficiency, and expect these qualities in all their consumer choices. It鈥檚 no wonder, then, that parents of young children today are generally more curious about homeschooling and other schooling alternatives. They are often perplexed that traditional education seems so sluggish.

The response to COVID gave these parents license to consider other options for their children鈥檚 education. The school closures and extended remote learning during the pandemic empowered parents to take a more active role in their children鈥檚 education. That trend persists, as does the remaking of Americans鈥� work habits. The number of employees working remotely from home rather than at their workplace has more than tripled since 2019.聽

As more parents enjoy more flexibility in their work schedules, they will seek similar flexibility in their children鈥檚 learning schedules. While remote and hybrid work generally remain privileges of the so鈥慶alled 鈥渓aptop class鈥� of higher鈥慽ncome employees, the growing adoption of flexible work and school arrangements is driving demand for more of these alternative learning models, including many of the ones featured in Joyful Learning that offer full鈥憈ime, affordable programming options for parents who don鈥檛 have job flexibility. Remote and hybrid work patterns are here to stay, and so is the trend toward more nimble educational models for all.

Trend #3: The expansion of school choice policies

The burst of creative schooling options since 2020 is now occurring all across the United States, in small towns and big cities, in both politically progressive and conservative areas, and in states with and without school choice policies that enable education funding to follow students. 

Education entrepreneurs aren鈥檛 waiting around for politicians or public policy to green鈥憀ight their ventures or provide greater financial access. They are building their schools and spaces today to meet the mounting needs of families in their communities.

That said, there is little doubt that expansive school choice policies in many states are accelerating entrepreneurial trends. Founders I talk to who are developing national networks of creative schooling options, are intentional about locating in states with generous school choice policies that enable more parents to choose these new learning models. Other entrepreneurs are moving to these states specifically so that they can open their schools in places that enable greater financial accessibility and encourage choice and variety. Jack Johnson Pannell is one example. The founder of a public charter school for boys in Baltimore, Maryland, that primarily serves low鈥慽ncome students of color, Jack grew discouraged that the experimentation that defined the early charter school movement in the 1990s steadily disappeared, replaced by an emphasis on standardization and testing that can make many鈥攂ut certainly not all鈥攐f today鈥檚 charter schools indistinguishable from traditional public schools. He saw in the choice鈥慹nabled microschooling movement the opportunity for ingenuity and accessibility that was a hallmark of the charter sector鈥檚 infancy. In 2023, Jack moved to Phoenix, Arizona, to launch Trinity Arch Preparatory School for Boys, a middle school microschool that families are able to access through Arizona鈥檚 universal school choice policies. 

Trend #4: The advent of new technologies and AI

New technologies are also accelerating the rise of innovative educational models, while making it harder to ignore the inadequacies of one鈥憇ize鈥慺its鈥慳ll schooling. The ability to differentiate learning, personalizing it to each student鈥檚 present competency level and preferred learning style, has never been easier or more straightforward. It no longer makes sense to say that all second graders or all seventh graders should be doing the same thing, at the same time, in the same way鈥攁nd failing them if they don鈥檛 measure up.聽

Emerging and maturing technologies help prioritize students over schools and systems, but the widespread introduction of artificial intelligence (AI) tools, and bots like ChatGPT, will hasten this repositioning. New AI bots can act as personal tutors for students, helping them navigate through their set curriculum. The real promise, according to founders focused more on agency鈥� based or learner鈥慸irected education, is for AI tools to work for the students themselves, helping them to control their own curriculum.

鈥淲e don鈥檛 have a set pathway for our learners. It鈥檚 personalized,鈥� said Tobin Slaven, cofounder of Acton Academy Fort Lauderdale, which he launched with his wife Martina in 2021. Part of the global Acton Academy microschool network, Tobin鈥檚 school prioritizes student鈥慸riven education in which young people set and achieve individual goals in both academic and nonacademic areas, participate in frequent Socratic group discussions, engage in collaborative problem鈥憇olving and shared decision鈥憁aking, and embark on their own 鈥渉ero鈥檚 journey鈥� of personal discovery and achievement. 

When we spoke in 2024, Tobin had recently founded an educational technology startup building AI companion tools that act as a personal tutor, life coach, and mentor all in one. He sees AI tools like his as being instrumental in helping learners have more independence and autonomy over their learning. Rather than AI bots guiding a student through a pre鈥慹stablished curriculum, Tobin thinks the truly transformative potential of AI lies in tools that help students lead their own learning鈥攁nswering their own questions and pursuing their own academic and nonacademic goals.

鈥淲hen I hear the visions of some other folks in the education space, their visions are very different from mine,鈥� Tobin said, referring to many of today鈥檚 emerging AI鈥慹nabled educational technologies. He offered the example of a device known as a jig, used often in carpentry, to further illustrate his point. 鈥淭he jig tells you exactly where the curves should be, where the cut should be. It鈥檚 like a template. The template that most of the AI folks are using is traditional education. It was broken from the start. It鈥檚 a bad jig,鈥� Tobin said.

Instead, he sees the potential of AI to help reimagine education rather than reinforce a top鈥慸own, traditional model. He is helping to create a new and better educational jig.

Trend #颅 5: Openness to new institutions

The final trend that is merging with the others to transform American education is the shift away from established institutions toward newer, more decentralized ones. Some of this is undoubtedly due to emerging technologies that can disrupt entrenched power structures and lead to greater awareness of, and openness to, new ideas, but the trend goes beyond technology. Annual polling by Gallup reveals that Americans鈥� confidence in a variety of institutions has fallen, with their confidence in public schools at a historic low. Only 26 percent of survey respondents in 2023 indicated that they had a 鈥淕reat deal/Quite a lot鈥� of confidence in that institution. The good news is that confidence in small business remains high, topping Gallup鈥檚 list with 65 percent of Americans expressing a 鈥淕reat deal/Quite a lot鈥� of confidence in that institution in 2023. The falling favor of public schools occurring at the same time that small businesses continue to be well鈥憀iked creates ideal conditions for today鈥檚 education entrepreneurs. Families who are dissatisfied with public schooling may be much more interested in a small school or space operating or opening within their community. 

For another signal of the shift away from older, more centralized institutions toward newer, more customized options, look at what the Wall Street Journal calls the 鈥減ower shift underway in the entertainment industry,鈥� as YouTube increasingly draws viewers away from traditional television networks. Individual YouTube content creators, such as the world鈥檚 top YouTuber, MrBeast, who has some 300 million subscribers, appeal to more viewers than the legacy media networks with their more curated content. New content creators are particularly attractive to younger generational cohorts like Gen Z, who prefer decentralized, user鈥慻enerated content over traditional, top鈥� down media models. Consumers today are looking for more modern, responsive, personalized products and services, especially those being developed by individual entrepreneurs who bear little resemblance to legacy institutions. This is as true in education as it is in entertainment and will be an ongoing, indefinite, and transformational trend in both sectors.

Shortly before completing this manuscript, I spoke again at the annual AERO conference, this time in Minneapolis. Gone was my measured optimism of 2019. In its place was a mountain of evidence showing how popular alternative education models have become since 2020, and how steadily that popularity continues to grow. This isn鈥檛 a pandemic- era fad or an educational niche destined for the edges. This is a diverse, decentralized, choice鈥慺illed entrepreneurial movement that is shifting American education from standardization and stagnation toward individualization and innovation.

We are only at the very early stages of a fundamental change in how, where, what, and with whom young people learn. Over the next decade, homeschooling and microschooling numbers will continue to grow, work flexibility will trigger greater demand for schooling flexibility, expanding education choice policies will make creative schooling options more accessible to all, AI and emerging technologies will help create a new 鈥渆ducational jig鈥� fit for the innovation era, and declining confidence in old institutions will enable fresh ones to arise. The future of learning is brighter than ever. Families and founders are finding freedom, happiness, and success beyond conventional schooling, inspiring the growth of today鈥檚 joyful learning models and the invention of new ones yet to be imagined.

Many discovered their children were better suited for learning outside traditional schools and stuck with it. Others said schools were pushing and wanted to teach their own values. These parents help to explain why homeschooling during the pandemic and shows no sign of retreating to pre-COVID rates.

But that doesn鈥檛 mean those families have completely left public schools behind, according to the latest data from researchers at Johns Hopkins University.  More than a third of families with at least one homeschooled child also have a student enrolled in a traditional district school. Another 9% of homeschoolers have a child in a charter.

Angela Watson, an assistant professor and director of the university鈥檚 Homeschool Research Lab, called a 鈥渂ig deal.鈥� 

The data is 鈥渆vidence that there鈥檚 not this rejection of public schooling that people frame it as,鈥� she said. She doesn鈥檛 know whether  many families were 鈥渕ixing鈥� different forms of education before the pandemic. 鈥淭o my knowledge, no one has thought to ask this question before. Folks just assumed homeschool families were homeschool families.鈥� 

As more families choose to educate their children at home, Watson鈥檚 post-COVID analysis of responses from nearly 3,200 parents reflects the within the population. Less than half of homeschoolers identify as Republicans, whereas, , this group outnumbered Democrats 3 to 1. A quarter say they are politically liberal, and a third say they never attend religious services. That鈥檚 a big shift from 2012, when of parents said imparting their religious beliefs to their children was a primary reason for homeschooling.

鈥淭hat really changes the conversation for Democrats to see how diverse this group is,鈥� Watson said. 

Families often turn to homeschooling after struggling to get adequate services in the public system for children with disabilities. Education savings accounts 鈥� public funds that pay for private school tuition or homeschooling costs 鈥� have made that decision even easier. 

Angela Faber pulled her youngest child, who has autism, out of the Deer Valley Unified School District, near Phoenix, during the pandemic. Remote learning had allowed Faber to see up close the extent of her daughter鈥檚 delays. She was in fourth grade, but reading at a kindergarten level and getting just 30 minutes of extra help each week.  

With state funds, her daughter now learns at home with a private teacher and receives horseback riding therapy, which helps with balance, coordination and focus. 

But she鈥檚 sometimes envious of her older sister, who attends what Faber described as a 鈥減retty darn liberal鈥� charter school and manages a hectic extracurricular schedule. As a basketball player, she鈥檚 out the door some mornings at 6 a.m. and not back until after dark.

鈥淭he youngest is like 鈥業 want to go to school and play all these sports.鈥� But she just doesn’t like people and she knows that,鈥� Faber said. 鈥淚 don’t know any family that really has kids who learn the same way.鈥�

鈥楴ot a fit for all situations鈥�

One complication for families juggling the mix is that the rhythms of homeschooling and public school don鈥檛 necessarily mesh. 

When Audria Ausbern, from the west Texas town of Tahoka, homeschooled her two sons, the family used to avoid vacation crowds by scheduling trips after public schools started in the fall. That鈥檚 what they did in 2019 when Talon, their oldest, insisted they visit Boston, the site of the of 1919. He learned about the bizarre event from the 鈥淚 Survived鈥� of books.

For five years, they took off in their RV whenever they wanted, with excursions to the Pacific Northwest, Florida, and Minnesota, where they biked the Grand Marais trail. But once Talon entered public school in 2022, they had to plan their adventures around the school calendar. At 6-foot-6, he wanted to play high school basketball and get used to the dynamics of a typical classroom so he鈥檇 be better prepared for college.

The transition came with hiccups. The school didn鈥檛 accept all of his credits 鈥� like sign language for a foreign language 鈥� and he had to take an extra science class, Ausbern said. The counselor wasn鈥檛 pleased that Talon didn鈥檛 take social studies courses in the same order as district kids, and she required him to double up on English when she decided his at-home curriculum didn鈥檛 include enough paperwork.

鈥淪ince English is Talon’s weaker subject, and he had room in his schedule, we decided not to fight the issue,鈥� his mother said. 

Now Weston, his younger brother, is weighing whether he too will spend his senior year in a public school.

Homeschooling 鈥渋s not a fit for all situations,鈥� she said, 鈥渁nd we had some great experiences with public education.鈥�

In the future, families鈥� preferences may even change 鈥測ear by year,鈥� said Jeremy Newman, vice president of policy and engagement at the Texas Home School Coalition, an advocacy group. 

鈥淚t’s not the case anymore that the average student is going to one form of education for their whole K-12 education,鈥� he said. That doesn鈥檛 mean, however, that the 鈥渘atural suspicion鈥� some homeschoolers have toward the public system is gone, he said. 鈥淚t was just like 30, 40 years ago when states were trying to prosecute homeschoolers just for homeschooling.鈥� 

Two attorneys the Home School Legal Defense Association in 1983 for that reason, and the organization still fights legal challenges today. For example, a bill proposed in Illinois in this year鈥檚 session recently reignited parents鈥� mistrust toward the government.

The Democratic-backed would have required parents to have a high school diploma to homeschool and to alert their local district if they intended to do so. Sponsors said they want to ensure children are safe and learning, but families and have . 

Kevin Boden, an attorney with the association, thinks the growing racial, economic, cultural and diversity of homeschoolers is one reason why the legislation died this year. While he spends his time protecting parents鈥� right to educate their children at home, he said he鈥檚 not surprised that so many families also have a child in public school. 

鈥業 needed help鈥�

Aime茅 Fletcher, a Nashville-area mom, took remote learning during COVID as a chance to rethink how her children were being educated. After the pandemic, she put her two sons, Noah and Nash, in private school. Now homeschooled, they follow a Bible-themed curriculum with a study group two days a week and spend the rest completing assignments on the couch or at the dining room table. The flexibility allows Noah, a sophomore this fall, time to paint, teach himself guitar and work part-time at a local farm.

鈥淏oth boys seem to have settled and are thriving in the homeschool environment,鈥� she said. 

Their sister Sara has very different needs, which for now, Fletcher thinks the public schools are in the best position to meet. Adopted from Colombia, the rising fifth grader has cerebral palsy, was orphaned and didn鈥檛 know English when she arrived in 2020. With her learning still delayed, she depends on more than 1,000 minutes a week of one-on-one and small group support in reading and math.

A homeschool advocate who works for a conservative nonprofit, Fletcher tried to teach Sara letters and numbers. But she determined that enrolling her at Amanda North Elementary, in the Williamson County district, was the best option.

鈥淚 needed help and I still do, honestly,鈥� Fletcher said. 鈥淗er story is different from my boys, and so is her schooling.鈥�

A new Illinois bill aims to add some oversight of families who homeschool their children, a response to concerns that the state does little to ensure these students receive an education and are protected from harm.

The measure, , comes after last year found that Illinois is among a small number of states that place virtually no rules on parents who homeschool their children. Parents don鈥檛 have to register with any state agency or school district, and authorities cannot compel them to track attendance, demonstrate their teaching methods or show student progress.

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Under the new bill, families would be required to tell their school districts when they decide to homeschool their children, and the parents or guardians would need to have a high school diploma or equivalent. If education authorities have concerns that children are receiving inadequate schooling, they could require parents to share evidence of teaching materials and student work.

Illinois Rep. Terra Costa Howard, a Democrat from a Chicago suburb who is sponsoring the legislation, said she began meeting with education and child welfare officials in response to the news organizations鈥� investigation, which detailed how some parents claimed to be removing their children from school to homeschool but then failed to educate them.

The investigation documented the case of L.J., a 9-year-old whose parents decided to homeschool him after he missed so much school that he faced the prospect of repeating third grade. He told child welfare authorities that he was beaten and denied food for several years while out of public school and that he received almost no education. In December 2022, on L.J.鈥檚 11th birthday, the state took custody of him and his younger siblings; soon after, he was enrolled in public school.

The most recent numbers available at the time of the news organizations鈥� investigation showed nearly 4,500 children were recorded as withdrawn from public school for homeschooling in 2022 鈥� a number that had doubled over a decade. But there is no way to determine the precise number of students who are homeschooled in Illinois, because the state doesn鈥檛 require parents to register.

The bill would require the state to collect data on homeschooling families. Regional Offices of Education would gather the information, and the state board would compile an annual report with details on the number, grade level and gender of homeschooled students within each region.

Homeschool families and advocates said they will fight the measure, which they argue would infringe on parental rights. Past proposals to increase oversight also have met swift resistance. The sponsor of a 2011 bill that would have required homeschool registration withdrew it after hundreds of people protested at the Illinois State Capitol. In 2019, a different lawmaker abandoned her bill after similar opposition to rules that would have required curriculum reviews and inspections by child welfare officials.

The Home School Legal Defense Association, which describes itself as a Christian organization that advocates for homeschool freedom, said it plans to host virtual meetings to educate families on the bill and ways they can lobby against it.

Kathy Wentz of the Illinois Homeschool Association, which is against homeschool regulations, said she is concerned about the provision that would allow the state to review education materials, called a 鈥減ortfolio review鈥� in the legislation. She said visits from education officials could be disruptive to teaching.

The bill would require all private schools to register with the state.

The Capitol News Illinois and ProPublica investigation found that it鈥檚 all but impossible for education officials to intervene when parents claim they are homeschooling. The state鈥檚 child welfare agency, the Department of Children and Family Services, doesn鈥檛 investigate schooling matters.

Under the proposed law, if the department has concerns about a family that says it is homeschooling, the agency could request that education officials conduct a more thorough investigation of the child鈥檚 schooling. The new law would then allow education officials to check whether the family notified its district about its decision to homeschool and compel parents to turn over homeschool materials for review.

The increased oversight also aims to help reduce truancy and protect homeschooled students who lose daily contact with teachers and others who are mandated to report abuse and neglect, Costa Howard said. Some truancy officials said that under existing law they have no recourse to compel attendance or review what students are learning at home when a family says they are homeschooling.

Jonah Stewart, research director for the Coalition for Responsible Home Education, a national organization of homeschool alumni that advocates for homeschooling regulation, said the lack of oversight in Illinois puts children at risk. 鈥淭his bill is a commonsense measure and is critical not only to address educational neglect but also child safety,鈥� Stewart said.

This first appeared on and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

Nearly 15% of school-age children in the Meade School District 鈥� 504 students 鈥� are enrolled in alternative instruction instead of attending a state-accredited private or public school.

Because state funding is partially based on enrollment, those children would bring roughly $3.5 million in funding to the district if they attended a public school.

That鈥檚 money that could cover staff salaries and resources, maintenance and repair of school buildings or extracurriculars, said Heath Larson, executive director of Associated School Boards of South Dakota.

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Each of these states offers students access to education savings accounts, which give families education dollars so they can customize and personalize children鈥檚 learning experiences, from school tuition and tutoring to educational products or services. 

Now school districts in these states are enabling families to use their funds to purchase individual public school classes.

Early examples have emerged in Utah鈥檚 Canyons School District, Arizona鈥檚 Vail and Pima school districts and Florida鈥檚 Glades County School District. 

In Canyons School District, families can use ESA funds to enroll in public school programs, including , through the Utah Fits All Scholarship. Vail School District developed a that outlines costs for homeschool families who want to purchase individual school courses, enroll in clubs, access sports or engage in other extracurricular programs using Arizona鈥檚 ESA program. And Pima School District lets students use their ESAs to pay for .

In Florida, the Personalized Education Program allows homeschool families to access the nation’s largest universal school choice program 鈥� and this year, districts are starting to respond by allowing families to purchase one-off courses. In one recent example, let a student use education savings account funds to buy honors biology and American history classes. And students using Florida鈥檚 education choice scholarship program . This shift mirrors a change that began in 1996, when Florida passed the nation鈥檚 first law making available to homeschool families.

These initiatives demonstrate a profound shift in how public schools can serve students. Traditionally, ESA funding has been spent on providers such as private schools and tutors. By embracing the customization ESAs offer, public school districts no longer treat student funding as all-or-none. Rather, these districts are demonstrating a future where public schools compete in the education marketplace to better serve individual students and families.

This evolution in education mirrors the transformation I saw while working at Uber. When Uber first emerged, it was viewed as a threat to the taxi industry. to to Uber and other ridesharing companies. And when customers kept coming, lobbying efforts got them banned from airports and . But today, 13 years since Uber first rolled out its app in major cities, you can in  nearly every city, from Miami to Helena, Montana. And at nearly every major airport, travelers will find signs directing them to rideshare pickup locations as well as traditional transportation options 鈥� a result of the industry as a whole embracing the apps.

Just as transportation companies have adapted to offer better overall service to riders, public schools are making a similar shift in education to meet the demands of today鈥檚 families, improving their offerings and attracting more students.

More than 80% of families surveyed by want a customizable education experience for their child, yet only 38% say they can currently achieve this. The lesson is clear: Rather than resisting ESAs, public schools should see them as a tool for innovation. By providing services families want 鈥� whether it鈥檚 advanced academic courses, specialized arts programs or extracurriculars 鈥� public schools can thrive in this new, competitive marketplace.

The future of education in America is not about pitting public and private schools against one another. It鈥檚 about giving families the power to choose what鈥檚 best for their children 鈥� and public schools have every opportunity to be part of that solution. Just as Uber transformed transportation by focusing on what customers wanted, public schools can revolutionize education by listening to families and providing the services they need. ESAs are the tool that can make this vision a reality.

鈥淔amilies are looking for something different,鈥� GROW Program Director, Elizabeth L贸pez, told me when I visited the learning center last month. Located in the New Life Worship Center, a large, fast-growing, predominantly Hispanic Christian church in New England鈥檚 second largest city, GROW is part of the congregation鈥檚 mission to support families in and around their community. Similar church-based learning centers for homeschoolers are sprouting across Massachusetts, as more families seek alternatives to conventional schools. 

鈥淭hese centers are inspiring not just the parents to engage more in the education of their children, but grandma and grandpa and auntie and uncle. The church is truly rallying together the family to raise up the children,鈥� said Michael King, CEO of the Massachusetts Family Institute, a conservative advocacy organization that is helping to catalyze the creation of low-cost, church-based learning centers like GROW. Over the past three years, King鈥檚 organization has supported the launch of 15 of these learning centers across the Bay State, serving approximately 600 students. 

This may help to explain why Massachusetts is one of at least 19 states reporting an increase in 2023-24 homeschooling numbers compared to the prior academic year, according to analyzed by Dr. Angela Watson at Johns Hopkins University. While Massachusetts, like many states, experienced a large surge in homeschoolers during the pandemic and related school closures, this recent uptick in homeschooling is being caused by unknown factors. 

鈥淲hat is clear is that this time, the growth is not driven by a global pandemic or sudden disruptions to traditional schooling,鈥� Watson concluded. 鈥淪omething else is driving this growth.鈥� 

According to L贸pez, families are attracted to homeschooling with GROW because it provides a safe, nurturing, family-centered, values-affirming learning environment. 鈥淪tudents here feel like they鈥檙e in a safe and trusting environment, and their parents feel the same way,鈥� L贸pez told me. Indeed, the most recent federal on homeschooling released in September reveals that a top reason why parents choose homeschooling is that they are 鈥渃oncerned about the school environment, such as safety, drugs, or negative peer pressure.鈥� 

Homeschooling allows GROW families 鈥� most of whom are Hispanic 鈥� to have much more control over their children鈥檚 education. They collaborate closely with the learning center鈥檚 nine staff members and seven additional adult volunteers, who work to individualize learning to meet children鈥檚 specific academic needs. 

I talked with some of the parents of students who attend GROW to find out why they chose homeschooling over conventional schooling in recent years. 鈥淚 think that there has definitely been a big shift in the curriculum, what is being taught in schools, and how that doesn’t align with my values and my beliefs,鈥� said Tanya Tovar, a behavior analyst whose son Sebastian is a full-time first-grader at GROW. As Sebastian neared kindergarten age,Tovar looked into conventional public and private schools 鈥� including traditional Christian ones 鈥� but none appealed to her. She decided instead to enroll Sebastian at GROW last year, due in large part to its emphasis on faith-based education along with high-quality academics targeted to each child鈥檚 academic ability. 

GROW鈥檚 customized approach to education has enabled Sebastian to do advanced coursework, challenging him in ways Tovar thinks wouldn鈥檛 be possible in a conventional classroom. But for Tovar, GROW is about more than just Sebastian鈥檚 academics. 鈥淗e鈥檚 happy, he loves his classroom, he loves his friends,鈥� she said, adding that she plans to keep her son, and eventually his one-year-old sister, at GROW through high school. 鈥淚 want them to be able to think independently, have autonomy for themselves and for their life. I think GROW does that. I think homeschooling does that.鈥�

Erika Serrano agrees. She has an eleventh-grade daughter and a second-grade son at GROW, along with her three-year-old daughter, who attends part-time. A full-time community health worker, Serrano鈥檚 two older children attended Worcester Public Schools before enrolling at GROW last year. It was when her daughter began her freshman year at the public high school that Serrano realized she had to make a change. 鈥淭hat was a tough year for us,鈥� she told me, explaining how her daughter鈥檚 behavior changed from middle school and how she was encountering negative peer pressure. 

Since attending GROW, Serrano has noticed a transformational change in her daughter. 鈥淗onestly, it makes me so emotional because she has flourished into such a beautiful, kind young woman since she’s been going to GROW. Words can’t even express how thankful I am. This has been such a great opportunity for us,鈥� said Serrano, adding that her daughter plans to attend college after high school and become a teacher. Last year, GROW had its first high school graduate who received multiple college acceptances, beginning his freshman year this fall. 

Some students attend GROW a couple of days a week, but the majority are enrolled full-time, five days a week at an annual tuition of $2,400. To defray tuition costs even further, GROW has recently partnered with Children鈥檚 Scholarship Fund (CSF), a national nonprofit founded in 1998 that provides low-income families with partial scholarships to attend private schools. CSF is now offering scholarships to students who attend creative schooling options, such as microschools and learning centers. (Parents are encouraged to check if their school participates in CSF鈥檚 scholarship programs)

The parents I spoke with expect GROW and homeschool learning centers like it to continue to gain popularity, both in Massachusetts and across the country. They say that more parents are looking for alternatives to traditional schooling and, as more of these alternatives sprout, it makes it easier to choose something else.

鈥淚 grew up in the public school system,鈥� Serrano told me. 鈥淚 raised my daughter mostly in the public school system. That’s all I knew, but I knew I needed to shift. I was so scared because you think this is the only way, right? But then I said, wait a minute, there are so many other ways that our kids could be educated.鈥�

Serrano urges parents to consider new and different educational models. 鈥淏e open-minded,鈥� she said. 鈥淭ake that leap of faith and do what you know is right for your children.鈥�

鈥淚 felt there had to be something different,鈥� said the school鈥檚 founder, Candice Hilton, who quit her job as a public school teacher last December after seven years in the system. Her daughter had just started kindergarten that fall and it provided a new lens through which Hilton could view today鈥檚 schooling. 鈥淗er teacher was amazing,鈥� said Hilton, 鈥渂ut she told me how bored she was doing worksheets.鈥� 

At the same time, Hilton was reflecting on all of the required standardized testing in today鈥檚 schools and the pressures it was creating for students and teachers alike. 鈥淲e tested the kids so many days straight. It was just a sad space to be in for our education system,鈥� recalled Hilton.

After leaving the public school system, Hilton began researching what it would take to homeschool her daughter. It was through that research that she decided to become a microschool founder. She opened Hilton Horizons Academy in a cheerful rented space inside a culinary school with a dozen K-8 students. A hybrid microschool, Hilton鈥檚 students attend the mixed-age program two or three days a week for individualized academics and enrichment. Tuition for the three-day program is $4,900 a year. All of Hilton鈥檚 students are legally homeschooled, with the vast majority of them new to homeschooling this academic year. 鈥淢ost of my students are coming from public school. Most of them are first-time homeschoolers,鈥� said Hilton, adding that only two of her current students were previously homeschooled.

At , which opened in Goodyear, Arizona one week after Hilton Horizons Academy, founder Elisa Hernandez鈥檚 14 microschool students are a mix of homeschoolers and those coming from traditional public or private schools. A high school English teacher who taught in the public school system for 10 years, Hernandez quit for reasons similar to Hilton. Post-Covid, she noticed that schools became even more focused on standardized testing, perhaps as a result of more attention being paid to alleged learning loss during pandemic school closures. 鈥淭here was a shift where we were told to teach to that standardized test. Your worth as a teacher was now tied to that score, or your students’ scores. That was a big shift for me,鈥� recalled Hernandez. 

Last year, she began a small tutoring business on the side while still teaching full-time in the public schools. She enjoyed it so much that she decided to turn the tutoring business into a dedicated microschool, leaving her teaching job at the end of the school year in May. Hernandez wanted to create the type of school in which she knew children would thrive. 鈥淚 think that learning should be fun and learning should be personalized. If those two things are happening, that can be groundbreaking and world-changing,鈥� she said.

Students attend Hernandez鈥檚 home-based program for sixth to twelfth graders up to four days a week at an annual cost of $5,600. She intentionally set her tuition below the approximately $7,000 that all Arizona K-12 students are now eligible to receive under the state鈥檚 universal education savings account (ESA) program. 鈥淚 wanted to make sure that they had enough money left over to do sports, clubs, whatever it is that they want to do,鈥� said Hernandez.

Microschools and similarly creative schooling options gained increased popularity in the wake of the pandemic, and they continue to gain momentum. Not only are new schools and spaces opening across the U.S. but existing ones are expanding. 

New from VELA, a philanthropic nonprofit organization and entrepreneur community, reveals that over 90 percent of the unconventional learning environments it surveyed had more learners last fall than they did at their launch date, and the median compound rate of growth for these programs was 25 percent a year. 

As parent demand for more individualized, innovative education options grows, more everyday entrepreneurs are stepping up to meet that demand, while finding greater personal and professional satisfaction as school founders. Many of them are former public school teachers like Hilton and Hernandez who grew tired of one-size-fits-all standardized schooling and wanted to create an alternative. According to its 2024 sector , the National Microschooling Centers estimates that over 70 percent of today鈥檚 microschool founders are current or former licensed educators.

鈥淚鈥檓 not a business person. I鈥檓 an English teacher,鈥� Hernandez says, acknowledging that she initially felt intimidated by the idea of starting a school. She, like Hilton, decided to join the program earlier this year to gain support and mentorship before, during, and after launch. Started by Amar Kumar, founder of the national microschool network, KaiPod Learning, the Catalyst program provides business startup support and ongoing operational assistance to school founders. The cohort-style program is free to participants, with a small revenue-sharing agreement if they decide to launch a school following the program.

鈥淲e started KaiPod Catalyst because we saw tens of thousands of educators looking for alternative career paths in many of the same communities where families were looking for alternative education options,鈥� Kumar told me, adding that applications for the fall cohort are now open.

The new school founders I spoke with say the support from KaiPod Catalyst has been invaluable as they move from their role as teachers to teacher-entrepreneurs. 鈥淚 think that something that stopped me from starting a microschool earlier was the lack of mentorship,鈥� said Amanda Lucas, who taught in private and charter schools throughout New York City for about a decade. She also participated in a KaiPod Catalyst cohort earlier this year. 鈥淚 didn’t have any mentors, and I didn’t have anyone to go to and to help me get through the tough times and answer questions,鈥� added Lucas. 

Her microschool, , launches on September 4th in a leased, home-like space in Old Bridge, New Jersey. She currently has 10 enrolled students, ages 6 to 13, with two additional teachers. Her full-time program costs $15,000 a year, with various part-time enrollment options. 

Lucas expects to expand in the coming months given the increased number of inquiries she has been receiving from interested families, but she plans to remain a microschool for homeschoolers, rather than become a recognized private school. 鈥淧rivate schools, like charter schools, don’t give you all of the freedom that a microschool does,鈥� said Lucas. 鈥淚 want full autonomy, and I want absolute freedom in education. I also really believe in homeschooling and if we have too many students, I won’t be able to tailor the education the way that I want to,鈥� she said.

As the new school year begins, new schools are sprouting across the country, offering the personalization, freedom, and flexibility that enable both students and teachers to flourish.

Disclosure: Stand Together Trust provides financial support to Vela Education Fund and 社区黑料.

The North Carolina Division of Non-Public Education has released their on homeschooling statistics, which covers the 2023-24 school year. The report breaks down homeschooling numbers by county, by type of school — religious or independent — and by age.

The statewide total registered home schools increased from 94,154 during the 2022-23 school year to 96,529 this year. That鈥檚 a roughly 2.5% increase, marking a rebound after two years of decline following the temporary surge in homeschooling during the pandemic. At its peak during the 2020-21 school year, the number of registered home schools was 112,614.

EdNC focuses its reporting on the number of registered home schools rather than homeschool enrollment since the number of students enrolled in home schools . However, for reference, the estimated student homeschool population was 179,900 compared to the at the start of the 2023-24 school year.

, the majority of North Carolina’s 100 counties have seen an increase in the number of registered home schools, with the largest percent increases in Tyrrell, Johnston, Stanly, and Moore counties.

Since the 2020-21 school year peak, however, only a few counties have seen an increase, including Tyrrell County with a 54.8% increase during a period when most of the state saw a decline. Across the Albemarle Sound, Pasquotank County had a decrease of 56.4% over the same time.

With 45,708 independent schools and 50,821 religious home schools registered in the 23-24 school year, the proportion of independent versus religious schools moved closer to an even split. Religious schools made up 52.6% of home schools during the 23-24 school year, down from 60.4% in 2016.

hasn鈥檛 been updated since 2019, when the number of homeschooled students nationwide had fallen for the first time. But regardless of attitudes across the country, it is clear homeschooling is still a popular alternative to public and private schools in North Carolina.

This first appeared on and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

An Illinois lawmaker heading a child welfare committee said the state must strengthen its laws and policies to protect homeschooled children facing inadequate education, abuse and neglect. 

Rep. Terra Costa Howard, the chair of the Adoption and Child Welfare Committee in the Illinois House, called for action following a Capitol News Illinois and ProPublica investigation, which revealed little accountability for parents who pull their kids from school and then fail to ensure they receive an education. In the worst cases, the investigation found, parents isolated and mistreated their children. 

鈥淲e cannot turn a blind eye to children who are not being educated,鈥� Costa Howard said in an interview with Capitol News Illinois. Costa Howard, a lawyer with extensive experience in juvenile court, said she supports homeschoolers but that the article made clear the state needs to make changes.

While regulations on homeschooling are minimal across the nation, Illinois is among a small number of states with virtually no rules about homeschooling: state authorities can’t compel proof of teaching methods, attendance, curriculum or testing outcomes; homeschool teachers don’t need a high school diploma or GED; and parents aren鈥檛 required to notify anyone if they remove their kids from school. 

The Democrat from suburban Glen Ellyn said that 鈥渁t a bare minimum鈥� the state should mandate that parents must notify a school district or other governmental entity when they choose to homeschool. This is a requirement in 39 states and Washington, D.C., but is entirely optional for parents in Illinois. 鈥淲e need to know these kids exist,鈥� Costa Howard said.  

Past efforts in Illinois to implement regulations on homeschools have faced strong resistance, including against a bill in 2011 to require registration and another in 2019 to enact inspections and curriculum reviews of homeschools. In both instances, the outcry was so intense that Illinois lawmakers swiftly withdrew the bills from consideration. 

That resistance persists today, as evidenced by the numerous emails that reporters received from homeschool families and their advocates in response to the article. They argued that public schools, despite being heavily regulated, can also subject children to abuse and inadequate instruction. 鈥淢ost public schools in Illinois are not doing a good job,鈥� wrote Steven Durfey, of Bartlett, a village 35 miles west of Chicago, whose children were homeschooled. In other states, recent efforts to bolster homeschool regulations have failed in the face of similar opposition from families who homeschool and the groups that represent them.

Michael Mobley, who worked as a truancy officer for eight years in south-central Illinois until his retirement in 2018, has experienced this backlash firsthand. Illinois law says that homeschools must provide an education equivalent to what is taught in public schools, and if they don鈥檛, those children would be truant 鈥� in violation of Illinois鈥� mandatory education laws. Around 2013 he proposed a system to verify whether homeschools were meeting this mandate, but homeschool advocates protested his proposal. And Mobley said he didn鈥檛 find much support from state officials either.  

鈥淗omeschooling is the third rail of politics in Illinois. The legislature, the Illinois State Board of Education, which are all politically appointed, will not do anything,鈥� said Mobley. 鈥淚 hope that this renewed attention to this problem brings change. But I can tell you first-hand that any legislative attempt to regulate homeschooling will be met with swift and certain opposition.鈥�

But in the wake of the reporting, the governor and other key lawmakers also signaled a willingness to engage in discussions about what changes might be needed, although they offered few specifics. Spokespeople for Senate President Don Harmon and House Speaker Emanuel 鈥淐hris鈥� Welch said both legislative leaders were interested in hearing more from experts and advocates, including officials from the Department of Children and Family Services and the Illinois State Board of Education, to find 鈥渂est solutions鈥� and 鈥渁ddress problems.鈥� 

Alex Gough, a spokesperson for Gov. JB Pritzker, said the governor supports parents’ rights to choose homeschooling for their kids鈥� education, but also 鈥渂elieves every child deserves to be protected during their educational experience.鈥� He said the governor is 鈥渙pen to input and feedback from the General Assembly on this issue.鈥� 

The June news article highlighted cases involving two children who had been removed from public schools to homeschools. One child was beaten and given little to eat while he received almost no schooling, according to police records and court testimony; on his 11th birthday in December 2022, he was taken into state protective custody, where he remains. That same month, a 9-year-old boy accidentally shot himself with a gun he found in the home while his mom was running errands. Instead of alerting police, she hid the body. Seven months passed before police, responding to a concerned call from a friend, found the child鈥檚 body in a garbage can in the garage.

Homeschool groups that oppose changes in the law say cases of abuse among homeschooled children are tragic but rare. 

But the June reporting highlighted another issue with the state鈥檚 oversight of homeschooling: Schools may offer protection and stability to children in a volatile home environment, but there is often poor coordination between education departments and DCFS. 

Decades ago, DCFS was able to open an investigation into educational neglect if a homeschool family was accused of failing to provide an adequate education to their children or neglected to register them for school or ensure their regular attendance. But in 1989, lawmakers voted to remove that authority from DCFS and place it with regional offices of education, which oversee truancy intervention. 

The two entities do not coordinate their investigations or share results of their findings. 

Costa Howard plans to convene meetings in the coming months between state child welfare and education officials. And she plans to call on DCFS to improve its data collection about the schooling status of the children it investigates. 

The DCFS Office of Inspector General is required to review the agency鈥檚 actions when a child dies while in the custody of the state, or whose family was investigated within a year of their death. 

The reports do not generally include whether the child who died was regularly attending school, chronically truant or homeschooled, but Costa Howard believes they should.

Other child advocates also welcomed changes in the law. 

Dr. Veena Ramaiah, a board-certified child abuse pediatrician, said homeschooling is sometimes a red flag.  

鈥淚 completely understand that abusive parents who 鈥榟omeschool鈥� and are trying to hide their children are a small minority but I wonder if the thousands of parents who are sincere would ever be willing to compromise a little on oversight in order to save that handful of children who are being abused and hidden,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 would hope that the safety of even one child would trump the minimal effect on parental rights that more oversight would provide.鈥� 

Diana Hartmann, superintendent of Regional Office of Education 44 in upstate McHenry County, north of Chicago, said offices like hers feel like they have little authority to intervene if there are allegations of inadequate homeschooling, such as in cases where parents pull a child from school to evade responsibility for truancy. She also welcomes legislative action. 

鈥淚鈥檓 wholeheartedly ready to align with others that would like to introduce legislation to clean up the abuses of withdrawing students for homeschooling,鈥� she said. 

Hartmann took exception to a statement that ISBE provided reporters, included in the June story, saying that regional education offices can take action under existing truancy laws. Families who homeschool, she noted, are not required to maintain any records of their activities; therefore, 鈥渨ithout proper legislation to close the loophole, there is nothing we as an ROE can do besides ask.鈥� And asking, she said, 鈥渨ill have no benefit鈥� because 鈥渢here is nothing to do after they say no.鈥� 

In response to questions seeking clarification on the agency鈥檚 position, ISBE noted that while ROEs have authority to investigate truancy, the law does not provide 鈥渆xplicit authority to an ROE to verify the adequacy of a homeschool program; thus, when a family that is suspected of truancy claims to be homeschooling, an ROE鈥檚 ability to intervene can be limited.鈥� 

For its part, ISBE said it stands ready to help find solutions.

鈥淲e are committed to working with lawmakers and regional offices of education on this issue to ensure student safety and wellbeing are protected,鈥� the agency said. 

 is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service covering state government. It is distributed to hundreds of print and broadcast outlets statewide. It is funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation, along with major contributions from the Illinois Broadcasters Foundation and Southern Illinois Editorial Association.

Alaska鈥檚 Supreme Court justices on Friday that struck down key components of the state鈥檚 correspondence school program.

Nearly 23,000 homeschool students may continue to use their allotments of state education money to pay for private school tuition until the Anchorage Superior Court reconsiders the case.

The Supreme Court made its decision a day after oral arguments in an appeal of the ruling in State of Alaska, Department of Education and Early Development v. Alexander, in which plaintiffs argued that it is unconstitutional for public education money to be spent on private school tuition.

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The justices explained that they issued a quickly to avoid affecting thousands of students鈥� education and will complete a formal ruling later.

Supreme Court justices agreed with the state鈥檚 hired lawyer, Elbert Lin, that the lower court wrongly decided the state鈥檚 statute was unconstitutional in its entirety. They said state law could be preserved 鈥渂ecause there are many constitutionally permissible uses of allotment funds.鈥�

They sent the ruling back and directed the Superior Court to consider whether spending is unconstitutional on a case-by-case basis. That could mean individual districts, which are directly responsible for monitoring allotment spending, would be the defendants, rather than the Department of Education and Early Development. The justices wrote that they could not make such a ruling now because no districts were present, or joined in the lawsuit, at the time of the appeal.

They also directed the Superior Court to consider a group of correspondence families鈥� argument that the U.S. Constitution requires the state to allow families to use allotments on private school tuition.

Both the state and the parents who use state money to send their children to private schools asked the court to decide whether it is constitutional for families to spend the homeschool allotment on full-time private school tuition.

鈥淲e decline to make such a ruling at this point,鈥� the justices wrote, and explained that the issue did not come up in the original case and neither plaintiffs nor the correspondence families submitted arguments about it in their appeal.

Gov. Mike Dunleavy, Education Commissioner Deena Bishop and Attorney General Trag Taylor praised the decision. 鈥淭he Alaska Supreme Court clearly saw the flaws in the prior decision and in the plaintiffs鈥� arguments,鈥� said Taylor in a news release.  鈥淭o strike down the entire statutory scheme on the allegations of one type of unconstitutional spending does not comport with the laws of statutory and constitutional interpretation. Statutes are presumed constitutional and there must be a high bar to strike them down. This is a win for the rule of law as well as Alaskan families.鈥�

wife Jodi Taylor wrote a step-by-step of how families can use allotments for classes at private schools.

Scott Kendall, attorney for the plaintiffs, said the justice鈥檚 decision may not be what he wanted, but he feels confident about the case.

鈥淭hey were much more concerned with the procedural aspects of their case, not the substance,鈥� he said.

When the Superior Court reconsiders the case, the plaintiffs could  identify a district that allows correspondence allotments. Kendall said that a school district may even seek to join the case of its own volition, to argue that its practices should be allowed.

鈥淚 am not a betting man, but if I was, I would bet big money on the fact that you cannot constitutionally spend public funds through a correspondence program for tuition at a private school,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 just going to take us just a bit longer to reach that ultimate outcome.鈥�

is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Alaska Beacon maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Andrew Kitchenman for questions: info@alaskabeacon.com. Follow Alaska Beacon on and .

But over the years, parents have struggled to find good opening questions. 

鈥淵ou鈥檇 search [the Internet], you鈥檇 go on Pinterest,鈥� she said. 鈥淎 lot of the work had to be done manually, or you had to do a lot more digging around.鈥�

Then came ChatGPT, Open AI鈥檚 widely used artificial intelligence bot. For Fender, it was a no-brainer to query it for help developing deep opening questions.

The chatbot and other AI tools like it have found an eager audience among homeschoolers and microschoolers, with parents and teachers readily embracing it as a brainstorming and management tool, even as public schools take a more cautious approach, often . 

A few observers say AI may even make homeschooling more practical, opening it up to busy parents who might have balked previously.

鈥淗omeschoolers have always been unconstrained in their ability to combine technology 鈥� any kind of tech,鈥� said Alex Sarlin, a longtime technology analyst and co-host of the podcast. 

The reasons are readily apparent, he said: Home internet service typically doesn鈥檛 block key websites the way most schools do. Families can more easily manage data privacy and get the digital tools they want without fuss. They鈥檙e basically able to ignore 鈥渁ll the dozen reasons why everything falls apart when you try to sell to schools,鈥� Sarlin said. 

Persuading homeschoolers to try out new things is also a lot simpler: If a student and parents like a tool, 鈥淭here’s nobody else you have to convince.鈥�

Indeed, a by the curriculum vendor found that 44% of homeschool educators reported using ChatGPT, compared to 34% of classroom educators.

鈥淣ot everyone is using it, but some are very excited about it,鈥� said Amir Nathoo, co-founder of Outschool, an online education platform.

The most interesting uses he has seen are by gifted and neurodiverse homeschoolers, who often use chatbots to explore complex topics like advanced math and science, philosophy and even ethics, which they wouldn鈥檛 ordinarily have access to at a young age. They ask it to provide simple explanations of advanced topics, such as relativity and quantum mechanics, then pursue them on their own. 鈥淭hey’re able to go on a relatively unstructured exploration, which is often the best way that kids learn.鈥�

Alternatively, he said, kids whose ability to express themselves is limited can also benefit from what many consider the non-judgmental qualities of tools like ChatGPT. 

Peer-to-peer learning

Tobin Slaven, cofounder of , a self-paced, independent microschool in Fort Lauderdale, said he鈥檚 been experimenting with AI tools for the past year or so and is excited by what he鈥檚 seen. 鈥淭his is what the future looks like to me,鈥� he said

Like many educators, he sees the problems inherent in AI tools like ChatGPT, which on occasion 鈥溾�� with incorrect information and can sometimes be . These concerns have stopped many families from fully embracing AI.

But Slaven can鈥檛 support banning it outright. Instead, he鈥檒l offer a student his own device with ChatGPT loaded onto a browser window. The entire time, he has access to their queries and results. That ensures he can review the sessions for inappropriate content.

Lately, Slaven and his students have been playing with an AI tool called that helps them create and develop projects. Designed by a small, two-person UK-based startup, it鈥檚 set up like a simple chatbot that asks students what they want to learn about. It elicits information, much like a Socratic guide, about their prior knowledge and how they鈥檇 like to explore the topic. Then it searches the Internet for appropriate resources and returns suggestions on what to do next. 

Pathfinder uses Open AI鈥檚 GPT-4 large language model and its own algorithm to rank resources based on how relevant it is to an individual learner, said co-founder Amaan Ahmad. That includes how they learn best, what they鈥檙e interested in and what they already know. 

After a number of students in a homeschool group or class have worked with it long enough, it can even begin recommending classmates or friends to consult with to learn how they鈥檙e approaching the topic. 

鈥淢y AI can talk to your AI and say, ‘Hey, Greg crushed that last week. Why don’t you go speak to him and develop your project together?’鈥� he said. 

Slaven tried out Pathfinder with a group of students recently and found that even during a brief trial run, it allowed them to better conceptualize their projects. 

With the tool asking them questions about their preferred topic, they were able to go from general inquiries about their interests, such as horseback riding or space exploration, into more advanced ones that explore the topics more deeply. That goes a long way toward helping students become more independent and responsible for their own learning, a key goal of microschooling and homeschooling.

Slaven believes, more broadly, that AI co-pilots configured to students鈥� interests and preferences will enable personalized learning at scale. It’ll become the norm that everyone has a collaborative AI partner that will, in time, understand how each student performs best and under what conditions. 鈥淚t’s eventually going to become their preferred resource,鈥� he said.

Making homeschooling more accessible

Ahmad, the Pathfinder co-founder, said AI holds the possibility of helping endeavors like microschooling and homeschooling become more practical. Access to reliable, safe AI agents means that an individual student isn’t restricted to what a parent or teacher knows.

Giving that autonomy with a bit of guidance helps make learning much more impactful, he said. 鈥淚t’s very difficult to do that in real time because with one adult and one kid, you can’t always be by their side. And if you have a microschool with 12 to 16 kids, that’s even more time-consuming.鈥澛�

For Fender, the North Carolina homeschooling mother, one of the most helpful aspects of AI is that it helps parents organize what can often be a chaotic, free-form learning environment. 

Fender subscribes to a type of homeschooling known as 鈥�,鈥� which seeks to teach students to be more self-directed and independent than in most public schools. Her kids鈥� lessons are 鈥渧ery much interest-led鈥� and her small co-op has grown in recent years. 

But she must also persuade state bureaucrats that she鈥檚 providing an adequate education. So she and a few other homeschool parents in Cary rely on a website that uses AI to detail what activities their kids have done and auto-completes all of the relevant North Carolina educational standards. 鈥淚 thought that was a genius tool,鈥� she said, and one that allows stressed, busy parents to build a comprehensive portfolio for annual state reviews and high school transcripts.

Fender also uses ChatGPT for brainstorming. In a recent case, which she shared on , Fender asked the AI for 50 real-life applications for the Pythagorean theorem. It generated a list that included designing ramps or stairs, planning optimal pathways in garden design and building efficient roller coasters. 

Last year, she recalled, one of her daughters was creating Christmas cards for a homeschool craft fair and 鈥渨anted to have fun puns in the cards.鈥� Fender explained how to craft an AI prompt 鈥� and how to sift through the chaff. Her daughter eventually asked ChatGPT for 50 different Christmas-themed puns and ended up using about 10 to 15. 

Like most parents, Fender has read about the downsides of AI but believes schools are short-sighted to limit its use. 

鈥淲hy are you banning a tool that is definitely here to stay?鈥� she said. 鈥淢aybe we don’t understand all the ins and outs, but at the end of the day, our goal is to prepare kids for the jobs of the future. And a lot of these jobs of the future, we don’t even know what they are.鈥�

Families who use Alaska鈥檚 homeschool program will soon have clarity on how they may spend their allotments of state education money.

Lawmakers directed Alaska鈥檚 Board of Education and Early Development to write temporary regulations for the state鈥檚 correspondence school program that comply with the state鈥檚 constitution on Wednesday night. The law also requires that the education department begin to for the first time in a decade. It was approved unanimously by both the House and Senate.

The move comes after a Superior Court ruling found two components of the laws that govern the state鈥檚 correspondence program to be in April, which left the families of more than 22,000 students for curriculum, tutoring and physical education. The state has appealed the decision; the Supreme Court scheduled the hearing for June 25.

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Lon Garrison, director of Alaska Association of School Boards, said the advocacy group supports the new law. 鈥淚t is simple and similar to what existed prior to 2014,鈥� he said by text on Wednesday. He referred to the year then-Sen. Mike Dunleavy changed state law to allow families to spend homeschool allotments on materials from private and religious institutions 鈥� the pieces of statute a judge found to violate constitutional prohibitions against spending state money on private education.

House Education Committee Co-Chair Rep. Justin Ruffridge, R-Soldotna, initially proposed the language in and said his office worked into the wee hours of the morning to get approval between the bodies without drama and contention. 鈥淚 think it鈥檚 a good fix,鈥� Ruffridge said after the Senate approved it. 鈥淚 think it鈥檒l be important to come back next time around and continue to take up the question,鈥� he added.

Gov. Mike Dunleavy and the education department signaled support for the bill.

Its language was rolled into a widely supported bill to require in schools in a late-session amendment.

Senate Education Committee Chair Sen. L枚ki Tobin said she supports the change 鈥渃autiously鈥� with the recognition that lawmakers have more work to do to make the programs viable after a Supreme Court decision.

The law does not include some changes in the Senate鈥檚 proposal.

Sen. Jesse Bjorkman, R-Nikiski, told lawmakers that unspent homeschool allotment money would rollover to the next year and that students would not be required to take standardized tests. Those items generated pushback from families that use the program.

鈥淚 would hope that homeschool students would like to show off and showcase what they know and how much they know,鈥� he said. State data shows less than 20% of correspondence school students choose to take standardized tests, which has led to questions about how well the programs work.

Sen. Shelley Hughes, R-Palmer, underlined two popular effects of the fix that led to the compromise: 鈥淚t is important to have stability and the removal of the disruption and anxiety for the families. But I also selfishly appreciate the fact that this will avoid a special session.鈥�

Alaska Beacon reporter James Brooks contributed reporting to this story.

is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Alaska Beacon maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Andrew Kitchenman for questions: info@alaskabeacon.com. Follow Alaska Beacon on and .

State Rep. Beryl Amed茅e proudly acknowledges she home-schooled her three sons, spending 21 years total as their teacher before going on to advocate for other like-minded parents who eschew traditional educational settings.

The Republican from Terrebonne Parish wants to make access to home-schooling easier for other families, but some lawmakers fear her approach will remove all accountability for parents who teach their kids at home.

Currently, parents who want to home-school their children must notify BESE when their child enrolls in a home study program. They can use a home study program the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) has approved or opt for a curriculum of their own choice. Either way, home-school students graduate with a diploma that鈥檚 equivalent to the private school version, and not the state-recognized diploma awarded at public high schools.

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础尘别诲茅别鈥檚 would end BESE鈥檚 approval of home-school curricula, leaving only 鈥渘onapproved, nonpublic鈥� programs.

When parents interested in home schooling contact her, Amed茅e said she spends 45 minutes explaining the options and provides an eight-page document to detail. Her bill would 鈥渟implify and streamline鈥� the process, she said.

Jessie Leger, legislative affairs director for Homeschool Louisiana, appeared Wednesday before the House Committee on Education in support of 础尘别诲茅别鈥檚 bill. Her Christian-based organization promotes home schooling and provides support to families who teach their children at home.

Ten other states use the one-time notification process that 础尘别诲茅别鈥檚 bill would put in place, Leger said. Just 11 states require approval of home-school curricula, she said.

Rep. Barbara Freiberg, R-Baton Rouge, cited her 10 years working for BESE when detailing her issues with 础尘别诲茅别鈥檚 proposal. She recalled reviewing substandard applications from parents who wanted to teach their children at home.

鈥淚 know there were homeschool programs 鈥� where the person who wrote the notification couldn鈥檛 even write a sentence,鈥� Freiberg said. 鈥淚 just have a lot of concern about not having a standard for homeschools that are approved.鈥�

Students who complete nonapproved home-school programs could still qualify for TOPS assistance under 础尘别诲茅别鈥檚 bill, even if they don鈥檛 meet the required ACT score. The language in House Bill 650 mirrors that would allow home-schooed students to receive TOPS if their grade-point average in TOPS core curriculum classes meets scholarship standards.

Rep. Ken Brass, D-Vacherie, asked Amed茅e about the lack of accountability in a nonapproved home-school program, to which she responded that state public schools currently aren鈥檛 accountable to parents.

Amedee also touted that her bill would also officially shed the 鈥渄ropout鈥� label from students who move from public schools to home schooling, a designation she said hurts  traditional schools during performance evaluations.

There was some confusion among lawmakers as to whether home-schooled students were eligible for proposed education savings accounts (ESAs), which would give state money to families who opt against putting their children in public schools.

The current versions of the House and Senate ESA bills do not give students in home study programs, both approved and nonapproved, access to the funds, though Sen. Rick Edmonds, R-Baton Rouge, has proposed amendments to his Senate Bill 313 that would allow ESAs to used for home schooling.

The heads next to the Senate Committee on Education, and the Senate bill still needs review from its finance committee.

The House Education Committee narrowly approved 础尘别诲茅别鈥檚 bill, 7-6, with chair Rep. Laurie Schlegel, R-Metairie, breaking a tie vote. Republicans cast all seven votes in favor. The no votes included GOP representatives Freiberg and Michael Melerine, R-Shreveport, who formerly held a BESE seat that his wife now holds.

is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Louisiana Illuminator maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Greg LaRose for questions: info@lailluminator.com. Follow Louisiana Illuminator on and .

Missouri University of Science and Technology will grant K-12 scholarships through the state鈥檚 tax-credit-based program MOScholars beginning in the 2024-2025 school year.

A nonprofit within Missouri S&T will become the seventh educational assistance organization, or EAO, in the MOScholars program. EAOs receive donations through a process overseen by the state treasurer and remit the money into scholarships for private-school and homeschool expenses.

According to emails obtained by The Independent in an open records request, Stephen Roberts, vice chancellor of strategic initiatives for Missouri S&T, shared information about the program with other administrators as early as May, describing MOScholars as a 鈥減hilanthropy opportunity/vehicle.鈥�

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He told The Independent on Wednesday that the program鈥檚 objectives align with the goals of the university and its partnered nonprofit, the Kummer Institute Foundation.

鈥淢issouri S&T is a public land grant university, and as such has a responsibility to provide broad access to educational opportunities in the K-12 community,鈥� he said in a statement. 鈥淭he aims of the Missouri Scholars program have strong overlap with these objectives.鈥�

Roberts wrote in a May 10 email that students could potentially use MOScholars鈥檚 $6,500 funding to pay for Missouri S&T camps or dual-enrollment programs.

Andrew Careaga, who leads the university鈥檚 communications, had the same impression in May after talking to the treasurer.

鈥淪tate Treasurer Vivek Malek describes this program as an opportunity for individuals to earn tax credits by designating funds to scholarships for our summer camps if we were to become designated as an EAO,鈥� he wrote in an email.

Roberts told The Independent that the K-12 scholarships only cover costs administered by a student鈥檚 school.

鈥淭he rules prohibit award of scholarships so that students can access educational programs offered directly by the EAO,鈥� he said. 鈥淔or a student to be awarded a scholarship, the educational programs must be offered directly by the eligible schools.鈥�

But the idea of participating in MOScholars wasn鈥檛 enthusiastically received by all administrators.

Missouri S&T is a public higher education institution with public K-12 partnerships, such as 鈥� a program with STEM courses for high school students offering college credit. Beth Kania-Gosche, chair of the university鈥檚 department of teacher education and certification, wrote in an October email that she had a 鈥淧R concern鈥� about participating in MOScholars.

鈥淭he other EAOs are all religious organizations,鈥� she wrote. 鈥淲e have to submit a fundraising plan as part of the application, and I have concerns about publicly connecting the STEM Center to fundraising for a controversial topic like school vouchers.鈥�

鈥淲e partner with public schools on all of our programming,鈥� she continued, 鈥渁nd if they have the perception we are raising funds for school vouchers, it鈥檚 problematic. 鈥�

Facilitators of the MOScholars program shy from the term 鈥渧ouchers鈥� because Missouri鈥檚 K-12 scholarships are not a direct state appropriation, although the program  does affect state finance. Donations made to the program, because they receive a 1:1 tax credit, come out of the state鈥檚 general fund.

Colin Potts, Missouri S&T鈥檚 provost and executive vice chancellor for academic affairs, replied to address Kania-Gosche鈥檚 fears, but it is unclear if any resolution was reached.

鈥淏eth, I know that you had some concerns about the wisdom of being seen to be supporting schools that have a less than rigorous approach to STEM and that this could undermine your relationships with public schools,鈥� he wrote. 鈥淲e鈥檒l do what we can to avoid any issues of this kind.鈥�

The application listed 11 schools the university is willing to issue scholarships to, with the disclaimer that the 鈥渓ist may not be inclusive.鈥� All but one of these schools are religious.

Roberts told The Independent the program allows EAOs to grant scholarships to students with expenses in any public or private school, not just those listed on the application.

鈥淥ur intent would be to award as broadly as possible under these rules,鈥� he said.

The university will accept applicants from Cape Girardeau, Cape Girardeau County, Jefferson City, Cole County,鈥⊿pringfield, Greene County,鈥⊿t. Louis and St. Louis County.

Missouri S&T also plans to support homeschooled students, according to the application.

The 11 schools listed on the application are: Calgary Lutheran High School, Helias Catholic High School, Immaculate Conception, Nerinx Hall, Notre Dame Regional High School, Notre Dame High School,鈥⊿t. Louis University High School, St. Peter Interparish School, St. Joseph Cathedral School,鈥═homas Jefferson Independent Day School and Webster County Parochial #1.

Email records show coordination between the university and the treasurer.

Mehrzad Boroujerdi, the university鈥檚 vice provost and dean of the College of Arts, Sciences and Education, wrote Oct. 30 Malek told the Missouri S&T to submit its application as though it was a nonprofit organization.

The university submitted its application Oct. 31, the day it was due, writing that a nonprofit within Missouri S&T called the will serve as the required 501c3.

Kummer Institute leaders were included in early conversations about the program, but the decision to use the nonprofit as the EAO vehicle seems to occur the day the application is submitted.

鈥淟et鈥檚 submit the application under the Kummer Foundation which is a 501c3,鈥� Alysha O鈥橬eil, vice chancellor for finance and operations, wrote the morning the application was submitted.

Missouri S&T and the Kummer Institute Foundation requested $1million in tax credits for the 2024-2025 school year and plans to serve 136 students.

鈥淚 am thrilled to see the number of educational assistance organizations participating in MOScholars is growing,鈥� State Treasurer Vivek Malek said in a statement. 鈥淲e welcome the Kummer Institute Foundation and commend them for their interest in providing educational opportunities as an EAO.鈥�

The MOScholars program is currently as it faces a lag between the school year and donations, prompting some EAOs to loan their own money and increase fundraising.

is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Missouri Independent maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Jason Hancock for questions: info@missouriindependent.com. Follow Missouri Independent on and .

ROWLETT 鈥� Sharby Hunt-Hart stacked a table at her local library with colored pencils, skin-tone crayons and picture books with Black girl protagonists. Four girls, ready to start their school day, looked up at her.

鈥淚 want our big girls to think about the kind of person you want to be,鈥� Hunt-Hart, an educator of 17 years and a mom, told the girls.

With a marker, Addi, 6, furrowed her brow and got to work. She drew a picture of herself with her hair short, like it was that day. She added blue scribbles for the sky and green scribbles for the grass. Her arm in the picture was extended, holding a flower: 鈥淚 gave Mommy a flower.鈥�

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鈥淵ou want to be a giver,鈥� Hunt-Hart said. 鈥淭hank you for sharing, Addi.鈥�

Here in the eastern suburbs of Dallas, three mothers are home-schooling to reimagine education for their daughters. During school days, the girls get in about two hours of core instruction like reading and math, but they also draw, go on nature walks and build fairy villages with the rocks they find.

The mothers say their public schools were not equipped to create a learning space that鈥檚 wholly safe for Black kids or embraces their culture and identity. Together they create lesson plans to meet each girl鈥檚 learning needs and adapt their pace when a child is struggling.

The mothers want to expand their group and create a 鈥渕icroschool鈥� that serves more Black boys and girls in the region, mirroring the in Arizona. Microschools refer to learning settings where class sizes are small, typically composed of fewer than 15 students, and the schedule and curricula are tailored to the needs of each student. It is seen as an arrangement between home-schooling and traditional schooling.

鈥淲hat we’re doing with the microschools is decolonizing what we know of education,鈥� Chantel Jones-Bigby, mom to Addi, said. 鈥淎nd we have so much less resources. We’re working with so much less, but yet, our children are doing academically, emotionally better.鈥�

The mothers already have spoken with other parents ready to pull their kids out of private and public schools to participate in their collective. But to grow, they say they need the Legislature to create education savings accounts, a voucher-style program through which families could access state funds and pay for private school or alternative education settings.

At the state Capitol, legislators are at odds over whether to use taxpayer dollars for non-public education. Democrats and rural Republicans in the Texas House have long blocked voucher programs, saying any funds for education should go to public schools struggling financially after the pandemic and amid inflation. Supporters say education savings accounts give parents choices beyond public schools on how their children can learn.

Jones-Bigby said the public education system must face the reality that they often fail to serve Black kids well.

鈥淚 didn’t just remove my daughter from a building in a school. I removed her from the consciousness that was there that was creating the symptoms of what I was seeing with her in her learning,鈥� she said. 鈥淓ven if [schools] have more money, if you still have the same culture and consciousness, but new technology, what does that change?鈥�

Year one in public school

Hunt-Hart鈥檚 daughter Lacey had a hard time in public school.

Meltdowns were commonplace after coming back from kindergarten, stretching out for over an hour when she got home. The exhaustion and overstimulation from the classroom often boiled over into tears.

Lacey, who prefers to cartwheel instead of walking and shouts when she sees a bird, stifled herself in kindergarten, Hunt-Hart said. Lacey learned her energy would not be celebrated. She watched other kids in her class be disciplined for their loudness. So she shifted her mannerisms, even earning a leadership award at the end of the year for being quiet and well-behaved.

鈥淚 don’t want my kid getting the leadership award at 5; I want her to work through her humanity,鈥� said Hunt-Hart, who knows all too well that loudness in Black girls is often seen as a threat. 鈥淪chools teach kids to color inside the lines, to walk down the hall with your hands behind your back, to not to feel the pattern on the wall. They teach you not to talk and to not let your voice be loud.鈥�

Lacey also struggled in a classroom where she was the only Black student 鈥� a worry that she shared with her kindergarten teacher after class. Just 15% of students were Black at her public elementary school, Hunt-Hart said.

One school day in February, Lacey got pulled out of class for not keeping up with the school鈥檚 dress code. She had dressed herself for the first time that morning, carefully picking out navy blue leggings with unicorns on them. The school鈥檚 uniform only permits students to wear khaki or navy blue pants.

Within 10 minutes of school starting, the principal had pulled her out of class and instructed her to wear another student’s khaki pants, a few sizes too big.

鈥淚s uniform what鈥檚 really important? Or is it that she鈥檚 here, that she鈥檚 present and ready to learn?鈥� Hunt-Hart said. 鈥淭he rules [in public schools] are so much more important than their humanity, making them comply to what’s easiest for adults instead of what’s best for kids.鈥�

Four generations in public schools

Generations of Hunt-Hart鈥檚 family have struggled as Black children in Texas public schools. Lacey鈥檚 grandmother was one of the last graduating classes at Dunbar High School in Lufkin before desegregation. Lacey鈥檚 great-grandmother started school but had to drop out to clean homes for work.

When Hunt-Hart entered the Lufkin public school district, she quickly learned that some remnants of segregation had never truly been scrubbed away 鈥� much like the 鈥淏lacks only鈥� and 鈥渨hites only鈥� signs over the water fountains in town that were still up, just painted over.

Her principal, a pillar of the Black community, would greet her and other students at the front every morning in a suit. He was an anchor for Hunt-Hart and made her feel protected. But one year, his office was set on fire.

When Hunt-Hart got to fourth grade, her teacher seemed to stare at her and the Black kids with a misplaced anger. For the first time, Hunt-Hart got Cs on her report card.

鈥淪he hated the Black kids. … It didn’t matter how much we smiled or tried to dazzle with good handwriting or completing our work early or being as quiet as a mouse,鈥� Hunt-Hart said. 鈥淚 just remember knowing I don’t know how to be smart anymore as a 9-year-old.鈥�

Up through high school, Hunt-Hart mastered the tap dance of people pleasing. Now she was watching her daughter learn the same dance. She had to try a different way.

鈥淵ou find that they’re pieces of you that have been eaten away because of the assimilation,鈥� she said.

Public school is 鈥榦ur bread and butter鈥�

The home-schooling mothers have invested decades in public education. Their husbands are athletic coaches and high school teachers.

“We believe in the public school system,” Hunt-Hart said. “It鈥檚 our bread and butter.”

They also know its shortcomings, she said.

Anna Sneed, a mom in the home-schooling trio, spent 14 years as a high school teacher before she became an assistant principal. Her classes were 鈥渉eavy on the love, light on the social studies,鈥� Sneed likes to say.

Her students knew what they were going to get in her classroom. She was going to be tough on them but she would respect them and make them feel seen and heard.

But Sneed didn鈥檛 have the space as a teacher to tailor her instruction to every students鈥� needs.

“I see them for 90 minutes at a time,” she said. “I can’t teach you about the fall of the Roman Empire 34 different ways in 90 minutes.”

When her daughter turned school age, Sneed looked into the neighborhood school her family was zoned for. It had received a C in the Texas Education Agency鈥檚 accountability rating system. And students of color were performing far worse than their white peers. Sneed knew there were good teachers in public schools, but she still couldn鈥檛 send her daughter to a system she saw as broken beyond repair.

鈥淏ecoming a mom took the rose-colored glasses off of my career as a teacher,鈥� Sneed said.

Arizona, education savings accounts and microschools

Black students tend to experience harsher discipline than white students in public school, even when it comes to minor infractions like dress code violations. That has damaging effects on their sense of belonging at school and their academic performance years later, according to research from the .

In the 2018-19 school year, were Black, though they made up just 13% of public school enrollment. A Black teen at Barbers Hill High School in Chambers County was this year for his hairstyle, testing a new law that bars discrimination of hair styles based on race.

If schools don鈥檛 rethink how they discipline and treat Black kids, Jones-Bigby worries it can put them on the wrong track.

鈥淢ost of the day, they spend it in an environment where they are devalued. They are lost. They are waiting for direction,鈥� Jones-Bigby said. 鈥淪omeone has a plan for my child when they are lost. It involves an orange suit and a 4-by-4 box.鈥�

In Arizona, 40 Black moms gathered in 2016 with the same worries for their children, ready to dismantle what they call the school-to-prison pipeline. Their kids were bullied in school and did not feel supported by the teachers. The moms started by pushing school districts to form a re-entry-after-suspension plan and find alternatives to suspension as a disciplinary measure.

By 2021, they had opened their own microschool, also known as outsourced home schooling. The Arizona microschools depend on the state鈥檚 education savings account program for sustainability.

鈥淭he public school system that was in place was not doing what it was supposed to do. Our children were not reaping the benefits,鈥� said Janelle Wood, the founder of Black Mothers Forum in Arizona. 鈥淎nd so we needed a tool to help us fuel our vehicle of the microschool in order for us to grow.鈥�

Arizona is widely seen as ground zero for school vouchers. The state has one of the largest education savings account programs in the country, where almost any child is eligible. The state began with a limited version of the program in 2011 that only served students with disabilities. In 12 years, enrollment in the program has grown from about 150 students to over 60,000.

A stalemate at the Texas Legislature

Like in Arizona, the mothers in the Dallas suburbs want to grow their small teaching collective with the help of an education saving accounts program in Texas.

Education savings accounts would allow families to exit the public education system and use taxpayer dollars to pay for alternative learning settings like a microschool. The three mothers would welcome those funds to scale up and pay for instructional materials and a dedicated learning space.

The fate of school vouchers and the mothers鈥� plans hang in balance while the state Legislature and Gov. wrestle over creating this type of program.

The governor 鈥� a staunch supporter of education savings accounts 鈥� called a special legislative session last month asking lawmakers to pass a voucher program after similar legislation failed during the regular session. With less than a week to go before the end of the special session, it remains to be seen if lawmakers can reach a consensus. Abbott has threatened to call another special session if lawmakers don鈥檛 act on vouchers and promised political repercussions during next year鈥檚 elections for those who get in the way.

While voucher bills have routinely passed in the Senate, they have not gotten a floor vote in the House in recent years. Rural Republicans have often banded with Democrats to shut down vouchers.

Opponents say vouchers mean less money for public schools, which already do not get enough funding to raise teacher salaries and meet their other needs. When students leave public schools for alternative education settings, schools get less funds because state funding is tied to student attendance.

Supporters like Jones-Bigby hope student departures will push public schools to innovate. She said families need more school options to ensure their kids can get what they need.

鈥淎s much as I would love the public school system to work for my child, it doesn鈥檛,鈥� Jones-Bigby said. 鈥淎m I responsible to the system or am I responsible to my child?鈥�

She doesn鈥檛 have to think twice 鈥� she picks her daughters every time.

This article originally appeared in at .

The Texas Tribune is a member-supported, nonpartisan newsroom informing and engaging Texans on state politics and policy. Learn more at texastribune.org.

By September 2020, Crista Swier鈥檚 second grade daughter had had enough of online school.

Classes were being held by video conference because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but Swier said her daughter was too young to know how to use a computer, and wasn鈥檛 learning. What鈥檚 worse, students were posting 鈥渘asty messages鈥� on the school鈥檚 online forum, and Swier said, 鈥渢eachers were basically disciplining kids on the other end of the computer.鈥�

That frustration drew Swier, a resident of Pflugerville north of Austin, to become one of tens of thousands of Texans who pulled their child out of public school and began home schooling. That year alone, almost 30,000 students in grades 7-12 left Texas public schools to begin home schooling 鈥� the highest number the Texas Education Agency has recorded since it started keeping track in the 1990鈥檚.

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Three years later, conservative lawmakers in the state are pushing a measure that would provide state support to that growing home-school community. This month, at the behest of Gov. Greg Abbott, the Texas Legislature convened a special session in which 鈥渟chool choice鈥� is the top subject. The Senate has already passed a measure that would introduce a voucher-style program called education savings accounts, in which parents who do not enroll their kids in public school would have access to state funds to pay for qualifying educational expenses. For home-schoolers, that would mean access to $1,000 per child from the state each year. The House, where a small faction of skeptical Republican lawmakers has teamed up with Democrats to block similar proposals in the past, Thursday night. It also included $1,000 for home school parents, but capped the number of education savings accounts at 25,000 in the first year.

Much of the debate has focused on how the accounts could be used to pay for private school tuition 鈥� qualifying parents sending their kids to private schools would be eligible to receive $8,000 in the Senate bill. But data suggests that home-schoolers might be the biggest group of beneficiaries. There were nearly 480,000 home-schooled children in Texas at the end of the 2020-21 academic year, according to a by the conservative Texas Public Policy Foundation. That鈥檚 200,000 more than were enrolled in private schools.

Families that choose to home-school often spend several hundred dollars each month on their children鈥檚 textbooks, elective activities like sports and arts, membership in home-school co-ops and subscriptions to learning tools. But the home schooling community is deeply divided on the idea. Currently, Texas does not regulate home schooling in any way, and many families fear that accepting taxpayer money to support home schooling expenses could invite increased regulation of how they teach their kids.

鈥淲e do have zero oversight, zero accountability, and we want to keep it that way,鈥� said Faith Bussey, president of , a group of 17,000 members largely organized on Facebook that opposes anything resembling vouchers.

The voucher bill has been promoted by Abbott as increasing 鈥渟chool choice.鈥� Instead, the group worries that legislation like Senate Bill 1 poses 鈥渁 real threat to parental freedom,鈥� according to its website.

Bussey, an Arlington resident who home-schools three kids for moral and religious reasons, spoke to The Texas Tribune from the Capitol on the first day of the special session, where she was urging lawmakers to oppose any school voucher bill. She said there are many different reasons parents choose to home-school 鈥� moral and religious beliefs, bullying, safety concerns and inadequate accommodations for disabilities are among the most commonly cited 鈥� and with that, families choose a variety of home schooling styles and curriculum.

Many families work together forming home-school co-ops that meet together regularly and pool resources to pay for supplies and instruction. Others will enroll in online programs. Others will do 鈥榰nschooling,鈥� which is more loosely organized and can be catered to the child鈥檚 interest in each particular subject.

Even if a bill such as SB 1 passes with no added government oversight, Bussey said, 鈥渋t’s the nature of government鈥� that eventually the state would seek to regulate home schooling more heavily. That, she said, threatens the array of parents鈥� choices.

鈥淚 know my kids better than anybody else,鈥� she said.

For some parents, the fear of government regulation is rooted in the history of home schooling in Texas. Houston resident Jube Dankworth recalled the fear she felt home schooling her children before it was legally codified by the Texas Supreme Court in 1994. Up until the ruling, Dankworth鈥檚 family would practice 鈥淐PS drills,鈥� in which her children would suddenly hide in case Child Protective Services came knocking.

Today, Dankworth鈥檚 four kids have all grown and attended college, and she is president of Texas Home Educators, a group that helps home-school families connect and find resources to make home schooling easier and more affordable. The group is also against education savings accounts. She said the home-school community in Texas provides lots of support, and families are able to home-school using only the internet and a library card.

鈥淲e’ve already built this infrastructure without any help from the government,鈥� she said.

Opponents in the home-school community find themselves aligned with many public school advocates, who fear that a voucher program would pull money away from a state public school system that is already strapped for funds. SB 1 has faced stiff resistance from people who say the accounts fund education methods that receive little to no oversight. And, opponents argue, they would essentially be handouts to middle-class and wealthy parents, who can afford to pay a full tuition bill or have the educational backgrounds and financial flexibility to stay at home teach their kids.

But other home-school families say they would welcome financial help, noting that in addition to potential lost income from one parent staying home, they spend thousands of dollars per year to give their kids an education.

Joi Faltesek started home schooling after becoming frustrated with the 鈥渞ed tape鈥� and rigidity of public school that she thought was stifling her son鈥檚 creativity.

鈥淚 honestly felt like I got my son back. I mean, he was happy again. He was smiling,鈥� Faltesek said.

Her son has since gone to college, and now she teaches her two daughters and runs the Be Awesome Homeschool Social Club. Faltesek estimates that she spends about $300 per month per child on elective activities and online subscriptions to academic services.

The financial cost of home schooling is 鈥渁 hard pill to swallow,鈥� said Faltesek, especially when her son was in high school-level science programs that required either buying chemistry sets or enrolling in a program at an additional monthly fee.

Swier plans to continue home schooling her youngest daughter, but her sons are still attending public high school. 鈥淚 think vouchers are amazing,鈥� she told the Tribune while attending a Halloween party in Austin organized by Faltesek鈥檚 home-school social group.

鈥淭here are parents that want to home-school but lack the resources to do it,鈥� she said.

Cristina Loor-Maldonado, a resident of Kyle, said it costs about $400 each month to home-school her fifth grade daughter and son in kindergarten, with sports programs and art classes costing the most. School safety, bullying, and the ability to spend more time with her family all factored into her decision to take her kids out of school, which she said has paid off because her kids are both testing at or above their grade level.

鈥淭he opportunities are so vast compared to public school,鈥� she said.

Loor-Maldonado鈥檚 husband鈥檚 job allows her to support home schooling expenses, and she said if education savings accounts are ever 鈥漜onnected to any type of stipulation,鈥� that home schooling families 鈥渨on鈥檛 go for it.鈥�

鈥淚f you’re concerned about requirements that will come with the program, then don’t participate in the program,鈥� said Jeremy Newman, vice president of policy and engagement at the Texas Homeschool Coalition, a group that does legislative advocacy, legal services and general support for home schooling families. The organization favors education savings accounts.

Newman, who was home-schooled for religious reasons, rejected the idea that vouchers would later be used to regulate home schooling and said it has not happened in any state with an existing voucher program. Instead, Newman said the added financial help will 鈥渆mpower the parents to make the decisions that are best for their kids.鈥�

But the fear of regulation is not the only reason some home schooling parents oppose savings accounts. Even though they left public schools, some parents still worry about them losing funding.

Margaret Paulson of Austin said her son鈥檚 kindergarten classroom had become 鈥渢otal chaos鈥� following the departure of the teacher, who was replaced by a first year teacher who trained to teach fourth grade. Following the shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde in May 2022, safety concerns and pent up frustration with how the school was being run led Paulson to try home schooling for the 2022-23 academic year.

Despite her experience, Paulson said 鈥減ublic schools serve a purpose,鈥� and she remains 鈥渟keptical鈥� of voucher-style programs that could direct money toward for-profit schools.

Before moving to Texas more than four years ago, Michele Arroyo participated in a home-school program in Washington state that was facilitated by the public school system. Her son, who is neurodivergent and has a visual impairment, was bullied in regular public school. Arroyo said Texas should be increasing public education funding, particularly for schools viewed as underperforming.

鈥淭he lower your rating is, the more resources you should get,鈥� Arroyo said.

Disclosure: Texas Public Policy Foundation have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune’s journalism. Find a complete .

This article originally appeared in , a member-supported, nonpartisan newsroom informing and engaging Texans on state politics and policy. Learn more at texastribune.org.

LAUSD, like other big city school districts such as New York City and Chicago, are now admitting 4-year-olds, a plan that will certainly help boost enrollment.

But since 2015, LAUSD鈥檚 enrollment has been dropping rapidly. According to data obtained and analyzed by 社区黑料 and , LAUSD has the second largest percentage decline in California after San Jose Unified School District.

鈥淓nrollment declines in LAUSD can be attributed to people enrolling in charter schools, which LAUSD is one of the top largest charter sectors in the nation,鈥� said Morgan Polikoff, education associate professor at the University of Southern California. 

The LAUSD trend of declining enrollment is also a result of families leaving California because of the rising cost of living in the state and a declining birth rate.  

COVID also accelerated the decline, Polikoff said. 

For the 2015-2016 school year, LAUSD enrollment numbers stood at 639,337. For the 2022-2023 school year, enrollment numbers hit only 538,295 鈥� more than a 15% decline and a loss of about 100,000 students. 

The data is similar for San Diego Unified, which saw an estimated 12% enrollment decline, losing over 15,000 students in the 鈥�22-23 school year compared to its 129,380 cohort in 2015-2016. Similarly, Chicago public schools saw a 15% decline, losing more than 70,000 students. 

New York City public schools had an enrollment of 1,141,232 students in 2016-17. Data from the 2022-2023 shows a decrease to 1,047,895. This September,  to resume classes. 

Losing students can spell big financial trouble for school districts. 

鈥淓very state has a different average daily attendance, so fewer seats in attendance on top of fewer kids enrolled, can greatly decrease the support and funds of districts,鈥� Polikoff said. 鈥淗aving less funding can affect the overall structure of districts since it covers operating buildings, hiring teachers, labor costs and programs鈥� 

Polikoff explained that due to absenteeism and enrollment decline, it鈥檚 possible for more teacher layoffs in districts like LAUSD as funding decreases. On Sept. 5, however, LAUSD announced in a that 鈥渢eachers will receive an incremental salary increase totaling to 21% across three academic years (2022-2023, 2023-2024 and 2024-2025).鈥�

This article is part of a collaboration between 社区黑料 and the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism.

On a tiny triangular lot in the city鈥檚 Belmont neighborhood, kids with their parents for the No. 40 bus can also work on their executive functioning skills, playing a hopscotch variation designed to train their brains.

In Chicago, a mounted on the wall of a laundromat teaches children, in two languages, how to find color patterns in a lineup of detergent bottle tops.

And in Santa Ana, Calif., a basketball court doubles as a giant, real-time .

These are three examples of an unusual model of on-the-fly learning mixed with urban design, one that has emerged from decades of research on the role of play in kids鈥� lives.

The installations, overseen by the Philadelphia-based , come compliments of a unique team of researchers, educators and urban planners who are exploring how cities can support the learning kids do in school. In the process, they鈥檙e experimenting with how to turn ordinary adult-child interactions into opportunities to lift even the neediest kids 鈥� especially those whose parents can鈥檛 afford expensive afterschool and weekend activities.

鈥淲e’re trying to layer on to places and spaces where kids and families already spend time,鈥� said , a developmental psychologist and Playful Learning鈥檚 executive director. For instance, if a mother and child are already at the grocery store, the network greets them with that encourages conversations around sorting different kinds of produce.

Likewise, the installations don鈥檛 demand a lot from adults 鈥� in fact, they often offer a place to rest and recharge while kids take the initiative.

Preliminary research on the effort is promising, with pointing to the efficacy of the approach. The supermarket project, for instance, addresses a problem that besets low-income families: these parents talk informally with their children less often than middle-class parents do. And even when they do, the conversations tend to be shorter. The supermarket project significantly increased both the frequency and length of those conversations, especially among low-income families, showed. Adults were nearly four times as likely to chat with their kids if a store had the signage, bringing their level of conversation up to that of middle-class parents.

Philadelphia鈥檚 bus stop installation, designed by architect and known as the , offers several ways for children to play, among them an original twist on hopscotch: When they see one foot on a tile, they put two feet down, and vice versa when they see two. This game of opposites, Lytle said, works kids鈥� executive functioning skills, 鈥渨hich we know is really important for all kinds of later development.鈥�

In the laundromat, an eye-level matching game offers children a chance to place plastic laundry bottle caps according to prescribed patterns 鈥� as with the Philly bus stop installation, Lytle said, to keep the learning playful, kids need to be in control.

鈥淎n adult might set up the environment for a child, but an important piece of it is that the learning is always directed by the child.鈥�

Education in 鈥榮urround-sound鈥� 

Playful learning advocates are quick to emphasize that these interventions are limited, not meant to replace school but support it.

鈥淭he reality is that kids, particularly in their earliest years, only spend about 20% of their waking hours in those formal learning environments,鈥� said Lytle. 鈥淎nd so the idea is: How can we capitalize on that other 80%?鈥�

That key question long puzzled a pair of researchers in the Philadelphia area: Temple University鈥檚 and the University of Delaware鈥檚, who have spent nearly 15 years studying the centrality of play and non-school factors in children鈥檚 learning. Much of the bedrock theory for this effort comes from their research.

鈥淲e are increasingly learning that education is a 鈥榮urround-sound鈥� issue,鈥� Hirsh-Pasek said. 鈥淚t’s not an issue that stays behind brick walls, but it seeps out into the community.鈥�

Any effort that aims to educate must do three things, she maintains: It should be culturally aligned with families鈥� backgrounds, follow the science of how children actually learn and measure what matters to families.

Humans learn best, Hirsh-Pasek noted, when we鈥檙e active and engaged, usually with other people. School lessons are typically passive, she said, and not really built around meaningful questions. 鈥淚 mean, frankly, I don’t care if the train is traveling 30 miles an hour and the ball drops off the train. Learning abstract content is important, but we learn more deeply and in ways that 鈥榮tick鈥� when examples are meaningful. We can do better.鈥�

When it comes to measurement, Hirsh-Pasek said schools typically don鈥檛 focus enough on what families want most: Good communication skills, creativity, critical thinking and knowing the basics. They want their kids to be able to learn from failure and cultivate what鈥檚 become known as a 鈥済rowth mindset,鈥� persevering in the face of hardship.

Lytle, who oversees Playful Learning work from her office in Seattle, studied with Hirsh-Pasek at Temple in the 2000s. At the time, Hirsh-Pasek was becoming one of the first early childhood researchers to take play seriously, at a time when the larger field of education was focused laser-like on basic skills.

鈥淚t’s something that serious researchers didn’t get into,鈥� Lytle said, 鈥渂ut she thought it was really important. She sometimes says 鈥榩lay鈥� used to be a four letter word.鈥�

The work that followed laid out not only playful learning鈥檚 theoretical framework, but helped researchers see how much kids are learning as they play. 

As with the grocery store signage, on the bus stop installation found that families had longer conversations there than at a neighborhood playground, and that they talked more about STEM topics such as numbers, fractions, patterns and measurement. A found that both caregivers and kids put their phones away while at the site.

But as steeped in delight as it is, the work isn鈥檛 without thorny real-world challenges, as when Lytle recently gave a journalist a tour of Philly鈥檚 Urban Thinkscape, one of the city鈥檚 earliest successes from 2017, and one that serves as a model for how educators and developers can transform formerly neglected stretches of pavement.

The space, in a set of busy crossroads, bristles with wooden-plank walkways and activities like the one-foot/two-foot hopscotch, word and picture puzzles built on protective railings, and a steel sculpture that, at midday, reveals shadows of hidden objects on the ground beneath.

But as Lytle showed a visitor around, a neighborhood man approached and asked if she was there to help with the rats.

Not quite sure how to react, Lytle said she was simply touring the space, but the man persevered, saying the ground beneath the installation was 鈥渇ull of rats. Big rats.鈥�

Matter-of-factly, Lytle replied, 鈥淥.K. That’s good to know.鈥� She suggested contacting an official who oversees the property, adding, 鈥淚 think we’re working on relocating this, actually.鈥�

She later said the network has actually begun encouraging communities to keep repurposing spaces like these as they age. 

An idea goes global

Challenges aside, the Playful Learning idea is starting to spread around the globe.

At the moment, five other cities 鈥� Pittsburgh, Chicago, Santa Ana, Calif., Tel Aviv and Lima, Peru, are in the middle of concerted efforts to create these spaces. Other cities are also dipping their toes into the water, including Omaha and Durham, N.C. 

Mostly foundation-funded, they鈥檙e also affordable in most cases 鈥� the supermarket signage costs about $60 per store. And a few cities are beginning to work the installations鈥� management into their annual budgets, with line items for a playful learning coordinator. In Philly, the effort is largely funded by the , which has invested nearly $13.7 million since 2017. 

The expansions got a boost from a 2020 agreement with the, the renowned Washington, D.C., think tank, which is pushing to so that more cities can join, pairing experts in early education and development with those in urban policy.

Brookings鈥� Jennifer Vey said the installations can have a broader impact beyond improving interactions between kids and parents: They can impact cities鈥� health. Because efforts like these bring families together in public spaces where they feel safe enough to bring their children, 鈥渋t helps strengthen the civic fabric of a place.鈥� And of course it brings potential economic benefits, supporting the small businesses that surround these social spaces.

It can also enrich public schools鈥� offerings, said Rigo Rodriguez, a Santa Ana Unified School board member and professor of Latino public policy at California State University-Long Beach. The school board has long sought a new kind of intervention in a district where about 80% of entering kindergartners are English language learners and one-third of students come from families living below the poverty line.

With the help of Andres S. Bustamante, a University of California-Irvine , the district began repainting elementary school basketball courts to create a game he calls Fraction Ball. In the game, a goal from the traditional three-point line earns just one point, with smaller arcs closer to the basket representing shots worth 1/4, 1/2, and 3/4 points on one end of the court, and 1/3 and 2/3 points on the opposite end. Fractions line one side of the court, decimals the other.

鈥淲e want it to be playful and embodied and outdoors and to be more conceptual than procedural,鈥� Bustamante said. 鈥淵ou’re getting an idea of what a fraction means.鈥�

As part of the game鈥檚 debut, researchers tracked student鈥檚 math skills in fourth and fifth grades. They found that Fraction Ball led to 鈥溾�� in children鈥檚 understanding of how to convert decimals to fractions and vice versa 鈥� impressive for an informal intervention that only lasted three weeks, Bustamante said. It encouraged researchers to create an in-class curriculum around the game. 

鈥淭he reality is that kids do have to learn the procedural stuff,鈥� Bustamante said. 鈥淭hey need to know how to find the common denominator and add unlike fractions and all that stuff.鈥�

All the same, the achievement data persuaded the school board to bring the game to all 35 elementary schools, Rodriguez said.

鈥淭here’s a limitation to strategies that just try to reform an educational system, because they depend on people who show up,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t really struck me that what we can do as a district is to support the creation of learning environments across the board, right where every child is.鈥�

During a break after one session, I struck up a conversation with another attendee, a longtime educator with special ed expertise. She was a Black woman working in a rural public district two hours outside of Atlanta, and she told me how discouraged she felt by the way districts treat families of color with children who have special needs. She was frustrated about the constraints placed on her as a teacher 鈥� she couldn鈥檛 hug a student who was crying, for example, presumably because of rules around touch and safety.

So she is starting her own microschool. It will launch this fall. She鈥檚 working with a few families, all Black, who are eager for a different and more affirming experience for their young learners.

As I walked to my next session, I couldn鈥檛 get something out of my head: This teacher has a thousand burdens, and she isn鈥檛 responding by finding ways to work less. She鈥檚 taking on more work by starting her own school, an endeavor that one of the conference鈥檚 main-stage panelists described as 鈥渂rutal鈥� in the first year. In a sector where 鈥渙verburdened鈥� may be the most frequently used term to describe teachers, this educator and many of her peers (fellow teachers as well as parents) at the conference were not trying to step back. They were leaping forward, taking on new challenges.

I was deeply inspired by their energy. But I also walked away with a nagging sense of frustration, because the public education system is harnessing so little of that energy. Most of the entrepreneurs I met are assuming personal risk and putting incredible effort into starting microschools, hybrid homeschools and homeschooling cooperatives outside the governance and structures of public education.

I believe in public education, for all its faults. But I also think there are incredible resources in public school systems that are going to waste 鈥� including the intellectual capital of inventive educators and community members who want to pursue new ideas. Look no further than the teacher I met, feeling like the best way to serve her students was to leave 鈥� and to take some of them with her.

Public schools need to reckon with the opportunities they鈥檙e losing if there aren鈥檛 channels inside the system to encourage creativity, ingenuity and entrepreneurship from teachers, parents and even students.

There are some places where districts and charters are better channeling this energy. Consider:

The Madison, Wisconsin, school district used pandemic funding to launch 14 innovative projects dreamed up by staff or community members. One winner, the antiracist microschool ALL+IN, encourages students to learn outside the classroom and in the community, like in museums and libraries.

In North Carolina, the rural Edgecombe County district has used microschools and learning hubs for years to develop and test different school designs.

In Indiana, Innovation Network Schools support the growth of autonomous schools that operate inside Indianapolis Public Schools, but with flexibilities similar to those enjoyed by independent charters.

Across the country, teacher-powered schools are governed by teams of educators instead of a single principal.

Microschools like the Black Mothers Forum, Vita Schools of Innovation, Great Hearts Microschools, Arizona State University鈥檚 ASU Prep microschools and Gem Prep Learning Societies have launched as part of charter schools.

Nokomis Regional High School in Maine, which I profiled in a case study, has created a strong culture of teacher-led innovation with support from administrators.

To be honest, these glimmers are the outliers. In most school systems, teachers and parents are often expected to sit back and wait for instructions, not encouraged to generate and try new ideas. 鈥淐hange鈥� means nothing more than a new math curriculum. Charter school authorizers invite new ideas in theory, but then often stall their development with hundreds of pages of requirements and legalese.

I鈥檓 worried there鈥檚 a brain drain in public education that鈥檚 been accelerated by the pandemic and divisive politics. And I don鈥檛 just mean that superintendents are quitting. The parents and teachers opting out of public schools aren鈥檛 just leaving jobs vacant and reducing districts鈥� enrollment dollars. Some of them are walking away with good ideas for how schools can be more responsive to students鈥� varied needs. Some of them have especially good ideas for how to better meet the needs of underserved communities that are tired of being told to wait while someone else figures it out.

If public schools, charter authorizers and charter management organizations are willing to embrace creative solutions from teachers and the community, there are ways to do it: State and local leaders can encourage pods and microschools, partner with community organizations to create learning hubs, allow for autonomous district schools or enable parent-teacher compacts.

So, fellow believers in public education: If the cost of retaining education entrepreneurs is to give life to their ideas, what is there to lose?

On Monday, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed HB 1, a law expanding Florida’s private school voucher program and authorizing public schools to enroll students on a part-time basis. At the bill signing in Miami,聽聽the legislation represented “the largest expansion of education choice not only in the history of this state, but in the history of these United States.”

Families in Florida could soon gain an important new freedom under state law 鈥� the opportunity to mix and match public and private or home schooling.聽

Already a reality in several states, part-time public enrollment would allow private and homeschool students to essentially pick and choose among classes at nearby schools, whether traditional or charter. Participation by those schools would be voluntary, and they would be compensated proportionally for the additional pupils taught. 

The change is included in a larger school choice bill, the debate over which is expected to dominate Tallahassee鈥檚 2023 legislative session. Most of the discussion around that proposal focuses on its central provision, voucher-like 鈥渆ducation savings accounts鈥� to every family in the state. Coming amid a red-state rush toward more educational options, the legislation would make Florida one of the nation鈥檚 friendliest states for school choice.

Unlike the ESA expansion, a move toward part-time public enrollment wouldn鈥檛 carry . But it could deliver its own, more subtle, shock to K-12 education in the state. Demand for alternative schooling arrangements swelled during the pandemic, and while , thousands of families seem to have permanently parted ways with public school systems. In Florida alone, over 150,000 students received their schooling primarily at home during the 2021-22 academic year 鈥� over the preceding five years 鈥� and experts believe that additional support from the state could push still more to explore new options.

“Part-time enrollment is something families are very interested in,鈥� said Alex Spurrier, an associate partner at Bellwether Education Partners, a nonprofit research and consulting group. 鈥淚f it鈥檚 embraced more by states and local districts, you could see more families decide to get off the fence and move to a more flexible learning environment for their kids.”

Patricia Levesque, CEO of the Florida-based advocacy group ExcelinEd, observed that 鈥渕indsets changed鈥� during the pandemic, as a sizable number of parents experienced both disappointment with the performance of American schools and a growing sense of confidence in their own ability to venture outside of traditional public offerings. While many aren鈥檛 ready to make a year-round commitment to homeschooling, for instance, they might be willing to split the difference with their local districts. 

鈥淚 think a lot of families got that taste of greater involvement in their children’s education and realized, ‘I can do this, I enjoy it, and I want to be a part of it,’鈥� Levesque said. 

No mandate for now

The idea may be unfamiliar even to some education policy veterans, but part-time enrollment is already a feature of the K-12 landscape around the country.

identified 12 states that expressly allow part-time enrollment, ranging from deep-blue Illinois to bright-red Idaho. But availability and comprehensiveness vary, with only six states defining access to part-time schooling as a student right. States also differ in how much public schools can be paid for accepting part-time students, as well as how many courses can be offered on a part-time basis. 

The legislative language of Florida鈥檚 statute, known as , does not include a mandate for school or district participation in the initiative, merely specifying that 鈥渁ny public school in this state, including a charter school, may enroll a student on a part-time basis.鈥� Levesque 鈥� also serving as the executive director of ExcelinEd鈥檚 sister group Foundation for Florida鈥檚 Future, which advocated 鈥� said the door is still open for legislators to revisit a possible requirement in the years to come.

鈥淚 like to start by making things permissive, and then you let the innovators go after it,鈥� Levesque observed. 鈥淒istricts or schools that really want to take advantage of the flexibility can pave the way and they show the others what can be done.鈥�

Part-time enrollment has parallels to another policy that caught on quickly over the last decade: Tebow Laws, which permit homeschoolers to take part in their local schools鈥� sports and other extracurricular activities. Named after former University of Florida quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow, the measures , though they remain controversial in some. (Kansas, which passed a form of part-time enrollment last year, related to participation in high school sports, while legislators in Virginia have similar proposals in recent years.) 

Survey evidence that a significant portion of homeschoolers may already spend a few hours per week in an institutional school, a practice sometimes referred to as 鈥渇lexischooling鈥� or 鈥渉ybrid homeschooling.鈥� That phenomenon gained traction over the last few years as more families either willingly embraced, or resigned themselves to, the sporadic availability of in-person learning.

鈥淸The pandemic] has further called into question the model that attending school means showing up for six or seven hours in a building every day,鈥� said Robert Kunzman, an education professor at Indiana University and the managing director of the International Center for Home Education Research. 鈥淐ertainly the pandemic has accelerated the sense that this is not only something that is possible, but is desirable and beneficial.”

Opportunities for districts

For schools, part-time enrollment offers an enticing opportunity to boost their own head counts after multiple years of declining K-12 enrollment. More than 1 million students left their district schools in 2020 and 2021, often as a result of frustrations related to school closures and online learning. 

Better still, fuller classrooms come with more public funding. Florida鈥檚 proposed law would reimburse districts for the part-time students they enroll. If, say, a private school student chose to take AP biology at a nearby public school, the state would fund the school for one-sixth of a full-time student (based on the benchmark that a full-time student takes six courses); if she also enrolled in a Latin course with space available, the funding would increase proportionally to one-third that of a full-time student. 

But logistical challenges remain. Any part-time students would need transportation to and from school buildings, potentially on irregular schedules 鈥� a serious complication in Florida, where are already experiencing severe shortages of bus drivers. (As part of the state鈥檚 Florida Tax Credit Scholarship program, eligible families up to $750 to offset the cost of school transportation.) Transcripts and other student data would theoretically need to be shared between schools and families as well, Bellwether鈥檚 Spurrier said, to say nothing of the difficulty of tracking the whereabouts of various students within campuses.

鈥淎bsent policy supports on some of those concerns, [interest in part-time enrollment] might not be to the scale that you might expect given the desire we’ve seen parents express for new models of learning,” Spurrier said.

That desire is clear. In commissioned by the advocacy group EdChoice, a narrow plurality of parents said they would prefer for their children to study at home between one and four days of the week. An additional 15% said they would rather opt for full-time homeschooling, representing a clear majority in favor of an 脿 la carte approach of some fashion. Those attitudes mirror a broader swing identified in , which showed a nine-point increase (to 54% from 45%) in public approval for homeschooling over the past five years.

And as COVID spurred more families to experiment with alternative educational models 鈥� from learning pods to microschools 鈥� the demographics of the homeschooling movement have also shifted. A population that once disproportionately attracted religious and right-leaning families has become somewhat more diverse, Kunzman noted, and likely more open to cooperating with local educators and school authorities on a class-to-class and year-to-year basis.

“It’s now less of an absolute, ideological commitment to homeschooling and more, ‘What do I perceive as best for my child for this coming year?’鈥�

In October 2020, for instance, a found that parents whose kids attended school in-person were far more likely to say they were 鈥渧ery satisfied鈥� with the way school was handling instruction: 54% vs. just 30% whose kids received online instruction only.

But Patricia Brantley, who leads the 15-school network of Friendship Charter Schools in Washington, D.C., said developing and maintaining virtual learning systems will be critical to public schools going forward. Friendship began investing in virtual learning before the pandemic and has actually expanded its virtual offerings since 2021. 

The move is largely driven by parents, she said, who see the value of virtual learning for their kids. She noted one parent who wrote that her child requires a wheelchair to attend 鈥渁 fair amount of medical appointments.鈥� Online learning works in large part because classes are recorded for later viewing. The woman鈥檚 son, once an average student, is 鈥渘ow above grade鈥� level, she wrote. Brantley also said the move has fostered 鈥渋ncredibly strong connections between families and with the faculty.鈥�

Three years after the first pandemic closures, Brantley said virtual learning will also be key to attracting young teachers to the profession as other white-collar industries offer the option to work remotely. She鈥檒l be talking about her experiences this week at South by Southwest Edu, part of a panel that . 

社区黑料鈥檚 Greg Toppo, who will be moderating the session, caught up with Brantley by email in advance of the session. 

The interview was edited for length and clarity.

社区黑料: The panel at South by Southwest Edu asks 鈥淚s Virtual Learning the Disruptor Teaching Needs?鈥� What鈥檚 your short answer to this question?

Patricia Brantley: Virtual learning is the solution teaching needs. There鈥檚 an age-old question: How do we best educate our young and prepare them for the world? Assuming that we can do it in the same way that it鈥檚 been done for 100 years or more, when the world has changed, is worse than naive. It is failing generations of students in ways that we may not recover. 

In my opinion, the true disruptor isn鈥檛 the availability of virtual learning, it鈥檚 the convergence of factors illuminated by the pandemic. Those factors include the rise of parent-driven schooling through pods and micro schools that often rely partially on online delivery; the decline of traditional enrollment and rise in private, homeschool, online and charter options, and the flexibility now being given in other professions that make them more attractive to young college graduates than teaching. I see these factors converging in a way that is ultimately forcing changes in the way we historically have approached schooling, especially in traditional settings. Virtual learning isn鈥檛 the disruptor. It is a critical tool to support the way education must adapt to a changing world. 

Friendship is D.C.鈥檚 first public, tuition-free online education provider. Can you talk a little about what you鈥檝e built and what your enrollment trends are?

We began investing in online education years before the pandemic, opening in 2015 for grades K to 8 and expanding to high school in 2019. Our original families knew that traditional settings weren鈥檛 serving their children well. The truth is we followed them to online learning as the solution. We were proud of our very specialized, small virtual community that featured incredibly strong connections between families and with the faculty.

Then, as many families were hesitant or unable to return to in-person schooling during the 2021-2022 academic year, our enrollment exploded. We went from barely 200 students to 700. Our staff grew from four full-time teachers to a staff of 40, with a faculty that includes master teachers, guidance counselors, social workers, parent liaisons and resident artists that are leading students through deep experiences in the fine arts. Our growth is an indication of the effectiveness and appeal of online learning environments.

Part of our success here is likely due to our intentional approach to design. Since 2015, our priority has been to design an online program with the learner at the center. Interestingly, by centering the learner, we also designed a new experience for the teacher, one that creates flexibility and evolves the profession. By doing this, we saw significant interest from teachers to take on this role and high satisfaction rates from those who did. This experience gives us reason to question the prevailing idea that there is a shortage of people who want to teach. Rather, what we see is that many teachers want the freedom and flexibility to evolve. In that way, virtual learning can be as attractive and impactful for educators as it is for students and families.

What have some of your early successes been?

While our enrollment trends are strong indicators of our program鈥檚 success, I鈥檓 even more pleased with the academic results we continue to achieve. Ensuring access to effective small learning environments and robust online options for students and families are absolute priorities for us. That鈥檚 why we are so proud to see results like those from the from (educational consultants) EmpowerK12, which found that Friendship Online students previously deemed 鈥渁t-risk鈥� for academic failure outpaced citywide growth in both English and Math during the pandemic.

I also consider it a success that we haven鈥檛 gotten locked into one way to meet families鈥� needs. As we鈥檝e continued to grow and learn, we鈥檙e piloting other learning environments that push the limits on traditional school. Our microschools and hubs, which also emerged as part of the need created by the pandemic, were a game changer for many of our families. When we looked at the data, kids who were in those pods achieved larger academic gains than their peers who were not. Some even progressed faster than they did before the pandemic.  

I understand you鈥檙e using an AI system that listens to kids鈥� reading and reports back to teachers. What other innovations are you able to bring to the table?

We are constantly driven by the question: 鈥淲hat do families, students, and teachers need right now, today?鈥� We are always asking ourselves this question and we push ourselves to remain open-minded about where the answers might lead us. Over the course of the past few years, this has certainly included expanding our online options and microschools, but it鈥檚 also included innovations that aren鈥檛 necessarily connected to technology.

For example, since the pandemic taught us that learning can happen anywhere, we鈥檝e made investments in more experiential learning for our students. Partnering with at Friendship Blow Pierce Academy has made the entire city part of our students鈥� learning journey. We鈥檝e also developed a career coaching program for students to help them prepare for the future and discover career paths they never knew existed. In addition to their teachers and peers, our students are also learning from members of their community.

During the pandemic, we heard so much about how online learning was problematic. Yet your work suggests there鈥檚 huge interest from families. What does the conventional wisdom miss about online learning in 2023?

The first thing that鈥檚 missed is the idea that you can paint family and student needs with a broad brush. Does online learning work for everyone? Certainly not. But for those families and students who gravitate towards online learning, it can be a game changer. The pandemic forced all of us to adopt online learning, so of course there were going to be plenty of situations where that wasn鈥檛 the ideal learning environment. Now that we can integrate choice into the equation, you start to see that those families and students who opt in to this kind of learning are usually the ones who have great success with it. The idea here is that families need to be empowered to choose the best learning environment for them and we need to be prepared with diverse options to meet their needs.

The other thing that was missed in the urgency created by the pandemic is that you can鈥檛 lose human relationships in the shift to online learning. Despite what some may think, a high-quality online learning environment is still centered on people and relationships, not technology. If you leverage technology 鈥� and the flexibility it affords 鈥� to allow the student-teacher relationship to thrive, that鈥檚 when you see the kind of success we鈥檝e been able to achieve over time.

The leader of an Ohio homeschooling group that once included an Upper Sandusky couple reportedly using a neo-Nazi curriculum has now condemned it and said homeschooling shouldn鈥檛 be judged by one 鈥渟ick parenting issue.鈥�

The couple, ,鈥� was reported to the Ohio Department of Education, who said it was looking into them after an initial news story by Vice.

Asked for an update of that investigation late last week, the department did not provide a specific update but simply said that parents or guardians who decide to educate their children at home are responsible for choosing the curriculum and course of study, and that and no direct state financial assistance is provided to families who choose this option.

Homeschooling curriculums and participation are largely at the discretion of those leading the homeschooling, something that is enshrined even in Ohio administrative code regulating home education.

Deborah Gerth, head of the Ohio Homeschooling Parents group, said Katja Lawrence, alleged leader of the 鈥渄issident homeschooling鈥� along with her husband Logan, was a 鈥渘on-active鈥� member of their group, but once the allegations came to light, she was banned.

Though the only comments Katja Lawrence made as part of social media discussions within the group were about her love for the Dutch language, the news reported by Vice made Gerth and other members of the group feel compelled to remove the couple.

鈥淭here鈥檚 no room here for bigotry; there鈥檚 no room for hatred of any kind,鈥� Gerth told the OCJ. 鈥淲e鈥檙e not giving her a platform for anything.鈥�

Gerth also said members of the group looked into the 2,500 members of the 鈥淒issident Homeschool鈥� group on the social network Telegram and concluded that many of the members don鈥檛 live in the United States.

While the condemnation of the group is warranted, Gerth said the criticism of homeschooling overall isn鈥檛.

鈥淭hat鈥檚 a parenting issue. It鈥檚 a sick parenting issue,鈥� Gerth said. 鈥淭he vast majority of home educators are doing this because we want to do what鈥檚 best for our children.鈥�

A message posted on the Ohio Homeschooling Parents鈥� Facebook page said 鈥渇ringe groups鈥� do not represent the homeschooling community at large.

鈥淧arents teaching their children crazy things can happen regardless of the educational placement, since evenings, weekends and summers still exist and life is not just 8-3 Monday through Friday,鈥� the post, dated Jan. 31, stated.

Calls for increased oversight into decision-making and curriculum aren鈥檛 new to Gerth, who has homeschooled all three of her kids, the youngest of which is now 16. She said any time an isolated incident connected to homeschooling comes about, it can lead to a desire for more supervision of home education.

鈥淵ou don鈥檛 make a law based on the one outlier, or based on the one wackadoodle,鈥� Gerth said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a horrible situation, but you can鈥檛 judge the 99 by the one who makes the rest look bad.鈥�

Curriculum freedom

Homeschoolers enjoy a kind of freedom when it comes to deciding how their children are taught, and what subjects take the forefront in homeschooling. There are many different types of homeschooling, from traditional unit-based study to 鈥渦nschooling鈥� which focuses on student-led learning.

Administrative code states that parents who elect to homeschool their child need to notify the superintendent of their local district before the first week of school for traditional public schools in the area, or one week after a child is withdrawn from school.

There are commercial curricula homeschool teachers can use and there are other less stringent courses of study that can be led by the parent or the child based on growth goals.

Ohio homeschoolers have to follow guidelines spelled out in the state鈥檚 , which says homeschool teachers must give 鈥渁ssurance鈥� that certain subjects are covered:

• Language, reading, spelling and writing
• Geography, history of the United States and Ohio; and national state and local government
• Mathematics
• Science
• Health
• Physical Education
• Fine Arts, including music
• First aid, safety, and fire prevention

But Ohio鈥檚 administrative code on home education, last updated in 2019, provides exceptions for 鈥渁ny concept, topic, or practice that is in conflict with the sincerely held religious beliefs of the parent.鈥�

A 鈥渂rief outline of the intended curriculum鈥� is also asked for, though 鈥渟uch outline is for informational purposes only,鈥� according to state code.

The Upper Sandusky Exempted Village Schools superintendent sent a letter to parents after the Lawrence鈥檚 alleged curriculum came to light, saying the district 鈥渧ehemently condemns any such resources鈥� and that the district board of education鈥檚 policy is 鈥渢o maintain an education environment that is free from all forms of unlawful harassment based on protected classes.鈥�

Superintendent Eric Landversicht said he learned about the allegations against the group after a news reporter requested information on homeschooling. The district鈥檚 response explained that the district must receive written notification and 鈥渁ssurances鈥� from parents, but what the children study is up to the parents.

A homeschooling teacher is qualified with a high school diploma or high school equivalency certificate, but can also qualify under state regulations with 鈥渟tandardized test scores that demonstrate high school equivalence鈥� or 鈥渙ther equivalent credential found appropriate by the superintendent.鈥�

At the end of the day, individual school districts keep tabs on the homeschoolers in their districts, through notification letters and annual documentation, along with assessments at the end of a school year, often led by a certified teacher.

It鈥檚 the local superintendents who can initiate truancy actions if parents aren鈥檛 providing the necessary documentation, but before any action takes place, districts can send reminder letters if parents have missed a deadline or remediation requests if the district isn鈥檛 sure a child has met educational standards.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a structure that gives us the freedom to do what we feel we need to for our kids, but also we know we can get help if we need it,鈥� Gerth said.

Senate Bill 1

As debate over homeschooling continues amid the controversy of the reported neo-Nazi curriculum, homeschooling groups are keeping a sharp eye on the legislature, and potential measures that could affect them.

One bill is at the forefront of them all: Senate Bill 1. The bill would overhaul the entire state Department of Education, including the State Board of Education鈥檚 authority, and move leadership of the department to a position within the governor鈥檚 cabinet.

Gerth said she and other home educators are against the bill, despite discussions related to the bill that have specifically mentioned homeschooling.

SB 1 sponsor state Sen. Bill Reineke said, in introducing the bill to the Senate Education Committee last month, that it would 鈥済uarantee homeschooling families the ability to home-educate their child by exempting a child from compulsory school attendance when that child is receiving instruction in core subject areas from their parents.鈥�

Another bill being considered in the Ohio Senate is The bill is primarily a private school voucher expansion, but would also give homeschoolers up to $2,000 in state tax credits.

鈥淚t鈥檚 really important that we don鈥檛 take the tax credit,鈥� Gerth said. 鈥淲e don鈥檛 want state funding; we don鈥檛 want their help.鈥�

She sees state funding as 鈥渁 target on our back鈥� and a way to bring about more scrutiny to the homeschool community.

鈥淚f we start taking a tax credit for homeschooling, then we have the opportunity to be open for criticism of how we use that money,鈥� Gerth told the OCJ.

Instead, the homeschooling group will continue following the law, according to their leader.

The post condemning the Lawrences on the Ohio Homeschooling Parents鈥� Facebook page also directed members to 鈥渒now the law, and follow it *strictly and minimally*鈥� (asterisks theirs).

It also advised members not to 鈥渢ake the dangling carrots of 鈥榯ax credits鈥� or 鈥榮chool choice money鈥� when that is offered.鈥�

ODE response

When asked for an update on the ODE investigation into the Lawrences on Friday, a spokesperson for the state agency said 鈥減arents or guardians who decide to educate their children at home are responsible for choosing the curriculum and course of study鈥� and no 鈥渄irect state financial assistance鈥� is provided to families who choose this option.

The ODE also provided an 鈥渙verview of statutory and regulatory requirements connected to home education,鈥� directly taken from Ohio law, in response to the OCJ鈥檚 request for an investigation update.

The response did not specifically name the Lawrences or the investigation.

The department had previously said it 鈥渄oes not review or approve home school curriculum.鈥�

Interim Superintendent of Public Instruction Stephanie K. Siddens said in a statement she 鈥渆mphatically and categorically denounce the racist, antisemitic and fascist ideology and materials being circulated as reported in recent media stories.鈥�

is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Ohio Capital Journal maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor David DeWitt for questions: info@ohiocapitaljournal.com. Follow Ohio Capital Journal on and .

A former public school band teacher, Brooks said she was largely inspired by the grim pandemic realities of her kids鈥� schooling: Her 7-year-old, born late in the year, was stuck in kindergarten even though she knew the alphabet and could already read. Her 9-year-old was being bullied at a private Christian school, while her oldest, a 16-year-old rising , was simply too busy for typical school calendars.

鈥淎t the end of last school year, I was like, 鈥業 don’t think I can do this again,鈥欌�� Brooks said.

So she quit her job 鈥� her husband still teaches music 鈥� and began homeschooling all three girls.

Brooks鈥� experiences sync with those of many parents who have turned to homeschooling since the pandemic. A from the online education platform Outschool found that this group is increasingly concerned about the quality of education their kids are getting in school. They鈥檙e also more likely to be politically centrist or liberal and less likely to homeschool for religious reasons.

Other recent research suggests that they鈥檙e also more likely to be non-white: The U.S. Census Bureau in 2021 reported that homeschooling among Black families in the school year following the start of the pandemic, from 3.3% in spring 2020 to 16.1% that fall.

In the , which tapped 622 homeschool families in August, Black families comprised 9% of respondents, but the results didn鈥檛 probe whether there has been a rise in these families. The survey did find, however, that parents鈥� concerns around racism in school during the pandemic rose: Among pre-pandemic homeschoolers in the survey, just 2% said racism was their No. 1 reason for leaving school; among newer homeschoolers, the figure was 5%.

And it found that the reasons families began homeschooling in the past year are 鈥渟hifting away from being a values-driven decision to an environment-driven decision.鈥�

Among other findings:

• 12% of new homeschooling parents said their decision was primarily because their child鈥檚 neurodiversity wasn鈥檛 supported in traditional schools, up from 7% before the pandemic;

• Just 1% of new homeschooling parents said their No. 1 reason was based on religious beliefs, down from 14% of parents already homeschooling who said the same;

• 47% of new homeschoolers described themselves as 鈥減rogressive鈥� or 鈥渓iberal,鈥� up from 32%;

• 6% of new homeschoolers said they had conservative views vs. 27% of pre-Covid homeschoolers.

Significantly, few parents said their decision, either in 2020 or 2022, was based on politically charged issues such as vaccines or schools鈥� political stances.

Traditional schools鈥� 鈥榟ot mess鈥�

Outschool co-founder Amir Nathoo said the findings suggest that parents are homeschooling for many reasons, including having children whose learning differences 鈥渨eren’t being satisfied by the local school.鈥�

Homeschooling families have traditionally valued its flexibility, Nathoo said. 鈥淏ut now what we’re seeing come bubbling up is just: Pure quality is a top concern.鈥�

Alessa Giampaolo Keener, who directs the Maryland Homeschool Association, said the pandemic 鈥渃hanged a lot about homeschooling,鈥� including the number of families willing to give it a try: In March 2020, just before widespread school closures, she counted fewer than 28,000 homeschoolers statewide. That figure now stands at about 45,000.

Keener noted that the recent uptick, especially in Black homeschoolers, stems from many public schools being caught 鈥渃ompletely unprepared鈥� in 2020. Educators 鈥渁bsolutely did the best that they could, given the circumstances. But it was a hot mess for a lot of kids.鈥�

Tracking homeschooling is a bit slippery. The National Home Education Research Institute about 6% of school-aged children, or 3.1 million students, homeschooled in the 2021-2022 school year, up from 2.5 million in spring 2019.

The journal Education Next, using Census Bureau data, that the percentage of U.S. households with at least one child being homeschooled essentially doubled from spring 2020 to fall 2020, from 5.4% to 11.1%.  

Many of these parents said they were finding education at home 鈥渢o be an exhausting undertaking.鈥� One-fourth said they didn鈥檛 plan to continue.

But Alex Spurrier, who studies policy at the consulting firm Bellwether, said recent polling shows the pandemic has helped break a kind of psychological link in parents鈥� minds between education and a five-day, in-person school week. For many families, learning from home 鈥渨orked really well and probably opened their eyes to a different way forward.鈥� 

As a result, he said, 鈥渋t doesn’t look like we’re on a path to heading back鈥� to pre-pandemic ideas about homeschooling.

One-on-one attention, bullying trump religious reasons

Michael McShane, director of national research for the research and advocacy group EdChoice, said the Outschool findings his organization has done recently.

鈥淲hen we asked people why they homeschool, things like religious reasons or political reasons, those were at the bottom of the list,鈥� he said. At the top: School shootings, bullying, school violence, and wanting more one-on-one attention for their children.

McShane said his school choice work has changed his outlook on things like the socialization that homeschoolers enjoy. His conversations with their parents shine a light on the often 鈥渢remendously negative鈥� experiences many students have had in school. 鈥淚 can’t tell you how many parents were like, ‘Let me tell you about the socialization my kid got: It was getting the crap beaten out of them,鈥欌�� he said.

Homeschooling researchers have also long noted that a top reason Black families often give for turning to homeschooling is in schools 鈥� particularly against young boys of color. Black homeschoolers, McShane said, often say they 鈥渏ust didn’t think their schools were respecting them, or respecting their kids, or treating them fairly. And so they wanted to kind of strike out on their own.鈥�

Bellwether鈥檚 Spurrier said more families are likely interested in more flexible learning environments like homeschooling or microschools if the barriers to entry are lower. He鈥檚 keeping an eye on places like Arizona and , which are both experimenting with generous education savings accounts for families. 

Singing, dancing, being kind

In Atlanta, Brooks has discovered an focused on helping Black homeschoolers thrive 鈥� she has even begun posting humorous videos that encourage other Black homeschool moms. 鈥淚t’s been awesome, just being able to talk to people that look like me, that are probably going through the same thing.鈥�

Like many families find, homeschooling has allowed her kids to focus less on grades and more on interests.

Brooks now posts joyous TikTok and Instagram videos of herself and her kids as they ,,, and meet people like Georgia gubernatorial candidate at public events. They鈥檝e lately been trying out in an informal family .

Brooks said she鈥檚 also able to focus more on character education, a top priority that she said doesn鈥檛 get much love in school.

鈥淲e learn how to have conversations with each other,鈥� Brooks said. 鈥淎nd I’ve seen from the beginning of the school year til now that they’ve changed drastically. They’ll catch themselves if they’re not being nice to their sister. They’re like, 鈥業’m sorry, I didn’t mean to yell like that.鈥� Those kinds of things are happening without me telling them. And so I just know for sure it’s working.鈥�