Home Schooling

Read more about how some children are taught primarily at home rather than at a public or private school

Explainer

From left, Justin Barreras, 10, Adam Barreras, 11, and Garrett Barreras, 8, complete science schoolwork with their mother, Mariel Barreras, before soccer practice in Omaha, Neb. Mariel Barreras, whose husband is in the U.S. Army, is one of a growing number of military parents home schooling their children, in part to bring stability amid frequent relocations and long deployments.
Homeschooling: Requirements, Research, and Who Does It
Homeschooling is a small, but integral part of the education ecosystem in the United States and a pillar of the school choice movement.
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3D classroom planning and blueprint drawing
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School & District Management Q&A He Helps Schools Forecast Their Enrollment. It's Become Tougher Than Ever
Projecting school enrollments used to be a more straightforward undertaking.
Mark Lieberman, July 26, 2024
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8 min read
Image shows a multi-tailed arrow hitting the bullseye of a target.
DigitalVision Vectors/Getty
School Choice & Charters Opinion Does School Choice 'Work'?
Ultimately, the “how” of educational choice may matter more than the “what.”
Rick Hess, May 21, 2024
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10 min read
Tight crop of hands typing on a laptop overlaid with a window that includes a video play button and red progress bar.
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School Choice & Charters What to Know About a Neo-Nazi Home-School Scandal
Three things to know about how the incident connects to broader public education debates.
Sarah Schwartz, February 3, 2023
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6 min read
Karen Mozian homeschools her sixth-grade son, Elijah, age 9, at their home in Redondo Beach, California on Jan. 13, 2022. Mozian says her son wasn't getting the kind of help he needed at school. On his study breaks, he enjoys skateboarding and practicing drums.
Karen Mozian homeschools her 6th grade son, Elijah, age 9, at their home in Redondo Beach, California on Jan. 13, 2022. Mozian says her son wasn't getting the kind of help he needed at school. On his study breaks, he enjoys skateboarding and practicing drums.
Carolyn Cole/Los Angeles Times via TNS
School Choice & Charters The Pandemic Pushed More Families to Home School. Many Are Sticking With It
These parents have a common desire to take control of their children's education at a time when control feels elusive for so many people.
Laura Newberry, Los Angeles Times, January 28, 2022
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6 min read
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Families & the Community Video Meet the Parent Activists of the Pandemic
Four stories of parents who organized others to get children the education and resources they need, despite institutional headwinds.
Kaylee Domzalski & Brooke Saias, April 28, 2021
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1 min read
Image shows a multi-tailed arrow hitting the bullseye of a target.
DigitalVision Vectors/Getty
School Choice & Charters Opinion Is Hybrid Home Schooling the Future of Education?
Rick Hess speaks with Mike McShane about hybrid home schooling, which combines the best of home schooling and traditional schooling.
Rick Hess, April 15, 2021
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7 min read
President Donald Trump shakes hands with Turning Point USA Founder Charlie Kirk as he finishes speaking at Turning Point USA Teen Student Action Summit at the Marriott Marquis in Washington on July 23, 2019.
Turning Point USA Founder Charlie Kirk shakes hands with then-President Donald Trump at Turning Point USA Teen Student Action Summit in Washington in 2019.
Andrew Harnik/AP
Social Studies A Pro-Trump Student Group Will Launch a History Curriculum. It Could Get a COVID-19 Boost
Turning Point USA's plan to develop classroom lessons is part of a conservative pushback to what they see as biased curricula.
Andrew Ujifusa, March 31, 2021
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7 min read
BRIC ARCHIVE
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School Choice & Charters From Our Research Center Home Schooling Is Way Up With COVID-19. Will It Last?
The shift could have lasting effects on both public schools and the home-schooling movement.
Arianna Prothero & Christina A. Samuels, November 9, 2020
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10 min read
Jeanne McCabe, who lives in suburban Philadelphia, is weighing whether to form a "learning pod" with other families in order to support her twin children Nicholas and Veronica when school resumes. But the possibility leaves her conflicted.
Jeanne McCabe, who lives in suburban Philadelphia, is weighing whether to form a "learning pod" with other families in order to support her twin children Nicholas and Veronica when school resumes. But the possibility leaves her conflicted.
Shrutti Garg Photography
School & District Management Could the 'Pandemic Pod' Be a Lifeline for Parents or a Threat to Equity?
As an uncertain school year looms, some parents are banding together to teach their children in private pods. Educators worry that the trend will worsen inequities and shrink funding for public schools.
Christina A. Samuels & Arianna Prothero, July 29, 2020
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11 min read
Teaching How Much Home Teaching Is Too Much? Schools Differ in Demands on Parents
While schools are closed to coronavirus, districts are putting together a patchwork of lessons for students to do at home. But districts’ expectations for what students can accomplish at home vary widely, according to parents.
Christina A. Samuels, April 2, 2020
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6 min read
Lani Gray, a teacher in Anderson, S.C., reviews e-learning homework material on her devices. In addition to academic content, some schools are incorporating social-emotional learning lessons into students' online school experience.
Lani Gray, a teacher in Anderson, S.C., reviews e-learning homework material on her devices. In addition to academic content, some schools are incorporating social-emotional learning lessons into students' online school experience.
Ken Ruinard/The Independent-Mail via AP
Student Well-Being How to Teach Social-Emotional Learning When Students Aren't in School
Experts offer tactics to teachers on how they can tend to students’ SEL development in this chaotic time.
Arianna Prothero, March 30, 2020
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4 min read
BRIC ARCHIVE
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School Choice & Charters Opinion Lessons From a Homeschooling Researcher: What You Should Know Now
Homeschooling isn't a decision to be taken on lightly, but COVID-19 just changed the calculus, writes Michael Q. McShane.
Michael McShane, March 26, 2020
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4 min read
Families & the Community Teaching Kids at Home During Coronavirus: Pro Tips From Homeschoolers
How can parents make sure their kids are still learning, carve out time for their own work, discover their inner teacher, and stay sane? Ed Week turned to the foremost experts for their pro tips: Home schooling parents.
Arianna Prothero, March 17, 2020
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6 min read
School Choice & Charters VIDEO: An 'Unschooling' Family Trusts Children to Guide Their Own Learning
Rather than adhering to a specific curriculum, families who "unschool" believe learning happens naturally and should be driven by a student's interests. Education Week spent a "school" day with the Matica family to see this decades-old approach to home schooling in action.
Arianna Prothero, January 24, 2019
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1 min read
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