Methods of Research
I began my study into this issue after reading about the proposed bill on the Home School Legal Defense Association’s (HSLDA) website. I began by reading the proposed bill’s re-wording and verifying what the new changes would mean to homeschooling parents in Iowa. I then conducted a questionnaire of my own among homeschooling families regarding the way their state handles homeschool regulations, and lastly, I compiled a list of resources including: results from testing homeschooled students vs public schooled students, curriculum choices available to homeschooling families, and a historical look at homeschooled students who have vastly contributed to our country’s rich history.
Task 1. Review House File 214 and Summarize Changes and Their Impact
The first
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Do you think that more regulations would improve the homeschooling experience in any way? For example: standardized testing, mandatory attendance, state curriculum approval, etc.?
3. Why do you homeschool?
This is not meant to be an exhaustive or thorough study, but meant to get the opinions of a few families that are currently homeschooling their children. This will give you an idea of the variety of families that home educate. This questionnaire appears in the Appendix, page 19.
Task 3. Compile Resources for Homeschooling Families
The Department of State offers a comprehensive list of resources and online schooling options (Homeschooling). These options include (but are not limited to):
K-12 – An all online schooling option for children grades Kindergarten through 12th grade
(K12).
John Hopkins Center for Talented Youth – An all online school for children of all ages who are talented and who excel in advanced classes (About).
Not all homeschooling is done online, but online education is proving to be effective; an article written for the New York Times states, “On average, students in online learning conditions performed better than those receiving face-to-face instruction”