More Louisiana families are home-schooling
Miranda KleinIn the Mullins household, school happens around the kitchen table.
The day begins there with Bible study, the Pledge of Allegiance and math. After a break for center time, which may include art or educational programs, the focus shifts to reading and writing.
All the while, Heather Mullins has on her "teacher's hat."
That means for about four or five hours she's switched gears from regular mom to home-school parent.
Home-schooling, said Heather, has been an ideal way for she and her husband, Wayne, to be actively involved in their children's learning.
"It's not for everyone," Heather said. "But it is just right for our family."
The Mullins of Pineville have four school-age kids this year. The youngest is in preschool and the oldest is in fifth grade.
They're among the thousands of Louisiana students being home-schooled at a growing rate.
According to figures from the state department of education, there are as many as 26,000 students being instructed at home. Another 4,000-plus online charter school students are being educated virtually at home rather than in a traditional classroom.
Recent enrollment numbers reported by the state and its largest virtual schools show both options are becoming more popular, with about 9,000 more students completing their education at home in 2016 than in 2010.
Some families, like the Mullins, consider home-schooling as an option from the beginning.
But for many parents, the decision to home-school isn't one they come to right away. Instead, it's one they're making years after their kids start school.
Why home-school?
Home-schooling has been on the rise across the nation, and research shows some of that is because of parents with shared concerns.
Between 2003 and 2012, the number of home-school students nearly doubled to 1.8 million, according to the latest federal data. The percentage of total school-age children represented also grew from 2.2 percent to 3.4 percent in the span of a decade.
Candice Calvitt said she and her husband weighed a lot of factors before pulling their daughters out of a Lafayette Parish School of Choice and French immersion program.
But they were unhappy with the curricula and testing that came along after Common Core academic standards were implemented.
Instructional requirements also meant less or no time for recess, naps and play as early as kindergarten.
"The last straw was the bullying," Calvitt said.
Related:Kickoff event targets new home-school families
For nine out of 10 parents, concerns related to the environment of schools contributed to their decision to home-school, the National Center for Education Statistics found.
In fact, parents more commonly expressed concerns or a general dissatisfaction with the quality of schools than a desire to provide religious or moral instruction, a trademark of the early home-school movement.
Related:Is virtual education the future?
Chloe Lott of Pollock said none of the issues her children encountered at school were "major," but she didn't like some of the behavior they were picking up from classmates at school.
Her three kids will be in kindergarten, second grade and fourth grade respectively this year, which will be their first to home-school.
Everyone is excited, Lott said. "It was something we talked about even before my (oldest) started school," she said.
Until recently, Lott knew about the social stigmas related to homeschooling, but not much else. "I noticed it becoming popular and more known to me because (I was interested)," she said.
So she spent a lot of time this summer researching curriculum options and talking to other home-school parents, including ones in Facebook groups who could offer her advice.
She also educated herself on state home-school guidelines. "It was more simple and easier than I expected," Lott said.
Academics and accountability
Home-schooling has been legal in Louisiana since 1980 under the Louisiana Private Education Deregulation Act.
It allows students to enroll in an approved home-study program. Test results or proof of instruction and an application for home-study students must be submitted to state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education annually.
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The law also allows families to become their own registered non-public school, which is not the same as the private schools approved by BESE. Families who register as a non-public school are not required to submit test scores or information about instruction.
Critics of the law, including The Coalition for Responsible Home Education, say the non-public school option provided a "loophole" for families to home-school without any accountability.
"That's our biggest concern about Louisiana's home-school law right now," said Executive Director Rachel Coleman.
The Coalition for Responsible Home Education is a pro-home-school research and advocacy group started by home-school graduates. Among other work, the group monitors state laws and advises lawmakers and authors of bills related to home-schooling.
Coleman said not many places have attempted to tackle the oversight of home-schooling, which varies a great deal by state.
"Most states that do have home-school-related bills that are related to the academic side of things tend to be rolling things back," she said.
There are different reasons for that.
"Most people don't know what their state's oversight of homeschooling is," she said.
"The only people who tend to be invested in this issue are homeschooling parents, and they usually want less oversight ... although we do have homeschooling parents who have said very, very adamantly that they support our recommendations."
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There is limited research showing what the impact of home-schooling is on student achievement outcomes. And according to CRHE, much of it is reflective of only a small portion of the home-school population.
The group has identified the three most consistent findings on its website. They are:
- Home-school children who participate in research do not show educational deficits.
- Home-schoolers tend to do better in reading and writing than they do in math and sciences.
- Home-schoolers who attend college do well, but home-schooling may depress college attendance.
However, parents interviewed by The Town Talk believe having the ability to individualize instruction to fit the learning needs of each child is a benefit in the long run.
They all had at least one child whom they feel would be left behind in a traditional classroom setting where the needs of many outweigh the needs of a few.
On the flip side, Lott also has a child she feels like wasn't being challenged enough in school. His boredom led to minor discipline issues.
"That discouraged him a lot," she said.
Lott is looking forward to seeing how her children respond to a new curriculum.
She said choosing a curriculum was the most "overwhelming" part of the transition process, but she was able to look to research and the advice of other parents.
Support
Organized support groups are another resource important to many parents at all stages of home-schooling.
Local and regional groups, which often coordinate field trips or cooperatives that offer enrichment classes, also offer an opportunity for some of the socialization skeptics of home-schooling raise concerns about.
Related: Home School Association offers group class
Calvitt said joining a co-op is something she might consider in the future. Right now, she's looking forward to home-schooling allowing her family to have a more laid-back lifestyle with days that aren't so long.
It will be new for her kids not to see their friends at school, but she said they aren't upset. They're looking forward to something different.
"This is a new experience for us all around," she said.
Mullins said being able to home-school and attend a weekly co-op with more than 200 kids has worked out great for her family. For one, it exposes her kids to peers outside their "circle" at church or family.
"I think it's the best of both worlds," she said.
Mullins said there's a lot of support to be found in the home-school community. Taking on the full responsibility of educating your kids is not something she takes lightly, so it's been important to have a support network.
For instance, if a concept she's teaching isn't coming easy to one of her kids, other moms can tell her whether to be concerned or give it time. She's learned that when her kids do accomplish something new "that it's the most rewarding thing."
"When you teach your child to read ... (or) when they're doing cursive, and it's like 'I taught them that' ... it's like no other," she said.
Home-schooling in Central Louisiana
Number of home-study and *registered private school students:
595, Rapides
210, Allen
282, Avoyelles
47, Catahoula
68, Concordia
155, Grant
144, LaSalle
246, Natchitoches
542, Vernon
73, Winn
*Louisiana's home-school law allows families to become their own registered nonpublic school, which is not the same as the private schools approved by BESE.
Source: Louisiana Department of Education 2016 enrollment numbers
Local Support Groups
Cenla Christian Homeschool Association
About: CCHSA is a volunteer support organization for Christian home-school families in Alexandria, Pineville and the surrounding Central Louisiana area. The group offers a variety of educational and social activities, including a Homeschool Cooperative which meets weekly during the fall and spring semesters. CCHSA is an affiliate of CHEF of Louisiana, a state organization which sponsors annual events and monitors the state for legislation and policies affecting home education.
Website: homeschool-life.com/la/cchsa
Open-minded Home-schoolers
About: Open-minded Home-schoolers is an inclusive and secular home-school support group based in Avoyelles Parish. The group coordinates park days, field trips and support opportunities for home-school families.
Website: openmindla.tripod.com
Divine Providence Catholic Homeschool Group
About: A support group for Catholic families in of the Dioeces of Alexandria. Gatherings on first and Fridays of the month for adoration, lunch or activities.
Contact information: 318-729-1683 or 318-442-9042
Statewide groups
Christian Home Educators Fellowship, chefofla.org (based in Baton Rouge)
National Black Home Educators, nbhe.net (based in Baker, Louisiana)