HYBRID HOMESCHOOLS: Why Parents Choose Them

Record: Eric Wearne, “A Descriptive Survey of Why Parents Choose Hybrid Homeschools.” Journal of School Choice, 10, No. 3 (2016): 364-380. [Abstract / Modified Version Available Here]

Summary: Eric Wearne is Assistant Professor of Education at Georgia Gwinnett College. In this article he investigates the phenomenon of hybrid (part-time) homeschooling.

IMPACT OF REGULATION: One Mother’s Story

Record: Giuliana Liberto, “Child-led and interest-inspired learning, home education, learning differences and the impact of regulation.” Cogent Education, 3 (2016): 1-10. [Abstract]

Summary: Giuliana Liberto is a home educator who researched the effects of increased regulation on children’s learning and well-being in the home education community of New South Wales, Australia.

THE HUMAN RIGHT TO HOME EDUCATION

Record: Michael P. Donnelly, “The Human Right to Home Education.” Journal of School Choice, 10, No. 3 (2014): 283-296. [Abstract / Modified Version Available Here]

Summary: Michael P. Donnelly is Director of Global Outreach and Staff Attorney with the Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA). In this article he argues that the German Constitutional Court (FCC) and the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) have ignored the human right to home education by upholding the German ban of the practice.

RIGHT TO HOMESCHOOL: Seeking A Free Speech Right to Homeschool

Record: Jennifer Karinen, “Finding a Free Speech Right to Homeschool: An Emersonian Approach.” The Georgetown Law Journal, 105, No. 1 (2016): 191-215. [Abstract]

Summary: Karinen, a lawyer in New York and graduate of Georgetown University Law Center, in this article explains that a right to homeschool, including for secular purposes, can be assumed from the free speech protections of the First Amendment.

VIRTUAL SCHOOLS IN THE U.S.: Directory and Performance Review (2016 Update)

Record: Gary Miron and Charisse Gulosino, Virtual Schools Report 2016: Directory and Performance Review. Boulder, CO: National Education Policy Center, (2016). [Available Here]

Introduction: This report is the fourth in an annual series published by the National Education Policy Center (NEPC). The first report in 2013 was followed by the 2014 report (reviewed here) and the 2015 report (reviewed here). I recommend reading the previous reviews first since this post will only cover the information that is new for 2016.

SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS: Home Education Seen As Only Option in the UK

Record: Lynne Kendall and Elizabeth Taylor, “‘We can’t make him fit into the system’: parental reflections on the reasons why home education is the only option for their child who has special educational needs.” International Journal of Primary, Elementary and Early Years Education, 44, No. 3 (2016): 297-310. [Abstract]

Summary: This small-scale study by Lynne Kendall and Elizabeth Taylor from the Department of Education, Health, and Community at Liverpool John Moores University in the UK investigates the perspectives of parents who withdrew their children from the state-maintained education system due to their children’s special educational needs.

ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENTS AND HOMESCHOOLING: It Depends on the Goals

Record: Ari Neuman and Oz Guterman, “Academic achievements and homeschooling—It all depends on the goals.” Studies in Educational Evaluation, 51 (2016): 1-6. [Abstract]

Summary: Neuman is senior lecturer of education at Western Galilee College, in Akko, Israel, and Guterman is senior lecturer in the Department of Human Resources at the same university. In this article they argue that while academic achievement is a commonly used to compare homeschooling and school learning, this may be a misguided comparison due to the different goals of the homeschooling movement.

A TALE OF TWO RIGHTS: The Danger of Individual Rights

Record: Robin West, “A Tale of Two Rights.” Boston University Law Review, 94 (2014): 903-912. [Abstract]

Summary: Are individual rights a danger to societal aspirations for equality, community, and democracy? This is the question that West, a Professor of Law and Philosophy at Georgetown University, attempts to answer in this article.

COMPARISON BETWEEN HOMESCHOOLED AND FORMALLY SCHOOLED KINDERGARTENERS: Children’s Early Literacy, Mothers’ Beliefs, and Writing Mediation

Record: Dorit Aram, Inbal Cohen Meidan & Deborah Bergman Deitcher, “A Comparison Between Homeschooled and Formally Schooled Kindergartners: Children’s Early Literacy, Mothers’ Beliefs, and Writing Mediation.” Reading Psychology, 37, No. 7 (2016): 995-1024. [Abstract]

Summary: In this article, Aram, Meidan and Deitcher discuss the differences in maternal beliefs, the nature of mother’s support during a writing task, and children’s early literacy in a group of homeschooled children and formally-schooled children in Israel.

AUSTRALIAN HOME EDUCATED STUDENTS: Opportunities for Self-Regulation at Home & in School

Record: Glenda Jackson, “Australian home educated students on self-regulation opportunities at home and in school.” Cogent Education, 3, No. 1 (2016). [Abstract]

Summary: In this article, Jackson, an educational consultant with the Australian Home Education Advisory Service (AHEAS) and a PhD recipient from Monash University, discusses self-regulation opportunities at home and in school among Australian home educated students.