Patrick Farenga's discussion of the role John Holt played in the evolution of the homeschooling movement.
Beginning in the late 1970s, as parents became dissatisfied with the public education system, the modern homeschooling movement grew rapidly. The 1983 report, A Nation at Risk, confirmed some parents belief that their children were receiving a mediocre education in public schools. Research by John Holt and Dr. Raymond Moore encouraged many parents confidence in their ability to homeschool. Conflict between some Colorado public school districts and parents led to the adoption of a 1988 legislative bill that established guidelines for home education. A timeline of important events is detailed here.
Parents Educating at Home (PEAH) has as its goal to network with businesses and organizations to raise the awareness of home schooling in the community. They work to manage and communicate discounts and savings that home schooling families can receive as well as continually work to obtain additional discounts both nationally and locally on behalf of the homeschooling community. In order to become a member, you must pay a fee.
The Homeschool Speakers and Vendors Association (HSVA) was originated and founded by Steve Clark, a homeschooling dad from Louisville, KY. From 1998 to the present, Clark also spent over 2000 hours working in homeschool booths and speaking at homeschool conventions all across the US and Canada. After meeting hundreds of other speakers and vendors at these conventions, Clark saw that there was a great need for an association that would provide support and assistance, mainly in the areas of compiling convention information and developing marketing resources. After brainstorming the idea with other vendors and speakers, Clark and his wife, Katrina, launched HSVA in 2003.
From the early 1980s, when modern homeschooling was in its infancy, Treon Goossen worked endless hours as a volunteer, advocating changes to Colorado homeschooling law. Her efforts resulted in one of the model homeschooling laws in America, a contribution the HSLDA recognized by honoring her with a Liberty Award at their 2006 national conference. She has seven children, all of whom have been homeschooled. Today, she continues her work as a volunteer home education legislative liaison in Colorado, standing watch over the law for which she and others fought so hard. This interview with Mrs. Goossen reveals her insights into homeschooling, how she became an advocate for homeschooling, and how the laws were crafted in Colorado.
House Resolution 6 of 1994 was a reappropriations bill for the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). Ordinarily such bills deal with public education and would have little, if any, impact on home educators. But that year, a few small wording changes affected thousands upon thousands of home schooling families, and resulted in over a million phone calls to Congress.
For eight days in February, 1994, the home schoolers of this nation gave Congress a lesson on the power of grassroots politics it is not likely to forget. It began when an amendment was introduced to H.R. 6, an enormous education reappropriations bill, which would have required all teachers in America to be certified in each and every course they teach. (See article on “The Battle of H.R. 6.”) This provision would have encumbered public schools—especially small public high schools. It would have seriously interfered with America’s private schools. But for home schools, the provision was the political equivalent of a nuclear attack. America’s home schoolers astonished Congress with a political counterstrike that was quick, effective, massive, and decisive. There are three central reasons why the home schooling community was able to respond in this manner.
How homeschoolers interact with social media. Myths about using social media for marketing to the homeschool audience. Social media preferences for the homeschool market.
Cheryl Seelhoff continues her look at the history of homeschooling by examining the influences of unschooling, Raymond and Dorothy Moore, Bill Gothard, and more.
The years 1990-1992 marked an important turning point in the homeschooling movement. Cheryl Seelhoff looks at this important time. She explores educational philosophies as a source of division, the home-centered living movement, the issue of remarried homeschoolers, the expertization of homeschooling, and more.
This timeline highlights the important milestones in the fight for homeschool freedom in the United States.
The Homeschool Marketer is the place to gather all your tips about homeschool marketing and public relations. Whether you are considering marketing to home educators, are a homeschooler attempting to spread the word about your business efforts, or just want to know the news from the busy bees at The Old Schoolhouse Magazine, this is the place to get the "buzz".
An interesting list of homeschoolers from history, along with a short description of homeschooling experience.
A short history of homeschooling in America from its roots in the family-centered lifestyle of the nineteenth century to today. Includes a general discussion of the evolution of homeschooling in the twentieth century.
Explore some of the history of the homeschooling movement, why some parents choose to homeschool, the basics of homeschooling, and more. The article includes some homeschooling statistics and demographic information. Also included is a discussion of the influences of Dr. Raymond Moore and John Holt on the emerging homeschool movement.
This is the final installment of Cheryl Seelhoff's series on the history of homeschooling in America.
No other book on home education has encouraged more teenagers to "rise out" of school than Grace Llewellyn’s Teenage Liberation Handbook. Seven years and many liberated teens later, she has evolved into a recognizable, respected voice that unschoolers embrace.
Get tips on how to understand the homeschool market, how to do market research on a home business budget, and whether or not you should buy advertising.
Recognition of April 8, 2005, as Home Education Day in Colorado.
This is an interview with Dr. Raymond Moore, with an emphasis on his and his wife's influence on the homeschooling movement.
Cheryl Seelhoff discusses the controversy between her and other homeschool movement leaders.
Patrick Farenga looks at the history of homeschooling from before the founding of our country to present day. He includes discussion of the work of some important people in the homeschooling revolution.
With podcasts you have a chance to reach a new component of the homeschool audience that you might not reach via newsletters, blog posts, or social media. This video details three advantages to marketing through podcasts.