Homeschooling started out as a small but determined group of parents who believed passionately in their right to teach their own children. How did it become a national movement with media recognition and political clout? Find out on today’s Home School Heartbeat, hosted by Mike Smith.
Mike Smith:
Chris Klicka, a fellow HSLDA attorney, is with me today to discuss his new book, Home School Heroes. Chris, last time we talked about the risk of homeschooling in the mid-1980s. How did the situation begin to change for homeschoolers?
Christopher Klicka:
Well, first, families began coming together. They established statewide homeschool associations and local support groups in all the 50 states. The purposes of these groups were to encourage homeschoolers, inspire them, and teach them how to do a better job. And then the research began coming in—from independent researchers, state departments of education, and Dr. Brian Ray, who began the National Home Education Research Institute. The statistics showed that homeschoolers, on the average, scored above average on standardized achievement tests-many times 20-30 points above the national average. And this trend has continued unabated this last 20 years. In fact, homeschoolers are doing above average on the college entrance exams now, as well.
Mike:
Well, thank you very much, Chris. And please join us next time, when we’ll talk about some of the key cases that began to establish the freedom of homeschoolers in America. But until then, I’m Mike Smith.
