A study of ways home schooling families in southwest Virginia believe public schools can better interface and assist families who choose to home school their children

Abstract

As more and more families opt to home school their children, public schools are being faced with the need to know more about the families that home school their children within their division because many of these children will later enroll in public school. The purpose of this study was to determine ways that home schooling parents believe public schools can better interface and assist families who choose to home school their children. In light of the information gained from this study, public school officials may gain insight into: 1) how to effectively communicate with parents of home schooled pupils; 2) what services are needed to support the children in the home school settings in their division; and 3) what strategies need to be implemented to provide a positive transition from the home school setting to the public school setting in those circumstances where home schoolers return to public schools. A questionnaire was used to gather demographic information and to identify families to participate in a formal interview. An interview protocol was developed to obtain information. The interviews were transcribed, coded, and analyzed. The major findings revealed that most home schooling parents would welcome a collaborative relationship with the public schools they could see benef for their children. Parents were open to receiving assistance from public schools in providing opportunities for their children to attend classes, providing inservice for parents to become more effective teachers, sharing facilities and materials, sharing information regarding curriculum improvement, and sharing ideas and mutual concerns for enhancing learning for all children.