Homeschooling has been growing at a rate of about 15% each year for the past 15 years. With this phenomenal growth, many distance-learning opportunities have been developed specifically for homeschoolers.

Among the more popular distance-education options for homeschoolers are online courses offered directly to homeschoolers, or alternatively, by public and private schools.

One of the few Online Curriculum providers that work directly with homeschoolers is Global Student Network (GSN). This curriculum company places the homeschool parent into the “teacher’s” online portal, which includes the answer keys for all lessons. After enrolling, the homeschool student logs on to their private student portal and begins to work on their selected courses. Each time the student completes a lesson, it is delivered to the parent’s portal in-box as a “lesson-to-grade.” The parent reviews their child’s answers against the provided answers and grades the lesson. Once graded, the lesson is returned to the student and maintained in their online course portfolio. GSN provides free diagnostic assessments in Reading and Mathematics for all newly enrolled students.

Online academies are another choice of distance learning for homeschoolers. Students enroll in these programs just like they would a regular school and then access the class through the internet. All courses are completed online and use online learning systems for class work. The advantage to online academies is that many of them are accredited and will send a high school diploma upon completion. They will also keep detailed transcripts that students can use when applying for college. Another benefit is that most online academies offer distance learning on a course-by-course basis. This way, families can utilize the school for subjects they struggle with teaching or for elective courses they have trouble finding materials on. One such online academy is the International Virtual Learning Academy (IVLA), which has open enrollment throughout the year. Students at IVLA are assigned a highly qualified teacher for every course, and complete courses on a pace appropriate to their learning level. IVLA also provides free diagnostic assessment at the beginning of each school year.

If a homeschooler wants to keep their child at home, but worries about developing a well-rounded curriculum, both of these options are excellent options.

Both GSN and IVLA are web-based and students complete the same courses as public schooled children. This is a good option for homeschoolers who want to include religious education into their children’s curriculum without having to worry about developing the entire curriculum. Overall, advanced technology has made homeschooling easier and more obtainable for families who want to explore that educational option.

For more information about Global Student Network go to: www.GlobalStudentNetwork.com

For more information about International Virtual Learning Academy go to: www.InternationalVLA.com

GSN’s Homeschool blog does not endorse, support, or refute political positions, but does work to provide information of value to homeschoolers. This article was forwarded from the Homeschool Legal Defense Association’s president, Michael Smith.

Since the election of Barack Obama as U.S. president, HSLDA has received more than a few calls from both members and nonmembers. Some are quite concerned about the future of homeschooling under an Obama presidency.

First of all, let us always remember that “God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7). He also instructs us to be wise, plan, and be prepared in everything we do.

Despite HSLDA’s efforts prior to the election to get an official statement from the Obama campaign regarding their position on homeschooling, we received no response.

So where does that leave us?

We do know that the Democratic Party has an official position of supporting public education. The National Education Association (NEA), which is the national teachers union, is a major supporter of the Democratic Party. We know that the NEA’s position is that every child should be either taught by a certified teacher or supervised by one. Additionally, their position is that the curriculum used by all homeschoolers should be approved by the state, and children should only be able to continue to be homeschooled based upon systematic evaluation by the state.

It is important to remember that under the United States Constitution, the federal government has no authority over private and home education. This is not to say that they will not attempt to exercise authority in these areas. And whenever private educators accept grants and benefits, there are conditions to receiving those benefits, including being subject to regulation.

Just because the federal government has no constitutional authority over home education, however, doesn’t mean that federal bureaucrats or legislators might not attempt to impose some form of regulation over private and home education. We saw this back in 1994, when the reauthorization of the Secondary and Elementary Act (H.R. 6) contained an amendment which would have conditioned funding to the states for public education to require that all teachers be certified in every subject area they teach. The homeschool community rose up; over a million phone calls were made to the U.S. Congress, and the amendment was defeated. During that process, Representative Dick Armey from Texas introduced an amendment which stated that the federal government and Congress have no authority over private and home education. This protective language was passed by the House of Representatives.

With your help and the help of homeschoolers all across America, we will vigorously resist any effort on the part of the federal government to regulate home education. Obviously, this will take resources—which come from our membership—and we would encourage our current members to continue standing with us, and encourage others to join us.

An immediate concern to watch is the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. Although we do not know what Barack Obama’s specific position on the treaty is, we know that future Vice President Joe Biden has publicly indicated that this UN Convention should be ratified by the United States.

It does appear that we will soon have the challenge of keeping the UN Convention from being ratified by the U.S. Senate, ratification requiring a two-thirds majority to pass.

Should the UN Convention be ratified, it would impose the United Nation’s view of children’s rights on America. Under the U.S. Constitution, treaties become the Supreme Law of the land, taking precedent over state laws and state supreme court decisions.

The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child is not in the best interest of parents or children, as it would undermine the parental authority that our laws currently recognize. For further information on the UN Convention of the Rights of the Child visit ParentalRights.org.

To summarize, homeschoolers should not live in fear, but we do need to be wise, and we will need to be vigilant to protect parental rights and homeschooling freedoms in the future. We stand prepared, with your help, to do that as we’ve done for 25 years.

Michael Smith
HSLDA President