Al Jazeera wants your homeschool insights

[kubiac]

http://america.aljazeera.com/watch/shows/america-tonight/america-tonight-blog/2014/1/20/home-schooled-wewanttohearfromyou.html

 

 

 

Home schooling has been one of the most successful social movements of the last 50 years. Back in 1980, when it was largely seen as a faith-based fringe movement, the practice was illegal in 30 states. Over time, home schooling has become a mainstream educational option, with the reasons for why parents choose it, and the resources, support groups and curriculum available to help them, growing every day.

Today, nearly 1.8 million American children are home-schooled, according to the Department of Education, more than double the number just two decades ago. But despite its explosive growth, home schooling is still a remarkably deregulated enterprise.

This evening, as part of the week-long education series â€œGetting Schooled,†America Tonight takes a hard look at how some states are still struggling to figure out how to oversee educational standards for home-schooled students, and whether a lack of regulation is leaving children vulnerable to educational neglect, and even abuse.

As a part of our coverage, we want to hear from home-schoolers in their own words.

• If you’ve been home-schooled, tell us the best, and the worst, part of your experience, and whether you'd want your own children to be home-schooled one day.

• If you’re a home-schooling parent, tell us why you chose that option, and the best and worst part of your experience. Do you think home schooling should be regulated more in your state?

Let us know your answers, which could be featured in our coverage, in the fields below, or using the hashtag #homeschoolkid on Twitter. You can find some of those repsonses below. And catch the rest of the â€œGetting Schooled†series on America Tonight at 9 p.m. ET every night this week.