High School Diplomas: Credit Where Credit Is Due - Diplomas for Home-Schooling
One difficulty faced by those who attend home-school is receiving credit from the state for their coursework. In addition, since most home-schooling does not receive state accreditation, the work done at home does not contribute toward a state authorized diploma. Many traditional schools and colleges will accept home-schooling students on a case by case basis; however, the ability to earn credit which is readily transferable to state institutions would be extremely helpful for those who home-school.
Home-school students may find that banding together as a network makes it easier for them to work with their school districts when seeking credit for their home-schooling subject work. A home-schooling network alliance may offer many services in addition to seeking certification for the work of its membership. It will be up to the members themselves to choose the ways in which an alliance will be most useful to them. The alliance is not a school but rather a support service for families who choose to home-school their children. Costs will be associated with the organization. Most find that the easiest way to pay for the expenses engendered by the alliance is for reasonable payments to be made for the services provided.
A home-school alliance functions in direct response to the needs of the participating families. The group's leaders may act as liaisons between the home-schooling community and the public school system. In addition, the network may also choose to provide weekly communal study groups for students who home-school. It may also assist parents with resources such as lesson plans, study guides and appropriate textbooks.
The leaders of the alliance are generally education professionals. Families may elect to take advantage of these educators to learn more about teaching methodologies. Home-schooling parents will still maintain complete authority over the coursework for their children. The parents will also be in charge of grading any work done by the students. The job of a home-schooling alliance is to support those who choose to educate in the home environment, not to replace them.
In the final analysis, a network for those who home-school should be a useful tool for parents who have undertaken the challenge of teaching their own children. It is not meant to supplant the parent/child educational relationship. Indeed, the goal of any home-schooling alliance should be to assist those who home-school in receiving the proper means and recognition for their valuable efforts.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Mimi Rothschild is a homeschooling parent, author, children's rights advocate, and Founder and C.E.O. of Learning by Grace, Inc. She and her husband of almost 3 decades reside with their 8 children in suburban Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Rothschild co-founded Learning By Grace, Inc. because "our current system of education has broken its promise..." Learning By Grace, Inc. delivers Internet-based multimedia education to PreK-12 children in the United States and throughout the world.
Rothschild has authored a number of books about education published by McGraw Hill and others. Her Daily Education News Blog contains feature stories on alternatives in education.