Virtual charter schools are popping up all over the country, providing free computers, textbooks and educational materials to any family who would like to enroll in their program. Jennifer James takes a hard look at how these schools are detrimental to black homeschoolers.

While many parents may not have the opportunity to influence legislation regarding home education on the state level, there are ways to be involved on a local level.

Families homeschooling for the first time inevitably have questions about legal challenges or threats that they might face from local or state education authorities. Those who do seek an answer to these questions are often faced with a confusing array of laws, policies, and regulations that not only vary from state to state, but also between school districts, and school officials within the same state or district.

Most books and articles on home education are quick to point out that homeschooling is legal--in one form or another-- in all fifty states. Parents might have to jump through more hoops in one state than in another, but, as long as they're willing to jump through those hoops, they are allowed to teach their own children at home. But are these hoops actually necessary?

This list is created to be a means of informing, documenting and evaluating available information concerning the impact of virtual/charter schools on the homeschooling community. This information consists of and is not limited to news items, articles from various sources, legislative information (bills, law changes), documented efforts and experiences and other information that may give weight to whether home-based charter schools or virtual schools are having an impact in any negative way on homeschooling.

This list is an opportunity for homeschoolers to contact homeschooling attorneys and experts about homeschooling legal and litigation issues. It is an informal network of attorneys and legal experts that are concerned with litigation pending and threatened against homeschoolers. Its primary purpose is to exchange legal information within the profession, and to educate and support attorneys and experts involved in homeschool litigation.

Listed here are instructions and information for applying and administering a home study program. This summary is provided by the Louisiana Department of Education.

Although a credit or deduction could be helpful for homeschoolers, HSLDA opposes any tax break legislation that could come with governmental regulations. Homeschoolers have fought far too long and much too hard to throw off the chains of government regulation that hinder effective education and interfere with liberty. It would be inconsistent and foolhardy to accept tax incentives in exchange for government regulation. However, HSLDA supports tax credits that promote educational choice without threatening any regulation of homeschoolers. - See more at: http://nche.hslda.org/docs/nche/000010/200504150.asp#sthash.tvLv2ItR.dpuf

There is a national campaign to institutionalize all preschoolers through government funded and/or mandated "universal preschool." This group seeks to redefine universal preschool as an unheralded worldwide community of loving, functional parents who exercise their right and authority to nurture and teach their young children at home.

Includes information on the distribution of books to home study students.

For the purposes of this Chapter, a school is defined as an institution for the teaching of children, consisting of an adequate physical plant, whether owned or leased, instructional staff members, and students. For such an institution to be classified as a school, within the meaning of this Chapter, instructional staff members shall meet the following requirements: if a public day school or a nonpublic school which receives local, state, or federal funds or support, directly or indirectly, they shall be certified in accordance with rules established by the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education; if a nonpublic school which receives no local, state, or federal funds or support, directly or indirectly, they shall meet such requirements as may be prescribed by the school or the church. In addition, any such institution, to be classified as a school, shall operate a minimum session of not less than one hundred eighty days. Solely for purposes of compulsory attendance in a nonpublic school, a child who participates in a home study program approved by the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education shall be considered in attendance at a day school; a home study program shall be approved if it offers a sustained curriculum of a quality at least equal to that offered by public schools at the same grade level.

The Cato Institute was founded in 1977 by Edward H. Crane. It is a non-profit public policy research foundation headquartered in Washington, D.C. The Cato Institute seeks to broaden the parameters of public policy debate to allow consideration of the traditional American principles of limited government, individual liberty, free markets and peace. Toward that goal, the Institute strives to achieve greater involvement of the intelligent, concerned lay public in questions of policy and the proper role of government.

This list of ten questions touches on political issues that affect and are important to homeschoolers. It includes tips on how to frame questions and how to elicit a candidate's opinion on a variety of issues.

Every important movement or trend in this country was followed by an onslaught of legislative actions which resulted in some legal stipulations that controlled the trend. What is really of concern is that this legislative control is not static, but very fluid, subject to change (meaning more restrictions in many cases). These changes occur through either more legislative actions on the part of the government or through interpretation in the judicial system. Currently, the homeschool movement is being closely monitored by various teacher unions, the public and legislative bodies throughout the United States, resulting in more and more laws being passed to control or monitor the movement. If the homeschool movement is to survive in a manner which we feel would be beneficial to us and society as a whole, we have to be more and more diligent in protecting our rights. The only way we can do this is to be more active in the political process. The question now becomes, how do we do this?

This is a list of tips for effective lobbying. Includes ways to lobby, things you can do now, and how to connect with other lobbyists.

The Home School Legal Defense Association provides a brief summary of the homeschooling laws in Louisiana. Includes a link to a legal analysis of laws relating to homeschooling in Louisiana.

The purpose of this list is to alert homeschoolers to upcoming events or legislation, particularly as it pertains to homeschoolers in the state of Louisiana. This is an announcement only list.

The Christian Home Educators Fellowship (CHEF) of Louisiana is a Christian organization comprised of Christian home school support groups from around the state. They provide timely national and state news, assist in the formation of new home education support groups, direct new families to a group in their area, support home education research, provide training for support group leaders, and more.

A.(1) Every parent, tutor, or other person residing within the state of Louisiana, having control or charge of any child from that child's seventh birthday until his eighteenth birthday, shall send such child to a public or private day school, unless the child graduates from high school prior to his eighteenth birthday. Any child below the age of seven who legally enrolls in school shall also be subject to the provisions of this Subpart. Every parent, tutor, or other person responsible for sending a child to a public or private day school under provisions of this Subpart shall also assure the attendance of such child in regularly assigned classes during regular school hours established by the school board.

Louisiana Home Education Network provides this listing of current legislative issues relating to homeschooling.

Twenty years ago, home education was treated as a crime in almost every state. Today, it is legal all across America, despite strong and continued opposition from many within the educational establishment. How did this happen? This paper traces the legal and sociological history of the modern home school movement, and then suggests factors that led to this movement's remarkable success.

A look at the battle for the homeschooling movement and the demographics of homeschooling families that challenges the notion that all homeschoolers are conservative fundamentalists. This article is a critical look at the HSLDA.

If you are operating an educational program or school but do not wish to seek state approval as either an SBESE-Approved Home Study or Approved Nonpublic School, please click the link to find out how to register your nonpublic (private) school in accordance with R.S. 17:232 (C) and (D). This information is provided by the Louisiana Department of Education.

Louisiana Home Education Network (LAHEN) is a statewide homeschooling network consisting of families covering a diverse spectrum of homeschooling styles and philosophies. It exists to help homeschoolers protect the fundamental right of the family to educate its children in the manner it deems appropriate without regulation or interference by federal, state or local agencies. Louisiana Home Education Network monitors and responds to legislation which may pose a threat to homeschooling, and to this end maintains dialogue with local, state, and national homeschooling organizations.

Homeschoolers have been vigilant in protecting their rights, rising to the occasion when they discover threats to clamp down on their activities. Discusses some of the criticisms by opponents of homeschooling, along with the examples of some legal fights in Connecticut and Montana.

The "We Stand for Homeschooling Statement and Resolution” is a grassroots effort created by an ad hoc group of homeschoolers from all over the United States. The list of original signers includes homeschoolers and their allies from diverse religious, political and philosophical perspectives. The list is also geographically diverse. This statement addresses the issue of state control of homeschooling and the growing movement of using government funding to run emerging educational programs. You can read the statement and add your name to it at this website.

A. The board shall adopt standards and guidelines which shall be applied in determining whether a private or proprietary school applying for approval meets the requirements of a sustained curriculum or specialized course of study of quality at least equal to that prescribed for similar public schools. The board shall appoint an advisory committee of private and proprietary school representatives, who shall advise and counsel with the board relative to standards and guidelines affecting these schools. After initial approval the board shall periodically determine whether the private school is maintaining such quality and if not, shall discontinue approval of the school. B. The board shall approve any private elementary, secondary, or proprietary school which makes application therefor on a form furnished by the board, if such school meets and maintains a sustained curriculum or specialized course of study of quality at least equal to that prescribed for similar public schools. C. All certificates and diplomas issued by an approved private school shall carry the same privileges as one issued by a state public school.

A BESE-Approved Home Study program provides Louisiana families the opportunity to independently educate their child. In a BESE-Approved Home Study program, parents have complete control and responsibility for educating their child. Parent’s primary responsibilities include: a) selecting and using the curriculum to teach their child; b) determining the child’s grade placement; and c) submitting initial and renewal home study applications to the LDE for approval.

Do the public school authorities feel threatened by homeschooling? Judging by their efforts to lure homeschooling families into dependence on local school districts, the answer is apparently yes. For the last several years, homeschooling has been the fastest growing educational alternative in the country. The sheer number of homeschoolers represent a distinct threat to the hegemony of the government school monopoly. Qualitatively, the academic success of homeschoolers, measured by standardized test scores and recruitment by colleges, debunk the myth that parents need to hire credentialed experts to force children to learn.

The information packet contains general information and instructions regarding the Home Study Program; guidelines for compliance; guidelines for transferring students into public school systems (e.g., participation in the LEAP 21); order form for LA Content Standards and Assessment Guides; a list of district test coordinators; legislation related to the Tuition Opportunity Program for Students (TOPS), and a Home Study Program application.

A. A parent or legal guardian shall apply to the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education for approval of a home study program. An initial application must be made within fifteen days after commencement of the program. A renewal application must be made by the first of October of the school year, or within twelve months of approval of the initial application, whichever is later. The Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, upon receipt of such initial or renewal application, shall immediately notify the city or parish school superintendent within whose jurisdiction the home study is being conducted of such application and also shall notify said superintendent of subsequent actions taken by the board on the application. B. An initial application for participation in a home study program shall be accompanied by a certified copy of the birth certificate of the child. A short-form birth certification card shall be acceptable as a certified copy of the birth certificate. The initial application or, during the 1984-1985 school year, a renewal application, shall be approved if the parent certifies that the home study program will offer a sustained curriculum of quality at least equal to that offered by public schools at the same grade level. C.(1) After the 1984-1985 school year, a renewal application for participation in a home study program shall be approved if the parent submits to the board satisfactory evidence that the program has in fact offered a sustained curriculum of quality at least equal to that offered by public schools at the same grade level. To substantiate this fact, the parent shall submit with the renewal application a packet of materials which includes such documents as: (a) A complete outline of each of the subjects taught during the previous year, (b) Lists of books and materials used, (c) Copies of the student's work, (d) Copies of standardized tests, (e) Statements by third parties who have observed the child's progress, and (f) Any other evidence of the quality of the program being offered. (2) If the material submitted is inadequate, the Department of Education shall notify the parent of the deficiencies and request additional materials. (3) On the basis of all the information submitted, the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education shall determine whether the program offers a sustained curriculum of quality at least equal to that offered in public schools at the same grade level and shall approve or disapprove the application accordingly. D. After the 1984-1985 school year, a renewal application shall be approved if, in lieu of submission of the packet of materials provided in the previous Subsection, the parent submits with the application any one of the following: (1) Verification that the child has taken the competency-based education examination provided in R.S. 17:24.4 and scored at or above the passing level established by the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education for public school students at his grade level. (2) Verification that the child has taken the California Achievement Test (CAT) or such other standardized examination as may be approved by the board and the child has scored at or above his grade level or the child has progressed at a rate equal to one grade level for each year in home study program. (3) A statement from a teacher certified to teach at the child's grade level that the teacher has examined the program being offered and that, in his professional opinion, the child is being taught in accordance with a sustained curriculum of quality at least equal to that offered by public schools at the same grade level or, in the case of children with mental or physical disabilities, at least equal to that offered by public schools to children with similar disabilities. Any such teacher evaluation provided for in this Subsection shall be subject to review and approval of the State Board of Education. E.(1) In May and September of each year and on such other dates as may be determined by the city or parish superintendent of schools, the local school board shall, upon request of a parent whose child is participating in a home study program, administer the competency-based education examination to the child. The test shall be administered with the same instructions and under similar conditions as provided children enrolled in the public schools. (2) The local school board may charge a fee for this service not to exceed thirty-five dollars. (3) The certified teacher administering the examination shall promptly provide the parent a statement indicating the child's score and whether he passed the examination. F.(1) In May and September of each year and on such other dates as may be determined by the state superintendent of elementary and secondary education, the Department of Education shall, upon the request of the parent, administer the competency-based education examination to any child enrolled in a home study program or enrolled in a private school. The test shall be administered with the same instructions and under similar conditions as provided children enrolled in the public schools. (2) The Department of Education may charge a fee for this service not to exceed thirty-five dollars. (3) The certified teacher administering the examination shall promptly provide the parent a statement indicating the child's score and whether he passed the examination.