Home schooling effects studied

Robert Kunzman has been studying home schooling and with his studies, has suggested that a possible court ruling that would leave discretion to individual districts regarding part-time students could have a negative impact on home schooled students, according to a news release. Kunzman is a professor of curriculum and instruction in the IU School of Education. Earlier in the month, the Indiana Court of Appeals decided on policies that reflect the decisions in many states around the nation.\nThe court decided in favor of the Brownsburg School Corportation in the corporations’s challenge to the Indiana Department of Education. The department maintained that every public school corporation must admit any student who requests “dual enrollment,” according to the news release. Dual enrollment means a student requests to take classes part time in the public school. The judge in the case wrote that Indiana schools have “the authority to regulate and control the enrollment of students in its course offerings under its policy.” \nKunzman is currently in the middle of a multi-year research project exploring home schooling practices and philosophies across the U.S., according to the news release. \nHe said that the decision doesn’t close the door on anyone, but does allow the option for school officials to turn down home schooled students who want to participate in extracurricular activities or specialized classes that are hard to conduct at home. According to the news release, Kunzman said it is also possible for a school to develop a policy of not admitting a part-time home schooler.\nKunzman said this route would be the unfortunate way to go. He recommends that requirements be developed for part-time participation on behalf of the home-schooled students.\nWhen it comes to home-schooled students having access to public school activities, Kunzman said this is a benefit of the part-time system.\n“I do think that when it can be arranged, it is a good opportunity for home-school kids,” Kunzman said in a press release. “And I think that it provides a way to give them the opportunity to interact with a broader segment of society in public schools – not to say that they necessarily don’t have that opportunity in other ways, but it’s certainly one opportunity.”\nKunzman said in the news release that communication between parents and school corporations is key to resolving any problems that may arise in the Department of Legislation regarding home schooled students becoming part-time students at public schools. \nThe press release reports that the number of home schooled students in the state has grown exponentially in recent years. This year the state reported nearly 36,000 home schoolers in Indiana, although Kunzman said there are probably many more because the majority of home schooled students he speaks with do not enroll with the state. \n“Some home schoolers are quite leery of advocating for greater access to public schools because of the accompanying regulation and expectations that will inevitably follow,” Kruzan said a news release.