Florida Homeschool Association serves all homeschoolers in the Sunshine State, regardless of method or philosophy. We provide information and resources, but when it comes to decision-making, we know parents and caregivers will make the best choices for their students and their families.
In addition to learning from us, we recognize that families also need to learn from each other. There is value in hearing the reasons why parents make certain choices. Sharing in their successes, and sometimes, their failures, can help each of us learn and expand our ways of thinking. Oftentimes, it is by hearing the perspectives of others that we can weigh options in ways we hadn't been able to come up with on our own.
In the spirit of families helping each other, this blog is dedicated to sharing what parents tell us about why they do what they do. Experienced home educators are perhaps the greatest resource available to any of us. By listening to the reasons for the choices they've made, we can all better make decisions for our own families.
What Parents Tell Us
Below, you'll read statements and opinions shared by other parents, describing which Florida homeschool options they've chosen, and why. We've met with thousands of families over the years, and we've compiled a list of some of the clearest explanations people have shared about choosing home education versus private schools versus PEP scholarships.
In this article, we're sharing statements made by other Florida parents. Without judgement or explanation, we're delivering parent feedback (sometimes paraphrased) to help readers understand the different logistics and practical viewpoints.
Home Education
Parents tell us they prefer traditional home education using a notice of intent because...
...they prefer using the notice of intent because it gives them the most options and flexibility over any of the other options, and it doesn't require a specific curriculum, testing requirements, or reporting attendance.
...they prefer using the notice of intent because they feel secure in knowing that district home education guarantees their students the chance to participate in extracurricular activities at zoned schools, gain access to dual enrollment, apply for Florida Bright Futures, get admitted to Florida colleges and universities, and access other opportunities available to Florida home education students.
...they prefer a Florida home education program using the notice of intent because it is the original form of homeschooling legalized in 1985, has a track record of successful practice, and has received recognition by Florida entities including the Florida legislature, Florida Department of Education, Florida schools and colleges, and others, having been in use for almost 40 years.
...they prefer using the notice of intent because they can homeschool without interacting with any school or other entity, except once a year when submitting the annual evaluation to the district superintendent's office.
...they prefer using the notice of intent because they don't feel secure interacting with privately-run umbrella schools for a variety of reasons, including: concerns over the school staying in business for the entire duration of their student's K-12 education; worrying whether umbrella schools have the proper oversight or auditing measures in place to confirm their validity or outcomes promised; fears that umbrella schools may be owned or managed by people without the education, background, credentials or standards they seek when choosing a provider for their students; and, concerns that umbrella schools may not be recognized by employers, colleges and universities or other entities their students may interact with after graduation.
...they prefer the security of Florida home education, as provided by the State since Florida homeschooling began, and trust in their own ability to control the outcome.
...they prefer Florida home education with the notice of intent because of its ease and simplicity. On the whole, they describe Florida home education laws as fair and easy to do.
Private or Umbrella School
Parents tell us they prefer enrolling with a private or umbrella school because...
...they don't mind providing personal student information, reporting attendance, and fulfilling any other requirements set forth by the private or umbrella school if it means not having to maintain a portfolio or turn in an annual evaluation as they would if they used a notice of intent with home education. They believe the trade-off is worth it.
...they choose a private or umbrella school because they do not wish for their student to have to interact with a certified teacher as might occur if they selected the home education option with the notice of intent and used the portfolio review as the method of annual evaluation.
...they prefer enrollment in a private or umbrella school because they prefer not having to interact with their district home education office once a year to submit an annual student evaluation, opting to interact with the privately-run umbrella school throughout the year (such as to report attendance) instead.
...they have found a private or umbrella school with articulation agreements with some of the major Florida programs and entities. Therefore, their umbrella school is able to guide their students into valuable opportunities like dual enrollment, Bright Futures eligibility, and other programs thought to only exist under the notice of intent home education. Separately, some parents say these opportunities aren't important to them, therefore they're not concerned with enrolling with an umbrella school that may or may not provide access to these programs.
...they like the idea of having their student graduate from a registered Department of Education "school" instead of a Florida home education program. Related, some parents state they use a private or umbrella school which offers transcripts and diplomas to high schoolers who graduate from the school, and they like not having to do those things themselves.
...they have access to a private or umbrella school hosted by a local group or organization they believe in and support, therefore they know and trust their student's education with the individuals who administer the school. Related, they are able to participate in activities with the chosen umbrella school, therefore it resembles the "school-like" experience they desire for their students, while retaining parental control over their level of participation.
...they prefer enrolling in a private or umbrella school because the school has very few requirements and they prefer not to have to personally identify their student to a local school district as in home education, preferring to personally identify the student with the private school that is registered with the Florida Department of Education instead.
Personalized Educational Program (PEP)
Parents tell us they like the idea of the PEP scholarship because...
...they feel they will now be able to afford the products and services they were previously unable to give their students when using traditional home education before. Related, they believe they are able to provide a superior experience with the use of additional funds.
...they previously felt home educators should receive state funding or taxpayer benefits, and are supportive of the idea that homeschoolers in PEP programs can now receive a similar type of benefit to families with students in public schools.
...they don't mind submitting income eligibility information, student information, and testing their student annually if it means they can obtain funding needed to purchase products and services, and direct the student education on their own. The trade-off is worth it.
...they are more concerned with the present, having access to the funds needed to provide their students a successful, personalized education now, than with worrying about the future of the PEP program and its long-term implications for Florida home education.
...they will now be able to use PEP funds to place their student(s) in a group learning situation thereby enabling them (the parents) to hold a job, work more hours, tend to other family members or homeschool younger siblings, or perform other responsibilities they were previously unable to do before.
...they realize the right to home education was fought by pioneers and hard-won decades ago, but they believe the time has come for private citizens to receive the funding necessary to guide the educational future of their own students. They are less concerned with the history or preservation of traditional Florida home education than a future where parents are given the ability to choose where and how their students go to school.
Closing Comments
While readers may or may not agree with some of the statements, above, we remind that we are reporting what parents tell us, without prejudice or judgement. We've shared them as examples of what parents tell us about the reasons they do what they do.
Florida Homeschool Association believes all parents will arrive at the best decision for their families when having access to information. We support and believe in the success of Florida home education as originally designed, and we also support the possibility of exploring alternative ways to direct student education as may be appropriate for individual families and their students.
We hope these have provided the insights, and perhaps the confirmation, needed to come to the right decision for your family. The Florida Homeschool Association (FLHSA) can be found at: www.floridahsa.org
Comments