StudyBuddy home-schooled two daughters in third and fourth grades, before the era of online anything. Calvert School in Baltimore, which has been around since 1896, provided lesson plans. (They now do that online, like everybody else; and offer Pre-Kindergarten through Eighth Grade) It was challenging, it was fun, and we loved it. Also, like most tasks on a parent's plate, it turned out to take more time than expected.

So a recent New York Times feature, "Teach Your Children, Virtually," easily grabbed our attention. What's very new is that this alternative is now PUBLIC education. In short, unlike the way we did it, it's free.

The Times article featured an Ohio family, in which three kids aged 5, 7, and 9 are home-schooled by their mom (quoted as saying she does not feel capable of teaching them) through the Ohio Virtual Academy. It's a public entity chartered by the state and run by K12 http://www.k12.com/ a company based in McLean, Virginia. K12 lends a computer, and provides a teacher who is available online. K12's California operation covers grades Kindergarten through 5 and is called the California Virtual Academies http://www.caliva.org/ or phone 510-465-0342. (Their site has a link for San Mateo County, but not yet for San Francisco.

Since these are publicly financed charter schools, they follow state curriculum guidelines and require kids to take state standardized tests. The teacher communicates by email and phone, and occasionally makes a home visit. The California one has a Special Education page on its site, which includes details on how they handle the Individual Education Plan. Enrollment forms require a parent to sign an agreement to have the computer hardware and software covered by insurance, and to return them in good working order. The form includes a signed agreement to log attendance, submit assignments, and participate in teacher-conferences. Advancement to a new grade is done by the teacher.

Families and educators agree that there are advantages and disadvantages. There is a concern about young kids spending too much time on the computer. In the earliest grades, however, only the parent is required to log on to the computer each day, and kids' computer time, when it's required, is kept to around 30 minutes. Also, there are socialization issues: undersocialized kids will not, of course, get much help even from those programs that have message boards and chat rooms. But they may work better in the safety of the home, and won't have to deal with classroom distractions or kids they can't handle.

Families with both parents working could find themselves forced to drop out because of the extensive time required, about 900 hours for each grade. (I had a helper: two people teaching two grades required five hours a day, about the same as the estimate for online programs.)

There are lots of ways to do homeschooling, especially if you don't need the public to pay for it. California Home School Network (see Resources below) has a good listing. Their site also lists three local support groups for parents. Reach them by phone at 1-800-327-5339.

For some kids, and some families, it's just right. Personally, I wouldn't have missed it, and can recommend it as an adventure in the early grades. I wouldn't attempt it in Grades 6, 7, and 8, with today's Math requirements and Science research moving so fast.

For interested parents, here are some basic resources: California Home School Network National Home Education Network National Parent Information Network K12 Ohio Virtual Academy California Virtual Academy Sylvan Ventures' Connections Academy

See what you think.....