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Are homeschoolers weird? Do the experts know best?
Homeschoolers are very diverse, but united by the idea that parents know best for their own children.

Joanne Jacobs
Aug 12 min read


Liberals see promise in tax-credit scholarships; conservatives see dangers
Tax-credit scholarships could help public-school students -- and/or open private schools to federal control.

Joanne Jacobs
Jun 232 min read


Microschool is a charter and a district school -- and a homeschool hybrid
An Indiana school district has launched a charter microschool to attract students who'd otherwise be full-time homeschoolers.

Joanne Jacobs
Mar 63 min read


Where are they now? Urban public schools see steep fall in enrollment
One third of students in mostly black districts aren't enrolled in traditional public schools.

Joanne Jacobs
Sep 25, 20252 min read


Homeschool keeps growing -- and becoming more diverse
Homeschooling has attracted a broader mix of parents.

Joanne Jacobs
Jul 11, 20251 min read


The pandemic's over, but homeschooling is still rising
Homeschooling soared when schools were closed, dropped for two years, and is now increasing again.

Joanne Jacobs
Feb 10, 20251 min read


No return to normal: Homeschooling is still growing
Homeschooling surged during the pandemic, and continues to grow.

Joanne Jacobs
Sep 25, 20242 min read


Special ed is failing: With no time to meet diverse needs, teachers lower expectations
Overwhelmed by the number of students with different needs, teachers tend to lower expectations, writes veteran teacher.

Joanne Jacobs
Sep 19, 20242 min read


Urban Democrats want choice, but Harris-Walz campaign backs union agenda
The U.S. has "already passed peak public school " (excluding public charters), writes Matt Welch on Reason. Enrollment in district-run...

Joanne Jacobs
Sep 11, 20242 min read


Missing: 87,000 students
California's public schools have "lost" 87,000 students, according to an analysis by Thomas Dee, a Stanford professor, and AP. An...

Joanne Jacobs
Dec 20, 20232 min read


Black homeschoolers plan microschool, if Texas OKs ESAs
Texas may provide $10,400 per student for parent-directed education, if Gov. Greg Abbott can push a compromise bill through a third...

Joanne Jacobs
Nov 3, 20232 min read


Homeschoolers are more diverse, less conservative
Many families that tried homeschooling during the pandemic are still at it. As a result, post-pandemic homeschoolers are "more racially...

Joanne Jacobs
Sep 27, 20232 min read


For failing students, lockdown was freedom, school is 'prison'
School is "like being in prison," says 14-year-old Kieran, who has dyslexia and ADHD. He prefers doing physical labor with his father....

Joanne Jacobs
Sep 9, 20232 min read


Homeschooling is so much work
In Hard Lessons from a Veteran Homeschooler, Larissa Phillips talks about the challenges of educating her two children in rural New York....

Joanne Jacobs
Aug 21, 20233 min read


Competing for kindergarteners
Kindergarten enrollment has fallen by 17 percent in the last six years in district school in New York City, reports the New York Post. In...

Joanne Jacobs
Aug 8, 20232 min read


The horrors of Christian homeschooling, as told by secularists
Christian homeschoolers are Bible-thumping, child-beating isolationists who hope their numerous children will take over America,...

Joanne Jacobs
Jun 2, 20232 min read


The students who never returned
A quarter-million students who left public schools during the pandemic are missing, according to an analysis of 21 states and the...

Joanne Jacobs
Feb 13, 20232 min read


Do parents know best? ESAs go for robots, rabbits, roping lessons
If a homeschooled child learns to code a toy robot, care for a pet rabbit or take cowboy roping lessons, is that an educational expense?...

Joanne Jacobs
Feb 8, 20233 min read


Choice lets parents find a school that respects their rights
"Families should not be stuck in an education system that actively undermines parental rights and ideologically grooms children, argues...

Joanne Jacobs
Jan 25, 20231 min read


Why they left district schools -- and aren't coming back
Seven parents tell Washington Post Magazine why they left district-run public schools for private school or homeschooling. "Since 2019,...

Joanne Jacobs
Dec 5, 20223 min read
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