Finding Balance Between Autonomy, Support, and Accountability As Home Schooling Has Grown Various Innovations Have Emerged in Home School Family Practices
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Journal of Unschooling and Alternative Learning 2015 Vol. 9 Issue 18 EDUCATIONAL COOPERATIVES AND THE CHANGING NATURE OF HOME EDUCATION: FINDING BALANCE BETWEEN AUTONOMY, SUPPORT, AND ACCOUNTABILITY By: Kenneth V. ANTHONY Abstract Four families' experiences in an educational cooperative and the impact on their home schools are detailed in the study. Results indicated that the families were highly dependent upon the cooperative. The cooperative signified a compromise for the families between the freedom of home schooling and the accountability and support provided by a school. These findings are important for traditional education. Just as home schools are evolving and developing institutions that look something like schools, schools can change too. One way is for the traditional school to operate as a family and community resource rather than the sole purveyor of knowledge. Keywords: homeschooling; nontraditional education; parent involvement; parents as teachers; partnerships in education Introduction Education performs multiple roles in societies including socialization, teaching academic skills, and the preservation of “the cultural heritage of the nation.” (Perry & Perry, 1991, p. 312). ISSN:1916-8128 Journal of Unschooling and Alternative Learning 2015 Vol. 9 Issue 18 Dewey (1944) concluded that the development of writing and complex societies resulted in the need for schools. He posited that education was necessary for the continuation of society and in America the role of education was entrusted to the schools. Public education in America was specifically envisioned as providing a “common experience and a common heritage for the diverse children of the nation” (Greene, 2007, p. 1). When most people think about education they think of traditional schools, but in the past few decades some have resisted the norm in education and have chosen to home school. Their reasons vary, but two studies highlight the major reasons families state they home school. Princiotta and Bielick (2006) reported that the number one reason for home schooling was the environment of other schools (31%), followed by to provide religious and moral instruction (30%) and dissatisfaction with academic instruction of other schools (16%). Collum (2005) identified four major reasons that reinforce Priciotta and Bielick: dissatisfaction with public schools, academic and pedagogical concerns, religious values, and family needs. The number of students home schooled rivals the number of students who attend charter schools, the movement that is often cited as the one making significant changes to the way children are taught in America (Bruce, 2009). Brian D. Ray, President of the National Home Education Research Institute estimated that the number of home school students in the United States in 2010 was between 1.7 million and 2.3 million (Ray, 2011). This number is in line with another estimate made by the National Center for Educational Statistics that there were 1.5 million home school students in 2007 (Bielick, 2008). The Brookings Institute reported that there were 4,900 charter schools operating in 39 states in the United States serving 1.6 million students (Dynarski, Hoxby, Loveless, Schneider, Whitehurst, & Witte, 2010). Both movements continue to grow and offer parents and communities alternatives to traditional public schools. 37 Educational cooperatives and the changing nature of home education: finding balance between autonomy, support, and accountability As home schooling has grown various innovations have emerged in home school family practices. One central to this study is the home school cooperative. As Hill (2000) predicted, many home school families have formed organizations that look something like schools. As committed as many home school parents are to the freedom of the home school environment, why do they choose to relinquish some autonomy to the cooperative? These home school groups and cooperatives play a variety of roles. Safran (2009) identified 3 types of home school groups. The first is the Co-op. It “gives shape and purpose to the home education practice,” sets goals and timelines for students, and “requires a big commitment” (p. 26). The second is the timetabled group. It is less formal than the co-op and helps parents learn from each other’s practice and share resources. Finally, there is the support group. It is the least formal of the groups with no formal meeting place or organization. Its purpose is to support others who are home schooling as needed. According to Safran, all of the groups help parents learn to home school. Safran (2010) further commented that home schoolers as a group are a community of practice “with a joint enterprise of home educating children” (p. 111). What other roles can home school groups perform? What does participation in a home school cooperative look like? This study provides an in-depth description of the role the home school co-op played in the operation of four families’ home schools. The goal of the study was to provide an in-depth study of one type of home school group; the cooperative or co-op. The study is important because it extends the idea of home school group as a support to a provider of curriculum. It also attempts to identify home school practices that could inform education in traditional school settings. 38 Journal of Unschooling and Alternative Learning 2015 Vol. 9 Issue 18 Methodology Research Design The study sought to fill a gap in the literature on home schooling by exploring the role of a cooperative in home school operations. It was part of a larger study of home school family motivations (Anthony & Burroughs, 2010), home school operations (Anthony & Burroughs, 2012), curriculum choices, and challenges. The study was a collective case study from a subtle realist orientation (Hammersley, 2002). This is important because the research is not an attempt to “reproduce” reality, but to “represent” it, recognizing that the goal of the researcher was to represent the phenomena of homeschooling with a goal of getting as close to reality as possible with the data collected from the participants (p. 74). Data collection was guided by the research question: What role does the cooperative play in the operation of the families’ home schools? Sample Four home school families that were active in a home school organization that operated in the southeastern U.S. agreed to participate in a two year study. The criteria for choosing the families were that they (a) had at least three years of home school experience, (b) had children they were currently home schooling, and (c) had at least one child who had completed the home school education and had moved on to college or into the work force. These criteria were chosen to insure a study cohort with extensive experience with home education that was willing to candidly discuss their home schooling experience. 39 Educational cooperatives and the changing nature of home education: finding balance between autonomy, support, and accountability Table 1 Sample demographics Smith Johnson Harbor Riley Family Intact Intact Intact Intact Structure Father’s Constitutional Business University Business occupation lawyer owner employee (non owner faculty) Mother’s B.S. History Some college Some college B.S. education level Education/ M.S. Education administration Children at Male (16), Male (16), Male (15), Male (15) home school Female (13), Male (10) Female (8) Female (8), Male (6) Children at Male (20) Female (18) Male (18) None college Female (18) Adult children None None None Female (26) out of college Male (25) or in work force Children ever No Yes No Yes in private school? Children ever Yes Yes Yes Yes in public school? The researcher used purposive homogeneity sampling from a home school group of conservative religious families in order to find a sample that would provide a rich detailed description of the research problem. This narrow sampling increases the depth of the findings of 40 Journal of Unschooling and Alternative Learning 2015 Vol. 9 Issue 18 the study but limits the transferability to other groups who differ from the sample. Table One provides demographic data on the sample families. The original goal was to identify four families in the local area who homeschooled their children. The first family contacted indicated that they were a part of a homeschool group and thought that other families there might be interested in participating in the study. At the time, the researcher did not know the nature of the homeschool group (i.e. that it was actually a cooperative) or the significant role that the cooperative would play in the operation of their homeschools. The role and importance of these families’ religious and philosophical beliefs are discussed in depth in earlier research (Anthony & Burroughs, 2009; Anthony & Burroughs, 2012; Anthony, 2013). In short, their beliefs influenced their goals for education. As one parent explained, “Our responsibility is to raise godly children.” It is also important to understand their view of society and how it influenced their decisions about education. At the top of society is God as revealed through scripture; next is family, then the larger society (Anthony, 2013, p. 6). Because of this, their educational decisions were based on what they felt was best for their family as revealed in scripture. Their beliefs also influenced who is responsible for making key educational decisions. The parents felt that they were the primary decision makers in their lives of their children. Of course, this did not