Educational resources

Beyond books and workbooks, consider what other resources you will use to supplement direct instruction, such as audio, visual, and other multimedia materials and exploratory and experiential activities. Community colleges often partner with local high schools to offer college course opportunities. Preparation for college testing (ACT, SAT) also begins for most students in their sophomore or junior year. Parents need to assess how prepared they are to teach all academic subjects and to manage behavior during the learning process throughout the day (Lois, 2010). Parents need to plan ahead and set both short-term and long-term academic goals for their homeschooled children. 

A wide variety of resources are available, many for purchase and many as part of an online package (Hanna, 2012). Every child has a right to a free appropriate public education, and as a part of that you can reach out to your local public school and ask to talk to grade level teachers, a school psychologist, or the principal about what curriculum they are using for subjects in your child’s grade level. Some districts also allow flexi-schooling in which some subjects (e.g., physical education, art, calculus) or services (e.g., speech-language, occupational or physical therapy, reading specialist, counseling) are provided by the school and other instruction is delivered at home (Kunzman & Gaither, 2020).

Here are key questions parents can consider.

Some parents love teaching math and others will want to find more support for this subject. As you review possible curricula, ask yourself: Do you have the skills and knowledge within academic subject areas to support your child’s learning? If not, who else can help you deliver the curriculum? 

• Have you reviewed many materials or participated in any state convention or curriculum fairs that showcase a variety of homeschooling publications and products?
• Is there any evidence showing that children and youth learn well from completing your intended curriculum materials?
• How does your curriculum integrate different instructional experiences that promote learning, such as direct instruction (i.e., structured, sequenced, and led by teachers) and discovery learning (i.e., students construct their own understanding and knowledge of a topic through experiences and then reflect on those experiences)? 
• Will your intended curriculum meet academic subject or testing requirements (if any are required) for your state?
• Will your intended curriculum meet all special learning needs your child may have (such as learning challenges or giftedness)?

• Do you have a computer and access to the internet?
• Do you have access to supplemental learning materials such as videos, interactive lesson materials online, or other forms of multimedia resources?
• Is there a platform or group of other homeschooling parents you can engage with to share educational resources? Can you partner with public schools in your district? 

• Have you set short- and long-term goals for your child’s education? 
• Have you developed a solid yet flexible curriculum to map out your child’s school year in advance?
• Do you have a plan to assess and monitor your child’s academic progress?

• Public resources available to homeschoolersopens in new window
  Check with your school district to find out what resources are available to homeschooling families. Some states allow homeschoolers to participate in public school classes and extracurricular activities. In other states, the decision is left up to individual school districts. Flexi-schooling may be an option for your child. 
• Home School Legal Defense Association. Starting strong.opens in new window
  Includes resources on what to teach, grading, record keeping, testing and evaluation, special needs, high school, and beyond.