Michael Donnelly, Senior Counsel and Director of Global Outreach with the Home School Legal Defense Association, discusses the motivations for homeschooling and the legal aspects of it, with a special focus on Colorado. This is the Self in Society Podcast #18. The episode also is available via iTunes.
Time Markers
00 Intro
0:56 Why people homeschool
3:00 Homeschooling and college
8:50 Types of homeschooling with Colorado particulars
11:16 Colorado’s main homeschool statute
14:34 HSLDA’s membership program
15:58 Homeschooling in the U.S. and internationally
19:27 Private “umbrella” schools
22:30 Education pods and professional instructors
23:48 Certified teachers, noncertified instructors, and coops
28:10 Formal and informal homeschool hours
29:09 Homeschooling via certified teacher
31:20 Homeschooling is fairly easy to start
33:34 “Contact hours” and “sequential” instruction
37:45 Transition
39:33 “7 Simple Steps to Start Homeschooling”
46:36 Overcoming education anxiety
49:54 Homeschooling children with learning challenges
53:15 Wrap-up
See HSLDA’s page on Colorado and its introduction to homeschooling. HSLDA also has an article on independent schools available to the organization’s members.
Christian Home Educators of Colorado also provides information about homeschooling in Colorado. Although there is no comparable secular organization that I’m aware of, there are informal secular homeschooling groups on Facebook.
The Colorado Department of Education hosts the language of Colorado’s main homeschool law, 22-33-104.5, and of the compulsory school attendance law, 22-33-104.
See my article, “My family’s homeschooling journey.”
I mention Core Knowledge; I’ve also written about the materials available for preschool, kindergarten, and grades 1–8. Donnelly mentions Charlotte Mason. We also discuss Khan Academy.
I also mentioned Mystery Doug science videos; my child also really likes Deep Look and It’s Okay to Be Smart.
See the Self in Society Podcast page.