Drs. Abigail and Stephan Thernstrom's new book "No Excuses: Closing the Racial Gap in Learning" shows that the government education whites receive is nothing to write home about, but for blacks, it's no less than a disgraceful disaster.
Here are some tips on how to incorporate cultural studies into your homeschool. This can be used if you are trying to include or highlight your own heritage/ background or if you want to study another culture that is not your own. One of the blessings of home education is that you have the opportunity to study various different world cultures without limitations. You can go beyond the one or two holidays or cultural activities that they may or may not do in the public school system. You can incorporate your culture into every aspect of your curriculum or just highlight some of the major bullet points of your culture. Either way I think these tips give a great starting point to enriching your curriculum program.
Creating a web presence of African-American home school support groups will do much to organize and network families across the country and internationally. This article the basics for creating a personal home schooling website or site for a home school support group or organization.
In July 2000, Louisiana residents Joyce and Eric Burges created the National Black Home Educators Resource Association, a nonprofit organization that provides advice on curriculum materials, pairs new families with veteran home educators, and produces an annual symposium. The Burgeses’ goal is to encourage other African-American families to become more involved in their children’s education. This article tells their personal story and how they have impacted the community in which they live.
While families have been homeschooling for nearly thirty years in the United States, it is only recently that African-American families have seen the proven potential of educating their children at home. In a time of perpetual academic underachievement, the ever-stagnant achievement gap and unfettered, unequal access to quality schools and resources, African-American families are taking a dramatic approach to the educational future of their children by adopting a collective and renewed stance on family-led learning.
Mocha Moms, Inc. is a support group for mothers of color who have chosen not to work full-time outside of the home in order to devote more time to their families and communities. Mocha Moms serves as an advocate for those mothers and encourages the spirit of community activism within its membership.
The best research on homeschooling indicates the total number of children who are homeschooled is 1.5 to 2 million, and that number is growing by 10 to 15 percent per year. But not everyone recognizes the academic and social success of homeschoolers and some criticize the movement as being white and elitist. While it's true that the large majority of homeschool children are white, the number of black homeschoolers is growing rapidly. Brian Ray, president of the National Home Education Research Institute, estimates that there are 30,000 to 50,000 black children being homeschooled today. Others estimate that black homeschoolers make up 5 percent of the total homeschool population. Most importantly black homeschool movement is growing at a faster rate than the general homeschool population.
This youtube video talks about an African-centered curriculum based on the texts African American History: A Journey to Liberation by Dr. Molefi Kete Asante and Classical Africa.
Brown Sugar & Spice Books carries African-American children's books, multicultural books, and black history books for adults and children.
This list is for Christian families of color who've opted to home educate their children. They exist to offer support, fellowship and to share resources with other African American and bi-racial Christian homeschooling families.
Great youtube video discussing various African-centered resources for homeschoolers.
African-American Unschooling provides a point of contact for African-American homeschoolers. Connect with unschoolers near you, get information about homeschooling and unschooling, and get access to homeschooling and Africentric resources.
A discussion group for pro-Black African and/or African Diasporan, Black homeschoolers, unschoolers, deschoolers, home-based educators everywhere. It is also open to non-homeschoolers and non-Blacks who are trying to teach their children about Blacks.
African American Unschoolers email group is for African-American homeschoolers who use the whole world as their child(ren)'s classroom.
When black families look to homeschool there are a lot of questions to take into consideration. Here is a quick primer to get you started.
Significant growth in black families’ participation in home schooling is beginning to show up on the radar screens of researchers. The National Center for Education Statistics computed African-Americans as 9.9 percent of the 850,000 children the federal agency figured were being home-schooled nationally in 1999. Veteran home-schooling researcher Brian Ray figures blacks are currently about 5 percent of the 1.6 million to 2 million home-schooled children but he agrees that black home schooling is growing rapidly.
Their purpose is to be a trustworthy, conscientious, and dependable resource in the "true" education of youth and families. By providing consistent support, guidance, and current relevant information, they are committed to assist in all academic subjects and critical life areas that cultivate children to be young dedicated scholars, critical thinkers, builders, and problem solvers; addressing the specific needs of Black/Afrikan people.
Virtual charter schools are popping up all over the country, providing free computers, textbooks and educational materials to any family who would like to enroll in their program. Jennifer James takes a hard look at how these schools are detrimental to black homeschoolers.
Black parents are now turning to homeschooling their children. After realizing that public schools are failing black children on a massive scale, black parents are turning to homeschooling. This video discusses these issues.
This group is for African American parents (or parents of African American children) who are homeschooling their children. It is also for parents looking to supplement their children's education with home study.