Should You Send Your Kids Back to School in September? A Free Webinar for People Thinking of Homeschooling

As state and local governments consider plans for reopening schools for 2020-2021, many parents are considering the possibility of not sending their children back to school. Many families have found that their children learned very well at home, during the school closures of this past school year, in ways that are more meaningful and enduring, and less stressful, than the ways they had been learning at school. Everyone knows that the threat of Covid-19 is going to be present for some time to come, and children indeed do spread the virus to one another and to family at home. Is homeschooling a reasonable option for your children? What are the legal requirements for homeschooling in the United States? What does research show about the success of homeschooling? What are the family and community conditions that maximize the success of homeschooling? Why has the variety of homeschooling commonly called “unschooling” grown so rapidly in recent years? These are among the questions that the panel will address so you can make the right decision for your children.

Peter Gray is a research professor of psychology at Boston College who has conducted research on how children learn when they have the opportunity to control their own education. This research includes follow-up studies of people who grew up homeschooled. He is a founding member of the Alliance for Self-Directed Education and author of the book Free to Learn: Why Unleashing the Instinct to Play Will Make Our Children Happier, More Self-Reliant, and Better Students for life.

Bria Bloom is a born and raised homeschooler who had the opportunity throughout childhood and adolescence to choose what and how to learn and is now the happy parent of a young self-directed learner. She is also Executive Director of the Alliance for Self-Directed Education and a facilitator and founder of PDX Flying Squads, a community of self-directed young people in Portland, OR.

James Mason, Esq. is Vice President of Litigation and Development for the Home School Legal Defense Association. He has represented families in a wide range of challenging situations and has set precedents that have expanded freedom for the homeschooling community. Jim and his wife Debbie have homeschooled all seven of their children, six of whom have graduated and one of whom is still learning at home.