Abstract

A STUDY OF COOPERATION BETWEEN HOME SCHOOLS AND PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SCHOOLS, K-12

Purpose of the Study: The study examined specific attitudes for cooperation and cooperative programs between elementary and secondary schools in Texas and Texas home educating families.

Procedure: This study used survey research methods to gather data and information. Three random samples of 500 each were drawn from Texas home educating parents, Texas public school superintendents, and Texas private school administrators. Data was analyzed using the chi-square / standardized residual technique, ranking coefficients, or descriptive statistics.

Results: Seven potential private school services, participation in group activities such as band or choir, enrollment in extra-curricular activities, achievement testing, participation in sports programs, part-time enrollment in certain courses, participation in academic competition, special education testing or courses; and one potential public school service, participation in group activities such as band or choir, yielded a significant interest from responding home schooling parents. Private Christian schools were ranked as the most preferable education service provider by responding home schooling parents. Definite opinions were exhibited by responding home schooling parents regarding potential institutional school programs or services in which they were the most interested or least interested. A narrowly confined area of cooperation was found to exist in Texas between home education and both public and private institutional education. Two potential public school services offered to home educated students that yielded a significant interest among Texas public school superintendents were access to public school libraries and achievement testing of home school students. Access to private school libraries, achievement testing of home school students, and guidance on effective teaching methods for a home education setting were potential private school services that yielded a significant interest among Texas private school administrators. There was a significant consensus of opinion among Texas public school superintendents that precise guidelines for cooperatives, academic accountability, and precise University Interscholastic League (UIL) guidelines for events would be necessary for any cooperative efforts to take place between their district and local home schooling families.

Conclusions: On the basis of the findings, the following conclusions were drawn:

1. Texas home educators indicated they would prefer the services and cooperative programs offered by private schools, particularly private Christian schools, rather than those offered by public schools. Texas home educators consistently rejected any assistance, cooperative program, or service that gave the appearance of being under the authority of or receiving guidance from a local public school.

2. Many Texas public school superintendents were either offering or willing to offer cooperative programs or services to local home educating families only within a narrowly confined area.

3. Many Texas private school administrators were either offering or willing to offer cooperative programs or services to local home educating families only within a narrowly confined area.

4. Many professional educators in Texas, both public and private, perceive home schooling as inferior to institutional schooling. Private school administrators are more sympathetic to home schooling families than public school superintendents.

5. Texas public school superintendents desire guidelines and accountability for the initiation, existence, or continuation of home school / public school cooperative programs.

Implications: Based on the data, findings, and conclusions of this investigation the following implications were drawn:

1. Private schools in Texas should consider extending services to Texas home schooling families. The results of this study indicate that home educators in Texas are very interested in specific educational services and programs being offered, in particular, by private Christian schools.

2. Communication, understanding, and trust between Texas professional educators and Texas home educators should be improved. The widest gulf appears to exist between public school personnel and home schooling parents.

3. Qualified representatives of both professional educators and home educators in Texas should compose a list of mutually acceptable assessment means for home education.

4. Texas policy makers should, through legislation via the Texas Education Agency, or the UIL, adopt precise guidelines for home school-public school cooperatives, academic accountability for home schooled students in order to meet state eligibility (no-pass, no-play) regulations, and precise UIL guidelines for home schooled student participation in UIL sanctioned events if cooperative efforts are to take place with public schools.

5. The Texas Home School Coalition should examine its stance on home schooled student participation in University Interscholastic League (UIL) sanctioned activities as this study found no broad base support among home schooling parents for participation in UIL activities.