Homeschooling for Black Families
By Jennifer James
Issue 140, January/February 2007

"Mommy, I finished my book. Do we still get to see the movie tomorrow?" my daughter Annlyel asked, triumphantly removing her bookmark from its place and closing her book.

"We sure do," I smiled. "You finished Harry Potter and, as promised, we're going to see the movie when it comes out tomorrow."

When my older daughter, then five, finished reading her first full-length novel—entirely on her own initiative—I knew at that moment that my husband, Michael, and I had made the right decision to homeschool our two children.

Opting to homeschool came quite easily for us, though we learned about it only by mere happenstance. Casually watching television one afternoon when Annlyel was still an infant, we watched as a homeschooled student competed quite well in the last rounds of the Scripps National Spelling Bee. We knew nothing about homeschooling, but just hearing the commentator speak the word homeschooled resonated deeply with us and instantly piqued our interest to the point of action.

The very next day, we set out on a fierce quest to learn as much about homeschooling as we could, and to gather the necessary information about how to begin homeschooling in our state, North Carolina. With the aid of a helpful local school administrator, we learned whom we needed to contact, then called our state's homeschooling organization.

The rest is history. Before Annlyel could even sit up by herself, she had become a future homeschooled child. Just as quickly, we had become homeschooling parents. Little did we then know that we were yet another in a growing movement of black families who are abandoning traditional education for homeschooling. Even less did we know that I would become one of the leaders of this burgeoning national movement.

One reason Michael and I decided to homeschool was to ensure that our children received a sterling education. Based on what we learned about the steadily plummeting levels of achievement of large numbers of publicly schooled black children, we knew that that was not an option for our family. We also knew that private schools are extremely expensive. The prospect of homeschooling proved to be an excellent alternative for us—I was already a stay-at-home mother, and Michael and I are both excited about learning and are steadfastly focused on education. Homeschooling was perfect. We couldn't have been happier.

What eventually dawned on us, however, was that we hadn't heard or read about, or run into, or known any black homeschoolers other than ourselves. "Surely we aren't the only black homeschoolers in America!" we often kidded aloud. But it felt that way. After noticing the absence of black homeschoolers in our area, and after a fruitless search of the Internet, I decided, in January 2003, to start the National African-American Homeschoolers Alliance (NAAHA). Now four years old, NAAHA is the largest homeschooling organization for blacks in America, and provides the most comprehensive information and resources for black families on the Net.

As founding director of NAAHA, I have noticed some definite trends in the black homeschooling community, and have met some of the most amazing families around, some of whom have been homeschooling for two decades—something that, when I founded NAAHA, I would never have imagined had been going on.

After speaking with hundreds of families across the country, I learned that blacks homeschool for the same reasons as other families, as well as for a unique set of reasons that do not apply to other races. For example, homeschooling is one way black children in America can gain true educational parity. Although many educational alternatives are becoming available, homeschooling parents are confident that they can educate their own children well enough that they will meet or exceed state and national standards and be ready for college. In so doing, these families reject the notion that their children cannot learn, or lack the capacity to learn. Most experts agree that in order for children to be well educated, parents must be actively involved in their education. This shift toward greater, if not primary, parental involvement will undoubtedly result in black children who achieve at levels that public schools cannot replicate, and who are subsequently better prepared for higher education. In fact, in one of the only studies to take a critical look at minority homeschoolers, Dr. Brian Ray of the National Home Education Research Institute found that minority and white homeschooled students both scored in the 87th percentile in reading; and in math, whites edged out minority homeschoolers by only five points—82nd and 77th percentiles, respectively. (Of the minority homeschoolers studied, 63 percent were black and Hispanic.)¹

It is important to note that as the number of black homeschoolers increases, a noticeable divorce from public schooling—an educational option that blacks have, historically, been staunchly wedded to—is also taking place. In 2004, we all saw the celebrations, remembrances, symposiums, and conferences that marked the 50th anniversary of the Supreme Court's landmark Brown v. Board of Education ruling. Ever since this important decision, blacks have relied heavily, almost to a fault, on public education. After all, blacks fought hard to ensure that their children were afforded the same quality of education as everyone else. What they didn't count on was that the promises implied by Brown v. Board of Education would still be light-years away from fulfillment a half century later. Those unfulfilled promises prompt families such as ours to deem public education—in its present state—categorically unsuitable for black children.

If you look at the statistics of underachievement for black children, the ever-present achievement gap between black and white children, and the excessive dropout rates and generally unequal resources for black and inner-city schools, few can deny that public schools continue to fail the vast majority of black children. Even so, when black parents decide to homeschool, some educators consider this an act of disloyalty. Although some of that sentiment is beginning to wane, especially as reforms in the educational choices available to all parents become more widespread, there persists an overarching opinion that blacks, particularly those of us committed to education, should stay in and repair the public schools. While this may seem noble in many regards, black homeschoolers no longer want their children used as guinea pigs in educational experiments to see if their test scores will rise a percentage point or two. The expectation that black families should repair public education seems greater in black communities than in others. This is a distinct difference in how black homeschoolers are perceived, compared to others who opt for home education.

Another distinction: Blacks are homeschooling in growing numbers because they believe that is how they can better provide a high-quality, heritage-based education for their children. The many black homeschooling families I speak with across the country maintain that traditional education curricula neglect the full range of black history. The textbooks and curricula in traditional schools tend to focus on slavery, the Civil Rights Movement, and such obligatory historic figures as Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglass, and Martin Luther King, Jr.—but little beyond that. Black families want their children to have a well-rounded education from a variety of standpoints and perspectives. Above all, they want their children to know that blacks have played important roles not only in US history, but in the history of the world. Parents believe that the time is ripe for their children to learn black and multicultural history on their own terms. Without a doubt, homeschooling lends itself to this end.

One of the main sentiments echoed by black parents from coast to coast, no matter where they live and no matter their socioeconomic status or family dynamic, is that they have to give their children a fighting chance in this world. They believe, as Michael and I do, that homeschooling is the best way to do that.

I often speak with parents who have three or four children, the older ones already having gone through the public education system but not achieving at levels acceptable to colleges. These parents are now determined to make a difference in the lives of their younger children. They often mention a subtle racism that begins in the early grades and say they wish they had taken control when those issues might still have been addressed and resolved. Parents cite instances where their children were inaccurately labeled "slow" and placed in remedial classes for the duration of their public school careers. They cite the absence of advanced-placement and honors courses in their children's schools, a lack of equal resources and technology, and constant finger-pointing among parents, teachers, and administrators, all of whom blame each other for the achievement gap. Although these parents attribute their children's lack of success to these variables, they are also quick to acknowledge the apathy about and lack of interest in education among some black students and their parents. By homeschooling, conscientious black families are countering these negative attitudes about learning and the peer-led disdain for education held by some blacks. They are, in effect, creating a movement of black families for whom education is vital to their children's success and the betterment of their communities. No longer accepting that their children must go to public school, they are instead standing up for home education, touting its advantages and praising its results.

Not long ago, there was a general misconception that homeschooling was an option only for white middle- and upper-class families. Surprisingly, I regularly get calls and e-mails from black parents who are amazed that homeschooling is an option for them as well. Now that homeschooling stereotypes are being replaced by more accurate notions of who actually homeschools, increasing numbers of black families are joining the movement, setting up classrooms in their homes, and educating their children—to the tune of 103,000 black homeschooled children in the US.²

As more blacks homeschool, it becomes increasingly apparent that black homeschooling families are as diverse as any other homeschooling group. Although there are no definitive statistics that reveal the specific demographics of black homeschoolers, I have learned through my work with the NAAHA that there are black single-parent homeschoolers, as well as homes in which the mother takes over the educational duties because she stays at home. There are black dual-income homeschooling families in which one parent homeschools during the day, the other during the evening. I have met several families in which grandparents homeschool their grandchildren. They may be retired, and teach their grandkids while the parents are at work, or they may be their grandkids' sole guardians and have the time and resources to teach them at home. There are sizable numbers of families such as our own, whose children are young and, barring unforeseen circumstances, will be homeschooled until they go to college. Other families are pulling their children out of school midstream in order to educate them themselves.

Some argue that homeschooling will never be an option for most blacks because of factors inherent in the black community, such as the large numbers of single-parent and dual-income homes. While statistics do not verify this, I have spoken with many families who say that the potential rewards of homeschooling far outweigh any personal sacrifices they might have to make. More black mothers now stay at home to teach their children, even when a second income could make things a lot more comfortable. And there are single mothers who find ways to work at home, and to rally the resources of their families, friends, and communities to help them raise and educate their children.

Black families practice a variety of homeschooling philosophies. Some are strict traditionalists because they want to ensure that their children will not fare worse educationally than they would in public schools. Others are more relaxed about their children's education, and are happy to let them learn from everyday living. These families believe that this will result not only in good learning, but in confident children who are excited about education.

In fact, according to the organization African-American Unschooling (www.afamunschool.com), there seems to be a growing movement of black families who are bypassing even traditional homeschooling to instead use "unschooling"—a method of home education that places a heavy emphasis on individualized learning in a relaxed style while still covering all educational bases. Visitors to the Unschooling website can join a thriving Yahoo! discussion group and take part in gatherings, outings, and camping trips.

While some families travel cross-country to meet other like-minded homeschoolers, some are content to stay home and form support groups through which their children can meet other homeschooled children who look like them. One such group, Umoja, in Baltimore, is one of the best examples I have seen. Well-organized and intent on using the Baltimore area's resources to their advantage, Umoja members gather for support, take cultural and educational field trips, and welcome new black homeschoolers into their fold.

Indeed, local support groups are popping up all over the country. Like me, mothers and fathers are starting these groups because they want their children to see and socialize with other black homeschooled children. It is important that a child not feel isolated in a community in which he or she is the only black homeschooled student, or one of only a few. These parents also want to be available to address the specific needs of black families who have decided to homeschool or are considering it. While home education is gathering more supporters in the black community, the option is still not fully understood and is often met with strong resistance. These support groups provide much-needed educational and emotional support to black families who have taken the step to educate their children at home.

The black homeschooling movement is just beginning to take shape. Fifty years ago, little did we suspect that black families would today be exiting the public schools in growing numbers to embrace other means of education. While we all acknowledge and appreciate the sacrifices made by those who worked in the Civil Rights Movement, we also recognize that now is a new time in America's educational landscape. While homeschooling may be picking up steam in our community, the great majority of black children ?are still educated in the public schools. Though we don't believe that public education is wrong for all black children, we know from our own experience, and from the experiences of other black families, that there are other ways of learning. Many black families across the nation are finding this to be true, and I'm sure others will as well. Now, as our daughters grow and learn every day, Michael and I are even more convinced that ?we have made the right choice for our family and for our daughters' educational futures. We have equipped them with a true and unwavering love for learning that has been made possible by homeschooling.

NOTES
1. Brian D. Ray, PhD, Strengths of Their Own—Home Schoolers Across America: Academic Achievement, Family Characteristics, and Longitudinal Traits (Salem, OR: National Home Education Research Institute, 1997): 5.
2. Daniel Princiotta, Stacey Bielick, & Christopher Chapman, Homeschooling in the United States: 2003 Statistical Analysis Report (Washington, DC: US Department of Education, Institute of Education Statistics, National Center for Education Statistics, 2006): 5.

FOR MORE INFORMATION
African-American Unschooling, www.afamunschool.com
Diversity Otherwise (UK), www.diversity-otherwise.org.uk
National African-American Homeschoolers Alliance (NAAHA), www.naaha.com

Jennifer James is the mother of two daughters and the director of the National African-American Homeschoolers Alliance. She has appeared on CNN, BET's Nightly News, and the Korean Broadcasting System, and has been interviewed by Reuters, the Chicago Tribune, Newsday, and the Boston Globe. She lives with her family in Boone, North Carolina, and can be reached via www.naaha.com.