Virtual Charter Schools are not Home Schools

There is currently a national discussion among home school leaders on the tendency of many unaware home schoolers to go back to public school in a form called "Virtual Charter Schools."  The bottom line is...

As HSLDA attorney TJ Schmidt put it, "The term homeschooling did not come about because of the location of where the education is taking place, but because it was initiated by the parent, directed by the parent, and funded by the parent." Being at home schooling does not mean you are homeschooling.

Here is a helpful website on why not to fall into the virtual charter school trap: http://www.virtualcharterschoolmyths.com/  Stick to real, Biblical home schooling, God's blessing is on that!

An introduction and the myths revealed:

In a transparent effort to ride on the coat tails of the successes enjoyed by those who home school their children, Idaho virtual charter schools intentionally emulate the terminology and imagery of the home school movement. At the same time, those taxpayer-funded charter school programs bank on parents, school officials, and legislators continuing to be uninformed about the limitations and failures of those programs.

This report exposes the myths that have insulated Idaho virtual charter school programs from the surprising shortcomings that have become evident as this movement has taken root here in Idaho. Specifically, we'll look at these five critical myths that have disguised the failures of the virtual charter school movement:

• Myth #1: Students in virtual charter schools excel academically
• Myth #2: Virtual charter school programs provide flexible instruction
  
• Myth #3: Parents of virtual charter school students are actively involved in their children's education
• Myth #4: Virtual charter school students can use a faith-based curriculum
• Myth #5: Parents will save money by enrolling their children in a virtual charter school.

In the final analysis, virtual charter schools produce anemic academic achievement. By law they must be sanitized of any spiritual perspectives. And they fail to provide significant cost savings for the parents of students enrolled in those programs.

Instead, parents should carefully consider embracing private home education, the method that produces unequaled results academically, socially, and spiritually.