College-Prep Homeschooling: Your Complete Guide to Homeschooling through High School

by David P. Byers Ph.D.

Overview

Based on experience derived from more than twenty years of homeschooling, David and Chandra Byers show parents how to successfully homeschool their children through high school-even in subjects where they have no expertise. "College-Prep Homeschooling" contains a wealth of information to guide homeschoolers through the complexities and rewards of the homeschooling process. The Byers clearly outline curricula choices, teaching methods, and activity opportunities. In addition to preparing their own children for college, the Byers have seen firsthand that most home-taught children are fully prepared for advanced education and/or life, and often outperform their traditionally-schooled contemporaries. So far, they have two college graduates to validate their claim.Revised and updated second edition.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781600650130
Publisher:	WindRiver Publishing
Publication date:	05/31/2012
Pages:	388
Product dimensions:	5.62(w) x 8.32(h) x 0.74(d)

About the Author

Dr. David Byers holds degrees in Adult and Continuing Education, and Education with a specialization in Teaching and Learning. He and his wife, Chandra, have worked as Family Teachers at the Boys Down facility in Omaha, Nebraska, and have hometaught children ages 2 to 18 for over 12 years.

Read an Excerpt

The present-day version of homeschooling, a choice by parents to educate their children at home rather than sending them to public or private schools, began as a grassroots social movement in the 1960s. The movement increased in popularity and acceptance in the United States during the latter half of the twentieth century—particularly during the last two decades.

In 1985 Patricia Lines, then a researcher with the U.S. Department of Education, estimated that 50,000 children in the United States were being taught at home. In 1990, Lines revised her estimate of the number of homeschoolers to be between 250,000 and 355,000. In a later report, she indicated that the number of homeschoolers increased to about 700,000 in the five-year period between 1990 and 1995 (Lines, 2000). While the specific figures remain speculative, current estimates place the number of children being taught at home in the United States at over one million (Rauchut and Patton, 2002).

Although children being taught at home are still in the minority compared to their public or private school counterparts, their numbers continue to grow each year. In 2000, lines estimated the number of homeschoolers to be between 3-4% of school-age children nationwide. . . .

The popularity of homeschooling continues to grow not only in sheer numbers, but in diversity as well. Although the majority of homeschoolers are white, two-parent, single-income families with three or more children (Omaha World Herald, 2003), the cultural make-up of homeschoolers is changing. African-American families are five times more likely to be home schooled than just five years ago (FOX News, 2003). The U.S. Department of Education indicates that minority children who are home schooled are scoring better in reading and math than minority children in public schools (Masland and Ross, 2003).

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments     vii
Introduction     ix
Making the Choice to Homeschool Through High School
Homeschooling in the United States Today     3
Should I Homeschool through High School?     11
Am I Qualified to Teach High School?     27
What Do I Teach in High School?     35
Can I Teach More Than the Required Courses?     51
Is There More to High School Than Academics?     57
Is Higher Education Right for My Child?     67
Academic Discipline-Building Skills for Success in Higher Education (and in Life)
Self-directed Learning     81
Critical Thinking     93
Self-discipline     105
Homeschool Teaching Approaches-What Works and What Doesn't to Prepare your Child for Higher Education
Teacher-directed Homeschool Methods     125
Student-directed Homeschool Methods     139
Developing Your Own Homeschool Method     153
Learning Styles     159
Creating Your High School Program
Buying Curricula     175
The Purpose of Educational Objectives     195
How to Write Educational Objectives     205
Selecting Courses     215
Creating and Following a Schedule     233
Creating Assignments     241
Evaluating and Grading Your Child's Work     253
Developing a Syllabus     265
Preparing for the End
Keeping Records     275
Creating Transcripts     281
Writing Course Descriptions     289
Preparing Portfolios     301
The End of High School: A New Beginning     307
References     311
An Historical Overview of Homeschooling in the United States     329
Homeschooling Resources     347
Course-Specific Resources     351
Bibliography     395
About the Authors     401
Index     403

Editorial Reviews

I wish I'd had this book when my children started high school. David's straightforward, practical approach to high school education and Chandra's refreshingly honest commentary on going from reluctant homeschool mom to homeschool champion make this book the perfect tool for parents who worry about these critical final years of homeschooling. College-Prep Homeschooling is thorough, realistic, and reassuring! — Terrie Lynne Bittner, Author of Homeschooling: Take a Deep Breath.You Can Do This!

Written by a homeschooling college professor and his wife, College-Prep Homeschooling would be an excellent addition to your homeschool library. The information it provides about teaching methodologies, learning options, and college-level skill development would be particularly valuable for parents considering homeschooling through high school. — Jeanne Gowen Dennis, author of Homeschooling High School: Planning Ahead for College Admission

[David Byers'] concept of going beyond textbook and pedagogical methods, teaching students to think, analyze, and critique should be required reading for homeschooling parents of high schoolers. — Dr. Mark Greenwell, Director - Homeschooling High School Network, Omaha, Nebraska

Through [the Byers] insights, they provide the nuts-and-bolts of planning this challenging task and since I've been there with my own two children, their guidance is wise counsel, targeting the important characteristics that move beyond the content into the heart of learning. They distinguish teaching from the art of learning through practical suggestions and a realistic perspective. — Dr. D. Lee Tincher, Director, Talenton School for the Gifted

From the Publisher