Home Schooling

Thousands of San Fernando Valley children completed the annual back to school ritual. But for some, they ventured no further than the kitchen table to begin a new school year.

Home schooling is growing dramatically, with some estimates topping 1 million students in the United States. A recent nationwide study by the National Home Education Research Institute reveals that home schooled children average in the 87th percentile on standardized achievement tests, compared to public school students who average in the 50th percentile.

State law requires all children ages 6 through 18 to be enrolled in public or private school, be taught by a credentialed tutor or be enrolled in a public school district independent study program.

Three Choices

Parents who don’t want their children in a public school classroom have three options:

* Independent study: Child enrolls in program through public school district and is taught at home by parent using books and materials provided by school district. Curriculum is developed by public school teacher and a written agreement, specifying minimum requirements, is signed by student, parent and teacher who meet periodically to review the student’s progress. In the Los Angeles Unified School District, the program is known as City of Angels School.

* Private tutoring: Tutor may be the child’s parent, only if they have a valid California teaching credential for the grade level being taught. Instruction must be in the branches of study required in public schools. Tutoring must be provided in English for at least three hours a day, between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m., and for at least 175 days a year.

* Private school: State law requires that private full-time day schools instruct students in all branches of study required in public school and that they keep attendance. But there are no minimum standards regarding the number or length of school days, and private school teachers do not have to be credentialed. However, parents can’t simply “declare” themselves private schools in order to teach at home. To teach at home a parent must either be a credentialed teacher or follow the guidelines spelled out for independent study.

City of Angels School

In 1992, Los Angeles Unified School District, started its own independent study program called City of Angels School, which enrolls approximately 4,500 kindergarten through 12th grade students citywide, including more than 1,000 in the San Fernando Valley.

Districtwide, there are 34 sites where parents and children can meet with teachers, borrow schoolbooks for free and take standardized tests. The 22 independent study teachers that work in the Valley are available during school hours to answer questions from students and parents who get stumped on assignments.

An individualized curriculum is written for each student whose work is carefully documented to ensure the district receives state funds for the student. Letter grades for assignments are only given to middle and high-school level students. There are no bilingual or special education services available through independent study.

Two Families

The Imhoff family

Residence: Winnetka

Children: Weston, 9, and Kayla, 6

Parents: Christyne, 38, and Phil, 41, personal financial analyst

Began homeschooling: 1996

Christyne Imhoff, who earns a living developing educational programs for nonprofit agencies, never set out to be a home school teacher.

But when her young son was losing his love for school and her daughter about to enter kindergarten, she knew she had to do something.

“I was feeling hypocritical showing people all these neat things (as part of my work) while my son was being ‘worksheeted’ to death,” said their mother.

Private school for both was too expensive and moving wasn’t an option. Luckily through a neighbor, she learned of Los Angeles Unified School District’s independent study program that would allow Imhoff to teach her children at home using district books and curriculum.

“It wasn’t harder than I thought it would be,” said Imhoff, who has a bachelor’s degree in outdoor recreation. “My organizational skills helped a lot.

Imhoff teaches the kids from 8 a.m. to noon. They spend the afternoon working independently while Mom does her work.

In addition to their home studies, Imhoff’s children join other students in the independent study program at least once a month for field trips, an annual science fair and workshops on various topics. Last year, Imhoff had nearly a dozen students over to her house for several lessons on Chumash Indians.

At this point, there’s no talk about returning to the traditional classroom.

“We’ll take it year by year,” she said. “I’m not fanatical about it. We’ll see how it goes.”

*

The Eastman family

Residence: North Hills

Children: Colette, 16; Jake, 14; Deacon, 12; Wyatt, 10; Lenny, 6; Luke, 3

Parents: Renee, 39, and Michael, 36, drywall foreman

Began homeschooling: 1986

It started out as an experiment. Instead of sending her first child, Colette, to kindergarten, Renee Eastman began teaching her at home. As her other children grew, they simply joined in.

“Originally, we were doing it year-by-year and it just continued on,” said Eastman, who has a bachelor’s degree in music. “We wanted them to have the best education they could, and a Christian education.”

Their studies, individualized for their grade level, include group Bible study each morning. Eastman pays a home schooling organization to help keep track of the paperwork. She also has all of the children past school work on file, in case the couple ever needs to show what work the children have completed.

Colette now 16, says the best part of home schooling is being able to completely focus on schoolwork. The downside: missing out on the day-to-day interaction with friends in classes and school corridors.

Last spring, Colette enrolled in Los Angeles Unified School District’s independent study program so she could play softball at Monroe High School.

The mix of class at home and sports at school has worked well. “She’s doing phenomenally,” said Linda Wright, Colette’s independent study teacher who gives her assignments.

By the Numbers

State education officials do not keep records, or give estimates on the number of students schooled at home. The percentage could be as high as 3% of the state’s students, according to Patricia M. Lines, senior research analyst at the U.S. Department of Education.

* 64,000 students or 1.1% of state’s 5.6 million public school students participated in California’s independent study program in the 1996-1997 school year.

Independent study in Los Angeles Unified School District (as of May, 1997)

*

Independent study in Los Angeles Unified School District (as of May 1997)

Districtwide

GRADE: Number of students

K-5: 243

6-8: 354

9-12: 3,539

Valley

GRADE: Number of students

K-5: 84

6-8: 106

9-12: 900

Sources: Los Angeles Unified School District, State Department of Education, staff reports; Researched by STEPHANIE STASSEL/Los Angeles Times