Who “Counts” as Homeschooled?: The Case of Alaska’s Correspondence Schools

Abstract

Defining which students “count†as homeschooled is complicated both by disparate state laws and by disagreements within the homeschooling community itself over how to categorize students enrolled in publicly funded cyber charters or virtual public schools. This paper works to clarify the definition of homeschooling by exploring the history of Alaska’s correspondence schools, where education officials have long relied on the home as an extension of their work and parents have learned to shape these same forces to serve their needs. Which factors determine who “counts†as homeschooled? The location where education takes place? Whether or not public funding is involved? Parents’ decision to take control of their children's education? We argue that students in Alaska’s correspondence programs should “count†as homeschooled, and that both scholars and members of the homeschooling community should take an expansive and inclusive approach to defining homeschooling.