Engage the Homeschool Community

As homeschooling has increased among U.S. parents, it’s important for school counselors to consider about this educational trend’s relevance to the profession. How should you respond when homeschool parents reach out for support or request services? Are there legal, ethical or professional expectations for school counselors to provide services to homeschool students? While some families plan to homeschool throughout their children’s K–12 education, others choose to homeschool until a certain grade level or reevaluate their educational options periodically. With this in mind, it’s beneficial for school counselors to consider ways to support homeschool students and/or those who transition into/out of public school.
 
The National Home Education Research Institute defines homeschool as “parent-led home-based education.” The U.S. Department of Education reports diversity in the homeschool community across race/ethnicity, religion and political backgrounds, with significant variability across parent/guardian education levels and workforce involvement, household income, family structure/number of children, and educational needs and strengths. Among the reported reasons for choosing homeschooling are school safety, drugs, peer pressure, personal morals, a desire to have more family time, being discontent with other academic options and a preference to include religious instruction.
 
It’s worth considering whether public school counselors should offer services and resources to the homeschool community. Research is limited on best practices for school counselors related to homeschool education, and no ethical or legal requirements appear to address this. As outlined in the ASCA position statement The School Counselor and School-Family-Community Partnerships, “School counselors are called on to create, lead, facilitate, and assess these partnerships and work to remove barriers to these helpful collaborative relationships.” As such, school counselors could brainstorm ways to engage families who choose to homeschool students for the betterment of the community.
 
Regardless of their educational setting, all students need to successfully complete their K–12 educational and graduation requirements while also planning for postsecondary opportunities. School counselors should creatively consider how they could maximize their efforts to best support the diversity and uniqueness of all students and their families within their community.
 

Know Your Role 

A deficit in the school counseling literature on homeschool engagement leads to unclear expectations and a lack of clarity regarding best practices. With that uncertainty in mind, school counselors should be prepared to respond appropriately when questions arise. How could you respond when parents reach out about:

• Standardized tests
• Textbook requests
• Special education services
• Counseling referrals
• Extracurricular activities and sports
• Scholarship opportunities
• Participation in electives or specials
• Advanced Placement courses
• Dual enrollment

Also consider what happens if an issue arises when a homeschool student is on campus. What if a homeschool student experiences a medical emergency while attending band practice? Do homeschool students sign and adhere to the school’s handbook? Proactively review your school’s current policies and procedures related to the services the school does or doesn’t provide to homeschool students. If no policy exists, collaborate with administration to gain clarity regarding your role with the homeschool community.
 

Outreach to Students 

Once you have clarity about your role with homeschool students, you can become more intentional in communicating supports available to them. With minimal extra effort, you could also share with homeschool students the same resources and opportunities you already provide for current students, such as:

• Invitations to certain school events
• Career and technology options
• Available clubs and extracurricular activities
• Test prep programs
• Standardized testing
• Scholarship opportunities
• Informational website links
• Local counseling services

Post resource information on your school counseling website and share it via email, social media or in a community location such as the local library. These outreach efforts offer support to homeschool students and continuity to those who might transfer in and out of public school.
 

Engage With Parents 

Beyond extending specified services already in place to homeschool students, consider the mutual benefits of connecting with homeschool parents. Besides opening paths of communication and tapping into new collaborative partnerships, building these relationships can contribute to an improved school image and stronger community presence. Consider extending an invitation for homeschool parents to:

• Come in for a school tour
• Follow the school counseling department on social media
• Volunteer at school events such as career fairs and mock interviews
• Be a community representative on the school counseling advisory council
• Share experiences in data collection
• Attend schoolwide events such as book fairs, financial aid nights and college fairs
• Partake in school fundraisers
• Partner with the local library or community center as a communication hub

In addition to inviting parents in, leaving the boundaries of your own building to tour and interact with the community you serve is also beneficial for your understanding of all members of your school community, whether they are homeschooled or enrolled in your school. Making this effort shows a collaborative spirit and desire to learn more about the homeschooled community. This helps you increase your knowledge and awareness of the culture, values, resources and needs of all students.
 
As you gain awareness of ways to engage the homeschool community, you may wonder how to incorporate these efforts into an already busy schedule and full caseload. Just like implementing a comprehensive school counseling program, it’s best to begin with small steps. First, use tools and resources already in place in your school counseling program. Next, create one new goal a year designed to connect with homeschool students. Recognize that these steps will ultimately save time and proactively address the common needs and questions of the homeschool community. Finally, remind yourself of the mutual benefits these efforts generate by engaging the homeschool community.
 
Denise Ebersole, Ph.D., debersole@liberty.edu, and Laura Martin, Ph.D., lmartin87@liberty.edu, are professors at Liberty University. Deedre Mitchell, Ph.D., dmitchell134@liberty.edu, is an associate professor at Liberty University.