I am HomeschoolED - ​Welcome to Virginia

Premiered August 30th, 2024

Homeschool EmpowerED​ presents a new documentary on homeschooling i​n central V​irginia.

Featuring families from central Virginia and ​two major homeschool learning centers in R​ichmond.

Homeschooling is an important ​part of our individual identities.

How do you homeschool?

About the Project

This multimedia project seeks to do an in-depth study into the lives, experiences, difficulties, and narratives of ​homeschoolers from socioeconomically disadvantaged and historically underrepresented communities - with an ​emphasis on urban homeschoolers. This project desires to open doors for further conversation between the ​general public, law and policy-makers, and other homeschoolers about the best ways to support, encourage, and ​understand home education and its role in redefining education in America. This project also seeks to do ​experiments, studies, and research to discover new and innovative ways to fund, support, and empower ​homeschoolers in America, especially those who have not always fit into the categories “conventional” or “typical.”

Myths We Want to Dispell

1. Homeschoolers don't get enough socialization
   
2. Homeschooling can create a higher risk of abuse and neglect
   
3. Homeschooling is not regulated enough to receive public funds through ESAs
   
4. Homeschooling is demographically not diverse (covering race, religion, ethnicity, and homeschooling practice ​diversity)
   
5. Homeschooling is only done by SAHMs (stay-at-home moms)
   
6. Homeschooling is only a benefit for middle and upper-class families living in suburban neighborhoods
   
7. Homeschooling is just school at home
   

Why Now?

In today’s world, we are adjusting to a “new normal” of post-pandemic life. Everything from the way we work to ​the way we learn is being redefined and redesigned to be future-proof. Now, we’re all asking the question: “How ​should American education look at its greatest?” But we really should be asking, “How does American education ​look at its greatest?” Throughout the country, education is being redefined through unconventional means, ​including various homeschooling and microschooling models. From virtual education to in-person forest schools, ​education is changing and it is helping children be their best.

Our project, I am HomeschoolED, is an in-depth look at the wonders of homeschooling from across the US, ​examining how each family does homeschooling differently. From getting an intimate look at how microschools ​work to identifying the challenges of homeschooling in the US in a post-pandemic world, I am HomeschoolED ​provides an objective scope of what homeschooling is, what it looks like, and the many ways in which it benefits ​families and learners. With an uptick in the number of states wanting to further regulate homeschooling, this ​project is more valuable now than ever before. Lawmakers, policymakers, parents, and even educators must ​understand what actually happens behind the scenes in the homeschool world and why it is a lifesaver for so ​many children. We want this campaign to blow up on social media and virally start conversations surrounding ​#homeschoolinginthereal and #imhomeschooled from a place of authenticity.

Key Research

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