Flexibility helps

Julie Hiniker has tried school both ways. Mother of 12, Hiniker is currently home schooling seven of her children, spread out between preschool and 11th grade. But Hiniker has also had one son graduate from a public school and another from RiverBend Academy.

Home schooling, however, has given her the greatest freedom both as mother and teacher. Her kids participate in a full range of activities, from piano and guitar to Boy Scouts and sports. She said the flexibility of teaching at home allows for lessons and events to be scheduled during the day and actually makes her life less hectic than those who must coordinate all outside activities after the school day.

“If someone is sick, we can declare a sick day and it will still be educational,” Hiniker said. “We can do school at 8 in the morning, 8 at night and even during the summer.”

With online academies, the learning is also done at home. But certified teachers are available to check on homework, advise students academically and provide resources. Most online academies offer stipends for Internet access and 24-hour support availability to fit all lifestyles — a far cry from Hiniker’s early morning support sessions.

“There’s another home school mom that I talk with a lot,” she said. “But we have to talk at 5:30 in the morning because I’ve got my kids and she’s got nine of her own. We talk about everything from being behind on laundry to coming up with lesson plans.”

No escaping standards

At the end of the day, however, almost all students are held to the same standards. Charter schools are held to the same No Child Left Behind stipulations as public schools while home-schoolers are also required to be evaluated by some form of standardized test.

In Mankato, where more than 100 students are home-schooled, the school district works closely with families to develop a plan for testing. Home school teachers are required to report school attendance for every child 16 years old and younger and must submit report cards if they do not have a teaching certification.

And while legislative attempts to curb school choice flare up every so often — usually in the form of proposals to tighten home school regulations — Hiniker said the ability to choose the best educational approach for your own family isn’t going anywhere.

“It’s about keeping the freedom for parents to educate their children any way they want,” Hiniker said.