What is Hybrid Home Education?

Defining Alternative Education Options

Let us list definitions of a few of the most popular alternative educational models.

• Homeschooling: parent-led education without government funds. Parents have complete control over the curriculum and the time spent on schooling. The requirements they must meet vary by individual state laws. These families may participate in co-ops, community sports, or music lessons. Some hire tutors or use online courses to augment coursework done at home.
• Public-school-at-home: Alternative learning programs offered by public schools. Students may meet in a classroom once a week, take courses online, or be supervised by a public-school teacher while doing lessons at home. Many people mistakenly call this educational model “homeschooling” because the children spend all or part of their week at home. Because the government funds these programs, no religious curriculum is permitted, nor do parents have much control. Students must use public school curricula and take the required tests. In Washington State, those who participate in such programs are legally public-school students.
• Private-school-at-home: A private school program in which students only attend classes two or three days a week and then complete their work at home under their parents’ supervision. Often the school provides a set of curricula.
• Hybrid home education with a private school extension program: parent-directed educational program in partnership with a private school designed to support homeschooling families through extension programs. The level of parental control varies by program. Typically, such schools offer classes once or a few days a week. Most of these programs have private school accreditation and provide parent coaching, report cards, transcripts. Some offer field trips and extracurricular activities.

Advantages of a Private School Extension Program:

• The schools handle most of the record-keeping.
• Often, parents don’t need to teach all the subjects. This is especially beneficial when their children reach high school, and parents don’t have the desire or ability to teach courses at that level.
• Trained teachers assist parents in selecting courses and curricula and developing course goals.
• The schools provide accountability, so students stay on track and meet deadlines.
• The teachers can provide emotional support when children struggle.
• The students gain exposure to different teaching styles by attending classes.
• Students have the opportunity to socialize regularly with other students and participate in group projects and science labs.
• It costs much less than private school tuition.
• Students graduate with an accredited high school diploma.

What Does a Private School Extension Program Look Like?

Let us look at a real life example of how hybrid home education looks.

"As a high school sophomore, my daughter has a busy schedule as a taekwondo competitor. Homeschooling gives her the flexibility to attend out-of-state tournaments, but the hybrid homeschool program keeps her accountable to complete her schoolwork.

Here’s her schedule:

• Mondays she attends High School English and Watercolor Art at a large homeschool co-op.
• Tuesdays she attends Arrow Academic Center, Academy Northwest’s learning center in Woodinville, Washington, to take SCORE (study skills), Biblical Worldview, and Physical Science.
• Monday, Wednesday, and Friday afternoons, she trains and teaches at her taekwondo school.
• She has two independent courses, Algebra and Health. Her father and I selected the curricula.

I oversee and correct her work, administer tests, and occasionally help with assignments. We track the hours she spends on each subject (a Washington State requirement), and I turn these into Academy Northwest.

Because her Academy Northwest Teacher Consultant sees her each Tuesday for classes, we only meet for a conference each quarter. If we have any issues or questions, we can email her anytime.

At the quarterly conference, I turn in grades for the classes not taken at the learning center and show samples of my daughter's work. Academy Northwest maintains all the records for report cards, transcripts, and high school credit completion. Each semester, we add examples of her best work to her high school portfolio, another graduation requirement.

Having independently homeschooled for ten years, I enjoy the support that hybrid schooling provides. Teaching high school, especially to a special-needs child, is hard. I value Academy Northwest's accreditation and appreciate our teacher's emotional support when homeschooling gets tough."  Lorinda N.

Would Hybrid Schooling Work for Your Family?

Consider the following.

• How much control do you want over your children’s education?
• Can you afford the costs of a private school extension program?
• Do you have transportation to the school site?
• Classroom families:
  • Would your child thrive better in a less structured, personalized academic environment?
  • Are you or another adult available to supervise your children at home?
  • Are you willing to take the time to have a more active role in your child’s education?
• Home educators:
  • Would your children enjoy or prefer learning with other children who aren’t their siblings?
  • Do you need a break as a mom from teaching all the time?
  • Do you need more accountability and support in your home educating endeavors?
  • Are you willing to share your educational authority with a private school extension program and give up some flexibility in your schedule?