Homeschooling to the rescue as coronavirus closes schools

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A "vast unplanned experiment in mass homeschooling" could be unleashed in the United States if school officials follow the response of some nations to the coronavirus.

The forecast by Kevin Carey, vice president of education policy for the New America think tank, came in a New York Times story highlighted by the Foundation for Economic Education.

In Japan, officials closed all schools, beginning Monday, for the next month. Hong Kong officials have closed schools for two months,

That hasn't happened in the U.S. yet.

But FEE said that as "fears of coronavirus mount around the globe, cities and countries are taking action to prevent the new respiratory virus strain from spreading."

"While the virus has not yet hit hard in the United States, government officials and health agencies have enacted response plans, corporations are halting travel abroad, and education leaders are grappling with what a widespread domestic outbreak of the virus could mean for schoolchildren," FEE said.

FEE said it's "unfortunate that it takes a viral epidemic to spotlight the many alternatives to conventional K-12 schooling."

"Not only is homeschooling widely popular in the U.S., educating approximately two million children nationwide, but other schooling alternatives, such as virtual learning, micro-schooling, and hybrid homeschooling continue to sprout."

Among the wide range of alternatives to sitting in a classroom, American students have access to programs such as the Florida Virtual School, established in 1997 as the first fully online public high school.

Micro-schools, the report said, are small, home-based, multi-age facilities that "act like a one-room schoolhouse." An Arizona program, Prenda, FEE said, already has 80 such facilities serving about 550 students.

"Like micro-schools, hybrid homeschooling programs and small, community-based classes for homeschoolers are also gaining popularity and may be swept into the limelight if conventional schools are forced to temporarily close," said FEE.

"Operating with small, age-mixed groups of children, these hybrid models and classes offer an alternative to institutional schooling, avoiding large classrooms and crowded buildings."

The organization found: "These emerging learning options outside of traditional schooling show not only that 'mass homeschooling' is possible but also that it may be highly desirable. Personalized learning, small group interactions that build community and connection, and education without the coercion inherent in standard schooling are beneficial whether or not a pending epidemic is what exposes families to these education possibilities."