Coalition for Responsible Home Education

An Examination of the Current State of Homeschooling Podcast Episode · The Edumyseat Podcast · 12/31/2025 · 38m

We recently sat down with Josh Newman to discuss the complexities of homeschooling. Listen here:

He Was Homeschooled for Years, and Fell So Far Behind A new memoir shows how a lack of accountability can hurt home-educated kids.

Stefan Merrill Block was pulled from school to be homeschooled in the fourth grade, but his parents didn't provide him any formal education. His new memoir, Homeschooled, details his mother's warped idea of home education.

In 2025, UNESCO, New York Magazine, and the New York Times used our research to tell an important story and we can't stop now.

We believe that children have the right to an education and an open future, and that systemic change will help get us there. Join our fight to center their rights at crhe.org/support-crhe/

In 2025, we trained 1,188 child welfare professionals to recogninzed and prevent child abuse in homeschool settings. Your gift will triple our reach in 2026.

No education modality is free of abuse and neglect; children are impacted in public school and in the homeschool setting. It’s not an either/or question, it’s a both/and answer. Support our critical work at crhe.org/support-crhe/

Our director of programs, Dr. Jonah Stewart, says in this op-ed that “CRHE’s greatest achievement is that we exist”. We’re grateful to Stefan Block, fellow homeschool alumni, for including us in this work! “Homeschooled” comes out January 6th.
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On winter solstice, we find strength in rest and connection, and gratitude from our supporters through challenging times. May this season bring you peace as we look forward to renewed hope and action in the year ahead..

The darkest days are behind us, and our brightest times are ahead. Happy Winter Solstice 🌚

Calling Wisconsin alumni. Join the first-known oral history project dedicated to the voices of homeschool alumni.

If you were homeschooled in Wisconsin, here’s a great opportunity to be a part of history! Click below for more information on this alumni-driven project. buff.ly/UIWLRDP

1573 people signed our Bill of Rights for Homeschooled Children in 2025. We need to make those rights a reality. Your gift will support children's rights in 2026.

We believe that children have the right to an education and an open future, and that systemic change will help get us there. Join our fight to at crhe.org/support-crhe/

Are you in Arizona? We need homeschool alumni voices from the Grand Canyon State!

Hey, Arizona alumni (and alumni currently in the state)! We need your story for a project happening soon. Contact Tess at t.ulrey@responsiblehomeschooling.org!

200+ homeschool alumni joined our advocacy efforts last year and we are ready to support more.

CRHE is founded and led by homeschool alumni - but we’re powered by donors who believe in our mission. We need your end-of-year gift to amplify more voices in 2026. Donate here: crhe.org/support-crhe/

Why homeschooling is still on the rise The number of children being homeschooled in the U.S. is continuing to rise years after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Why do you think homeschooling is on the rise? We talked to Newsweek about the challenges of collecting data within the realm of homeschooling and capturing the whole picture, but there’s no denying more and more families are choosing to homeschool. Let us know what you think!

We want to hear from homeschool alumni

We're hosting two virtual focus groups to center alumni experience in our new legislative and research work. December 7th, 5-6pm ET. December 15th, 4-5pm ET.

We're founded and led by homeschool alumni and those experiences guide our work. If you are an alumni, consider joining us for a December focus group - you’ll be the first to hear about our new legislative and research work and we want to hear what you think is important too. tinyurl.com/CRHEAlumni

Two people wearing business casual attire standing in front of giant letters that read UNGA

World Childhood Foundation’s support is critical to our work; they make our training programs for child welfare professionals in addressing abuse & neglect in homeschool settings possible! We were grateful to meet with some of their team and attend the UN SRSG on Violence Against Children’s event.

Virginia homeschool numbers trend upward, spark oversight debate • Virginia Mercury By Zainab Sesay/VCU Capital News Service RICHMOND, Va. — The homeschooling population has been back on the rise in Virginia for the past two school years. The number of students receiving an…

Homeschooling is on the rise in VA, and the need for oversight in that state (and across the US) is rising too. The VCU Capital News Service published this piece in the Virginia Mercury. We were grateful to contribute context, experiences, and recommendations for homeschooled kids.

In North Carolina, we’re confronted with another horrific case of child abuse, neglect and fatality where homeschooling was used to isolate and disappear children from a community network. We mourn Leah, Zoe, Wellington, and Sean: www.newsobserver.com/news/local/e...

Open Letter: "CRHE exists because there is a community of people who believe homeschooled children deserved better. I'm committed to leading with humility, transparency, and an unwavering focus on the community we serve. I hope you'll join me in that commitment."

CRHE’s new Executive Director, Tess Ulrey, has shared her vision for the future of our organization. Read it at the link, and you can reach her at t.ulrey@responsiblehomeschooling.org! responsiblehomeschooling.org/tess-open-le...

Homeschooled children aren't learning math, literature, or science

In 14 states, homeschooling parents aren't required to teach their child any specific subject. That means if a homeschooled child's parents don't want them to learn math, or can't teach them how to write, then it just doesn't happen. And what they're doing will be perfectly legal.

Every child deserves a quality education. That's why our nation has standards that ensure students learn core subjects like math, literature, science, and history. But these standards left an entire class of students behind: homeschooled children.

Under the Make Homeschool Safe Act, children will: learn the same subjects that children in public school do, be assessed for their academic progress, have access to school resources and activities, have qualified teachers

Homeschooled children deserve to learn the same subjects that children in their state's public schools learn.

Swipe through to see how current state laws are failing homeschooled children -- and how the Make Homeschool Safe Act will help.

Did you know?

Only nine states require all homeschooled students to be assessed, but even these states often have lax enforcement, little accountability, and low thresholds for intervention.

Find out more: responsiblehomeschooling.org/research/cur...

Did you know?

40 states allow any parent to homeschool regardless of their educational background.

Read more: responsiblehomeschooling.org/research/cur...

Around 2 million children are being homeschooled in the US. Many homeschooled children come from families who want to give them a quality education in a safe, loving home. But that's not the case for every homeschooled child. Some homeschooled children grow up in families that exploit lax homeschool laws to isolate, neglect, and abuse them.

No state's laws do enough to protect homeschooled children. 47 states allow convicted sex offenders and child abusers to homeschool. 11 states don't require families to enroll their children as homeschooled students with location education officials. 14 states don't require parents to teach their homeschooled children specific school subjects.

Millions of homeschooled children don't have guaranteed access to the child welfare programs their peers in public school do. That includes food and nutrition programs, health screenings, age-appropriate sex education, mental health counseling and resources, and monitoring for child abuse and neglect.

Homeschooled children have no guaranteed access to mandatory reporters. When children go to traditional school, they may have access to teachers and other mandatory reporters for child abuse who can spot a problem and take action. Homeschooled children don't have guaranteed access to this kind of help.

Many of the ~2 million children homeschooled in the U.S. have positive experiences.

But that’s not the case for everyone. Too many children grow up in families that exploit lax homeschool laws to isolate, neglect, and abuse them.

Did you know?

In 47 states, there are no background checks or safeguards in place to ban those whose children may be at risk of abuse or neglect from homeschooling.

Read more at: buff.ly/F3RBmuq

What you need to know about homeschooling through a human rights lens In 2025, UNESCO released the publication Homeschooling through a Human Rights Lens, outlining the findings of a research project launched in 2023 as part of the ‘Initiative on the Evolving Right to

Dr. Jonah Stewart, our director of programs, contributed to the international “Homeschooling through a Human Rights Lens” report, a project of UNESCO’s initiative on the evolving right to education.

Homeschool regulations take center stage after uptick in practice since pandemic Both interest in and concerns over homeschool regulations have peaked after a spike in parents pulling their children from classroom after the pandemic. While homeschooling is nothing new, the numb…

The next legislative year brings tremendous opportunity to advance safe homeschooling oversight in states across the country - we’re grateful that @thehill.com reached out to us to talk about our position and policy recommendations. Read the article here:

smiling woman with brown hair and light skin wearing purple glasses

We are pleased to welcome Tess Ulrey of St. Joseph, Michigan as the new executive director at CRHE – a groundbreaking hire for the organization as the first full-time, permanent ED in CRHE’s 12-year history! Learn more about her here: responsiblehomeschooling.org/our-team/

Were you homeschooled in Wisconsin? Join this unique opportunity to share your story!

Thank you!

Those are all of our questions for today! Reminder: even if you found today's #HomeschoolChat after it ended, feel free to answer the questions anyway.

Be the first to know about the next #HomeschoolChat. Join our mailing list: responsiblehomeschooling.org/take-action/

Summer 2025 Fundraiser - Coalition for Responsible Home Education For a brighter future <a href="https://responsiblehomeschooling.org/support-crhe/"> GIVE NOW </a> <h2>About the campaign</h2> A community fired up about children’s rights. <br />A workforce ready to h...

Rallying our community to stand up for our rights.

Creating life-changing resources for survivors.

Training professionals to support at-risk children.

Your gift of any amount today directly supports our one-of-a-kind work. #HomeschoolChat

Q4: What’s your message to LGBTQ+ homeschooled kids who are dealing with an unaccepting environment at home? #HomeschoolChat

Q4: What’s your message to LGBTQ+ homeschooled kids who are dealing with an unaccepting environment at home? #HomeschoolChat

Nothing whatsoever.

Q3: How can extended family members, friends, and community members best support the LGBTQ+ homeschooled kids in their lives? #HomeschoolChat

Q3: How can extended family members, friends, and community members best support the LGBTQ+ homeschooled kids in their lives? #HomeschoolChat