Research Paper Outline

a. Topic Sentence: The word homeschool quite literally means a school at home, and it is an increasingly popular choice

b. Examples with Analysis:

i. Growing since the 1970s

ii. Was the original form of schooling for many Americans

iii. January of 2014 year there were an estimated 2.2 million home-educated students in the United States

c. In-text citations: Milton Gaither; Brian D. Ray

d. Linking Sentence: this growing population faces serious obstacles when they complete their home education.

3. Section: proving discrimination exists

a. Topic Sentence: There are several forms of discriminatory arguments made against homeschool families.

b. Examples with Analysis:

i. Parents aren’t qualified to teach. In some states only high school education is required, but this is true of substitute teachers, too.

ii. Student who was discriminated against because he didn’t have test scores like other traditional students.

iii. Student who was discriminated against by the Navy; required to score higher than others who weren’t homeschooled.

c. In-text citations: Homeschool Legal Defense Association; Pova; Atomom; Haverluck; Whittington

d. Linking Sentence: removing the foundation upon which a false opinion is built on could go a long way in solving this problem.

4. Section: fixing the problem

a. Topic Sentence: One possible solution to solving homeschool discrimination could include creating standardized homeschool guidelines.

b. Examples with Analysis:

i. Use federal standards instead of state standards. This would reduce confusion.

ii. Some homeschool families are military, and this would benefit them as well.

c. In-text citations: Homeschool Legal Defense Association

d. Linking Sentence: If homeschooled students are going to be successful in their adult lives then they need to be given the opportunity to compete on a level playing field.

5. Section: conclusion

a. Topic Sentence: As is usually the case when discussing discrimination most of the objections pertaining to homeschoolers can be boiled down to biased opinions.

b. Examples with Analysis:

i. Parents have the right to homeschool

ii. There are few differences between homeschooled and traditionally schooled students

c. In-text citations: n/a

d. Linking Sentence: If educational standards reflect this foundational truth then perhaps homeschoolers will finally be accepted as equally capable as their traditionally schooled counterparts.

Works Consulted

Atomom. “Discrimination Against Homeschoolers—Change the system.” College

Confidential, 18 Apr. 2016, http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/home-schooling-college/177132-discrimination-against-homeschoolers-change-the-system.html.

Gaither, Milton. "Home Schooling Goes Mainstream." Education Next, no. 1, 2014, p. 10. EBSCOhost, ezproxy.faytechcc.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edsggo&AN=edsgcl.190430718&site=eds-live.

Haverluck, Michael F. “Victory: Navy Levels the Field for Homeschoolers.” One News Now, 27 Aug. 2014, https://www.onenewsnow.com/education/2014/08/27/victory-navy-levels-the-field-for-homeschoolers.

“State Action Map.” Homeschool Legal Defense Association, 2017, http://www.hslda.org/hs/state/.

Pova, Bobbi Jo. “Substitute Application Instructions.” Cumberland County Schools, 19 May 2017, http://hr.ccs.k12.nc.us/substitute-application-instructions/.

Ray, Brian D. “Research Facts on Homeschooling.” National Home Education Research

Institute, 23 Mar. 2016, https://www.nheri.org/research/research-facts-on-homeschooling.html.

Whittington, Brian. Personal interview. 22 Oct. 2018.