Home School Friendly

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Home School Friendly
Developing A Home-School Friendly Admissions
Office

• Presented by
• Angela J. Evans, Ed. D.

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Introduction

• Understanding the Home
• School Movement
• Developing Recruitment
• Networking Strategies that Work
• Implementing Alternative Evaluation Methods for
  Home-Educated Applicants

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Understanding the Home School Movement

• What is the philosophy behind the home schooling
  movement and why are parents eager to seek
  alternative methods of schooling?

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What is Home-schooling?

Cited from the Home School Legal Defense
Association
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Concept of Home Education

• The concept of home education
• as an education movement is
• growing in unprecedented
• fashion throughout the United
• States and recent research studies
• indicate that more than 1.2 million school age
  children are currently being taught at home by a
  parent-teacher (Ray, 1998 Lines 1996).

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Why Home Education?

• Parents are selecting home based
• education for a variety of reasons, including
• Fear of Violence in Schools
• Quality of Education
• Cost of Private or Alternative Education
• Flexibility in Home School Scheduling
• Religious Reasons
• Special Needs (Health, Learning Disabilities)

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What about Regulation?

The increased levels of state regulations for
home schooling have prompted many families to
seek acceptable accreditation for students to
avoid the hassles and negative stereotypes
placed on home schooling students by local and
state college administrators (Callaway, 2004).

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What Does This Mean for Colleges?

Admissions officers know little about the
performance of a home school graduates academic
performance in college, but this fact doesnt
stop colleges and universities from developing
admissions policies (accommodating or
unaccommodating) for the home school
Population.
(Jones Gloeckner, 2004b, p. 17)
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The Impact on Students and Admissions

• Students are faced with overwhelming requirements
  that command extensive documentation of their
  home based education including
• transcripts of academic performance and
  curriculum
• standardized high school summation exams
• SAT or ACT Scores
• letters of recommendation
• proof or compliance with state regulatory
  standards
• and often a personal interview with an admissions
  officer
• It is vital that these admissions
  representatives be prepared to aid students in
  making the transition from home school to
  post-secondary education (Evans, 2001).

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Developing Recruitment and Networking Strategies
that work

• Appointing a senior admissions officer to work
• specifically with home-educated students
• Realizing the time saving benefits of developing
• a targeted home school website
• Creating a comprehensive admissions forum
• for home-educated students and their families
• that includes a vendor fair, as well as sessions
• on completing the admissions process and
• applying for financial aid
• Offering a guide for families that provides
  information on accreditation, curriculum, testing
  agencies and dual enrollment opportunities

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A Home School Friendly Case Study

• Kennesaw State University
• Georgias Third Largest University
• Public Institution
• 4 Year Liberal Arts
• 20 Miles North of Downtown Atlanta
• 19,000 students
• 200 Home Schoolers

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KSU - A Home School Friendly Place

• A Dozen Years of
• Experience With
• Home Educated
• Applicants
• Specialized Counselors
• Web Page / Other USG Institutions Are Linking to
  Our Site / over 14,000 Hits Since 1999
• Workshops for Admissions at Local, State,
  Regional and National Level Organizations
• Regents Level Student Advisors 2 in a Row
• Portfolio Model

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A New Home for Home Schoolers
Fall 2000 36 Enrolled
Fall 2001 52 Enrolled
Fall 2002 32 Enrolled

Fall 2003 24 Enrolled
Fall 2004 24 Enrolled
Fall 2005 29 Enrolled
These numbers do not reflect Spring or Summer
Semester New Student Enrollment This enrollment
represents home educated applicants from
non-accredited programs.
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Relationships with

• Students Parents
• Support Groups
• Accreditation Agencies
• Curriculum Providers
• Other College Universities
• Alumni

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A Look At What We Do

• Dedicated Counselor
• Web Site
• An Admissions Handbook
• Workshop and vender fair

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Dedicated Counselors

• Admissions Counselor dedicated to working with
  home educated applicants since 1996
• Back up Admissions Counselor since 2003
• Secretarial Support to manage contact lists and
  prepares materials

• Involved in Community Home School Groups, ACIS
  Centers, National Home School Support
  Organizations
• Stays current on literature
• Follows Enrollment Trends nationally, in Georgia,
  at KSU
• Program Development
• Personal Research

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Web Site

• www.kennesaw.edu/admissions/home_educated.html

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Web Site Features

• Admissions Requirements
• Admissions Handbook
• Deadlines
• Resources
• Financial Aid Links
• HOPE Reimbursement Request Form for Homeschoolers

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Web Site Benefits

• Provides students with access to requirements and
  forms 24/7
• Saves times an information session/phone call
  can last an average of 40 minutes
• Over 14,000 hits since 1999

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An Admissions Handbook

• A Checklist
• An Information Page with Release
• Home School College Preparatory Credit Evaluation
  Form
• Affidavit of Successful Completion of Home Study
  Program

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(No Transcript)
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(No Transcript)
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The Workshop Vender Fair

• An Admissions Forum for
• Home Educated Applicants

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Format

• Workshop Registration
• Video
• Welcome Introductions
• Admissions Information
• Financial Aid Overview
• Vender Fair
• Campus Tour

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Vender Fair

• Something New in 2005
• 27 Venders Participated
• Over 100 in attendance
• Door Prizes
• Refreshments

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Who Are The Venders?

• KSU Student Services
• Financial Aid / GSFC
• ACIS Centers
• Curriculum Providers
• Commercial Venders

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Why Have A Vender Fair?

• Brings Students to Campus
• Builds Relationships
• Sponsorships
• Free Food
• Fun
• Great Publicity

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Implementing Alternative Evaluation Methods for
Home-Educated Applicants

Understanding the value of a portfolio review
process that provides the admissions office with
a uniform method to evaluate home schooled
applicants while still providing them with an
opportunity to showcase their individual merits
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What are Portfolios?
Portfolios can be anything But you need to be
specific or you will get everything!

• A transcript of High School Courses
• (a mini-syllabus for each subject taken)
• SAT or ACT and other standardized tests
• Extra-Curricular Activities
• Letters of Recommendation
• Proof of Compliance with State Attendance Laws
  (Declaration of Intent to Home School)
• Samples of Work (Essays or Projects)

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What are the Benefits of Portfolios

• A Portfolio Gives You The Opportunity To Get To
  Know An Applicant Before Or Without An Interview
• It Gives The Student The Opportunity
• To Express The Abilities And
• Explain Their Educational
• Background
• You Can Control What
• Information You Are
• Reviewing And Keep It
• Consistent

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Accreditation for Home Education

A Unique Organization Developed in Georgia to
Accredit Home Based Education The Accrediting
Commission for Independent Study, non-profit,
non-government is established for the purpose
of accrediting community centers for independent
study. The accredited designation is for those
centers established and functioning under
standards of the commission.
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What Are Others Doing?

• Struggling to Understand!
• Open House Events for Home Schoolers
• Web Pages Dedicated to Explaining Home Educated
  Student Admissions
• Recruitment Fairs
• Advertising in Home School
• Magazines and Support
• Group Newsletters
• Direct Mail (Buying Lists)
• Participating in Local Support
• Group Meetings
• Chat Sessions

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Discussion
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Contact Information
Angela J. Evans, Ed.D. Assistant Director of
Admissions Kennesaw State University 1000
Chastain Road, Box 0115 Kennesaw, Georgia
30144-5591 770-423-6500 aevans_at_kennesaw.edu www.k
ennesaw.edu
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Thank You