Home schooling: A boom across the U.S., a bump in Minnesota

When Sabrina Patlan grows up, she wants to be a choreographer.

The 12-year-old tailors her home schooling around her dance lessons and performances. But someday, she plans to transition to public high school.

When she does, a charter school specializing in the performing arts will be waiting for her.

Home schooling has boomed across the nation. But not in Minnesota, which has long been a leader in alternative school options, such as charters and online classes.

"Minnesota is known for its wonderful education system," said Amy Leinen, president of the Minnesota Homeschoolers Alliance, representing 500 home-schooling families. "Public schools are being a lot more flexible and giving families a lot more options. Their children can go part time, or their children can do all their work through the Internet."

Some say that flexibility could be why home schooling in Minnesota has been plateauing.

Home schooling in Minnesota rose by 15 percent from 1999 to 2007, the state Department of Education reported. But it grew by 74 percent nationwide, according to a survey by the U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics.

Educators say economic troubles could be contributing to the national surge.

"The economy forces us to re-evaluate our priorities," said David Watkins, chairman of the Minnesota Association of Christian Home Educators, which represents nearly 3,000 families in the state. "We have to make a decision ... what means more to us."

Overcrowded classrooms and financially strapped schools are motivating some parents to find alternative education for their children. Layoffs and bankrupt businesses also are resulting in some parents becoming stay-at-home teachers, Watkins said.

Christine Patlan said she started home schooling Sabrina in kindergarten after public schools wanted Sabrina to wait a year. The Minneapolis family liked it so much that Patlan decided to home school her other two children.

For high school, Sabrina considered Minneapolis South. But the school's large classrooms led the Patlan family to rule it out.

Instead, Sabrina wants to attend the St. Paul Conservatory for the Performing Artists, a public charter school where she plans to specialize in dance.

"They spend three hours of the day doing what you love, and I think that's really cool," Sabrina said. "If I didn't get into that high school, then I might home school."

While some experts credit the economy for a rise in home schooling, others say traditional reasons for alternative learning are the cause.

Parents who home school often say they want to provide a better education for their children, watch over their children's social interactions, strengthen family relationships, customize learning to their children's needs or teach religious or moral beliefs.

"A public perception that public schools are not getting better — maybe getting even worse — is adding fuel to the fire," said Brian Ray, president of the National Home Education Research Institute.

Rachel Casper, of Apple Valley, started home schooling after hearing stories about it from other moms.

"I thought it sounded like such a cool thing to do — a real child-friendly way to learn," she said.

Casper's son Evan is now 8 and consistently tests two grades higher than his age in math. She also home schools her two younger children.

In a large public school, Evan might get lost in the crowd, Casper said. Large classrooms and declining school budgets are not problems for Casper's family.

"We don't deal with any of that, really," she said.

Maricella Miranda can be reached at 651-228-5421.