RICHMOND, Va.
Denise Armstrong decided to home school her two sons and daughter because she thought she could do a better job of instilling her values in her children than the public school system could.
Years ago, she found herself the lone Black person at home-education gatherings, usually dominated by White Christian evangelicals. But gradually, she’s noticed more African-Americans joining the ranks.
The increase of Black families opting to educate their children at home, home-schooling advocates say, reflects a wider desire among families of all races to guide their children’s moral upbringing, but it also reflects growing concerns about issues such as subpar school conditions and preserving cultural heritage.
“About 10 years ago we started seeing more and more Black families showing up at conferences and it’s been steadily increasing since then,” said Michael Smith, president of the Home School Legal Defense Association, a national advocacy group.
Nationwide, about 1.1 million children were home schooled in 2003, or 2.2 percent of the school-age population. That was up from about 850,000, or 1.7 percent, in 1999, according to the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics. A racial breakdown of home-schooled students isn’t yet available, the center said.
Michael Apple, an education professor at the University of Wisconsin who tracks home schooling, said that the numbers are still very low because most Black families lack the time or economic ability to home school. Much of the increase is seen in cities with a history of racial tensions, and where Black people feel alienated and marginalized, he said.
