School districts can capture hundreds of thousands of dollars in lost state revenues if they can entice homeschoolers back into public school programs, but to do so requires curriculum innovation and respect for the values and efforts of the homeschool parents.

That’s what successful administrators of such programs in Washington State have found..

Mark Clements, who leads the HomeLink program in Camas, Wash., has 480 students involved in his program, resulting in 300 FTE for the Battle Ground School District. His program is so successful that it attracts students from throughout the region. About 95 percent come from 10 other school districts as "boundary exceptions."

Larry Pierson, who runs the Battle Ground HomeLink program, established the Camas River program for the district. Over the past six years it has grown steadily from 64 K-12 students to 480 now, including an increase of 80 FTE in just the last year.

"We have really grown. It has been amazing," Clements says.

And, according to a survey of parents, only 8 percent would be involved with public schools at all if it were not for the HomeLink program. So, the program is "not ripping off other programs, but serving students who have not been served in a traditional setting," says Clements.

Clements says to achieve such success, there are several keys, but all relate to respect and flexible cooperation with parents.

Students are not forced into a one-size-fits-all program. They sit down with a school "consultant" and their parents to create an Education Plan that meets state requirements (the Essential Academic Learning Requirements, or EALRs). Beyond that, they concern themselves with how the program can meet student and parent goals. They meet frequently to review each student’s learning activities and how they coincide with the Education Plan.

Clements says it is vital to be honest and open – not hold anything back. Administrators and consultants tell parents exactly what is required and what is not required. They trust the parents and students to make the right choices.

This is necessary, because success with homeschoolers requires building a high degree of trust, says Clements. "Trust is a huge part of it." Staff needs to respect the homeschooling parents and support homeschooling as a legitimate method of education.

Parents will detect cynical, mocking or condescending staff members, and they won’t want to work with such educators.

Ideally, homeschool parents should be involved in the program design from the very start, and they should be encouraged to remain involved.

At Camas River HomeLink, there are typically 30-40 parents on site every minute of the day, along with an average of 70-130 students. To be successful, this cannot be discouraged, says Clements. It should be enjoyed and appreciated.

With the large number of parents on campus, "there is a whole different atmosphere" than at most public schools. With all of the parents and different ages of students and siblings, it is a little more like Sunday School, Clements says.

As space is available, parents are even allowed to take classes alongside their children. In Beginning Band, for example, there may be 20 kids and 10 parents, Clements says. Parents pay for materials, just like the kids, in classes where there is a materials fee. No students are excluded because of parental participation.

Most homeschooling parents want classes to be more hands-on, more project-oriented, and educators need to revamp their curriculum to accommodate this preference.

Similarly, homeschoolers tend to respect teachers who exhibit a background with practical, hands-on experience of their own. Many elective courses at Camas, therefore, are taught by paraprofessionals who get paid similar to community education instructors. These instructors may include professional biologists, computer specialists, working journalists, etc.

The HomeLink program does not require a set curriculum for students doing coursework at home. Parents are provided a list of approved textbooks in the various subjects and allowed the ones they want to use. Some curriculum is provided by the school. Students who take classes that require a textbook are provided the text. Everything else is provided by the parents.

Courses are graded like traditional school. Any class below high school is not officially "graded," but a lot of teachers provide regular progress reports. All high school credit is earned by fulfilling a contract. Credit is given by a certificated teacher. The grade is determined by fulfilling the contract. If the student is taking a class, then that classroom teacher recommends the grade. If the student is doing most of the work at home then the grade is determined by a conference with parent, student, and consultant.

Under the state’s Alternative Education Law, the schools are required to document 25 hours of academic activity each week in order to call a student full-time, but only one hour actually has to be at a school facility. The rest can be academic time at home or elsewhere, documented by students and their parents.

The Camas River HomeLink, however, offers enough courses of interest as to attract most students to the campus at least 5 hours a week. Popular courses at the school include science, computers and music. Some courses meet just once or twice a week for longer periods in order to reduce parent and student travel time.

The Camas school’s elective-type classes developed through consultation are called "focus classes. In addition are the two-day a week "core classes" required by the school. The school also offers off-site classes like ice skating, the Hoop, dance classes and the YMCA.

Running the HomeLink program requires a lot of enthusiastic commitment on the part of educators, says Clements, but "it’s really worth it. It is an effective educational model that works for many families. It’s sooo cool."