News & Events
Legislative Update
Posted: October 7, 2019
Our Massachusetts Legislature began its 191st session on January 2, 2019. Below is a summary of bills filed this session that AHEM is following. At this time no action needs to be taken on any of these bills. Read more.
AHEM Networking Forum
Posted: August 29, 2019
Let's make stuff happen. Join!
AHEM listened and heard the challenges independent family-based homeschooling families face these days. Elists have fizzled, Facebook is an unreliable source for finding out about events, many groups seem splintered or private. Where do you fit in? Is it worth going to the park if you’re not sure anyone else will show up? How can you meet other homeschoolers who live nearby? You are not alone. This is a refrain we have heard a lot in our talks with Massachusetts homeschoolers. In an attempt to harness the power of technology in service of connection, the AHEM Networking Forum and Calendar were created to facilitate families in different parts of Massachusetts to meet in person repeatedly and get to know each other. To read more about how it works, and to potentially join, go take a look!
What Does Your Approval
Letter Look Like?
Posted: August 8, 2019
Here are some examples of actual letters received by homeschoolers from their school district after submitting an education plan: Read more.
Student Charlie Cards 2019/20
August 1, 2019
The MBTA issues student fare media to middle school and high school aged homeschoolers for use on the MBTA system. In August, they will be issuing student Charlie Cards for the 2019-2020 Academic School Year. Read more.
AHEM’s Policy and Practice Data Analysis - July 2019
Posted: July 11, 2019
For over fifteen years, AHEM has been collecting information from homeschoolers about official town policy (including the policies themselves), and about how interfacing with school officials works in practice in towns in Massachusetts, according to homeschoolers. Read more.
Back by popular demand: Sample Progress Report
Posted: June 27, 2019
You asked, we listened. Here's a sample progress report that has been accepted in Massachusetts. Read more.
Evaluating Evaluation: Progress Reports
Posted: June 13, 2019
In Massachusetts, homeschooling parents, as the teachers of their children, are responsible for evaluating their progress. CARE AND PROTECTION OF CHARLES & others, 399 Mass. 324 (1987) clearly outlines three forms of evaluation: “Other means of evaluating the progress of the children may be substituted for the formal testing process, such as periodic progress reports or dated work samples, subject to the approval of the parents.” (Charles at 340) Parents may choose one of them to fulfill their responsibility. Read more.
Student "M7" Charlie Cards for Homeschoolers
Posted: June 6, 2019
Summer Monthly Paper Passes M7, good for July and/or August only, can be ordered using this form. The deadline for requesting summer passes is July 1, 2019. Read more.
Announcing AHEM Networking Forum
Posted: May 23, 2019
AHEM listened and heard the challenges independent family-based homeschooling families face these days. Elists have fizzled, Facebook is an unreliable source for finding out about events, many groups seem splintered or private. Where do you fit in? Is it worth going to the park if you’re not sure anyone else will show up? How can you meet other homeschoolers who live nearby? You are not alone. Read more.
Outreach!
Posted: May 2, 2019
Remember when you were considering homeschooling but you weren’t sure where to find information about it? AHEM’s Considering Homeschooling brochure cuts to the chase with information on deciding to homeschool and getting started homeschooling in Massachusetts. Read more.
POPCORN AND PAGE TURNERS: RUNNING A TEEN BOOK GROUP
Posted: April 11, 2019
When my son, Fred, was 13, we decided to start a book group to read adult literature. I had never led a book group before—just had read a lot as a fiction lover—but was excited to give it a try. Read more.
Are Homeschoolers Entitled to Participate in Public School Classes and Activities?
Posted April 11, 2019
At some point in their homeschooling experience, for varied and personal reasons, families may seek out classes, extracurricular activities, or athletic programs offered by their local school district. One might assume that a homeschooling family paying property taxes in their town would be entitled to gain full access to public school offerings, but it’s not quite that simple. Read more.
Bespoke Homeschooling Without Breaking the Bank
Posted February 21, 2019
You’ve made the leap, cut the cord, taken the plunge—however you put it—you’ve pulled your kid out of school, or made the decision not to send them at all. Often this decision means the family budget also takes a hit, as one or both parents adjust their schedules and/or work hours to spend more time with the children. It could even mean one parent leaving the workforce for a time. Read more.
Legislative Update
Posted February 7, 2019
The Massachusetts Legislature began its 191st session on January 2, 2019. The various bills that AHEM tracked in the 190th session, regarding changes to the compulsory attendance age and other educational issues, have either died or been set aside for further study in the new session. Read more.
Unschooling as a Feminist Act
Posted January 3, 2019
When I was a young mother, I wore a t-shirt with the words: “The hand that rocks the cradle rocks the boat.” The phrase put a spin on a 19th century poem entitled “The Hand That Rocks the Cradle Rules the World” by American poet William Ross Wallace. I understood at the time that becoming a mother was increasing my desire to create change in the world, although I didn’t know where that would lead me. I had already realized that, as the feminist movement espoused, the personal is political. I had already challenged a few assumptions about how life was supposed to work—including rejecting both the style in which I’d been parenting and the institution of school as an effective vehicle for education. Read more.