This post is contributed by Oak Meadow, the sponsor of our Living Education series.
One of the greatest things about homeschooling is having the freedom to experience education in a way that works best for your student and family. Often, this means enjoying educational models or philosophies that are uniquely designed to fit your family’s needs. One such model is distance learning.
What is distance learning, exactly?
Distance learning is defined by the education of students who are not physically present at school. In the context of homeschooling, this often means that students are still learning at home, but can enjoy the on-going support and guidance of their school as well as of experienced teachers.
The role of the parent
As the parent, you will also enjoy this support! While in traditional homeschooling, the parent serves as the full-time teacher, distance learning programs offer the additional support of having a teacher manage your student’s studies. Additionally, having someone to discuss your child’s progress with and to evaluate your child’s work is helpful to many parents.
That being said, even in a distance learning program, parents (and sometimes other caregivers) are essential in their role of home teacher. Students may work independently according to their ability, while the home teacher is present and available to help support the student in his or her learning.
A Tailored Experience
The home teacher is also the critical link between teachers and their students. It is essential for parents to communicate well with the teacher about the student’s needs throughout the year. With good communication that fosters a clear understanding of the student’s needs, teachers can adapt homeschooling curriculum and assignment expectations to better fit an individual student’s strengths and weaknesses.
Community
While distance learning students and families study and learn at home, they are part of a virtual school community. Teachers lead online workshops, book clubs, and pen pal programs to bring students who would like to participate together. Plus, schools often offer online discussion groups for high school students to connect with one another.
Assessment
Across the country, some level of assessment of your homeschooling student is required by the state. Having the support of a distance learning school can make this reporting process significantly easier for many parents. These schools provide grades and evaluations of your student’s process throughout the year as well as offering enrollment documents and student transcripts. All of this allows parents living in states requiring assessment to let the school do the documenting, so you can focus on what’s most important: the education of your child.
The structure, connection, and support provided by distance learning program, such as Oak Meadow Distance Learning School, make learning at home possible for some students and families who might not otherwise homeschool. Distance learning allows families to enjoy a highly-regarded, accredited education with the help of supportive teachers — at home or on the road.
Enjoy these posts from the pages of Living Education, the seasonal journal from our contributing sponsor, 
My daughter has been home schooling her girls since pre-K. Last year she was encouraged and delighted to have the opportunity for 3 of school age girls to be enrolled in a supplemental home schooling curriculum where they attend actual classroom 2 days a week in Costa Mesa, today she was informed that because we reside in LA County and classroom is in OC they are no longer eligible to attend. My daughter is absolutely heartbroken and doesn't even know how to relate this information to them as they love going to classroom 2x a week and have made many friends and are in the middle of several projects. Any solutions or suggestions greatly appreciated.
Hi,
This sounds like an education hybrid between public schooling and learning at home. Because of that, your granddaughters are subject to public school rules, including residency requirements. This is one of the ways that public ed and hybrids are less flexible than independent homeschooling, and the distinction can definitely catch families off guard.
Your daughter can look into whether the kids' actual school division has a similar program, she can consider moving into the correct school division to be able to continue the classroom, or she can try independent homeschooling. She may also be able to appeal the decision if they have been told to leave the program in the middle of the year, which definitely sounds like a rough transition that does not prioritize the children's needs.
If your daughter does not find a way to continue with the program and decides to homeschool independently, she will need to find out the state laws for homeschooling. She could use a co-op or university model school to create a similar situation for her children.
Good luck to your daughter and granddaughters with their educational adventures.
Jeanne