with a national average of almost $6,000 per student [3]. Homeschooled children represent over seven billion dollars out of reach of local government schools and, at its current growth rate, each year more than another billion dollars slips away. Politically, homeschoolers are a force to be reckoned with when their rights are endangered. The most highly publicized and effective example of their growing political clout occurred in 1994 when the House of Representatives inserted language into an educational appropriations bill that would have required all teachers to be credentialed. Homeschoolers perceived this provision as a threat to their autonomy and overwhelmed phone and fax lines to their representatives educationalresources until the credentialing language was removed by a 424-1 vote. Homeschoolingÿýs economic and political impact is keenly felt by teacher unions,

The School Board''s new policy reflects educationalresources the spirit and intention educationalresources of the state''s original law allowing educationalresources provisional custody in the first place, an issue involving the legal status of children whose parents are divorced. educationalresources Board member Catherine Davis, chairwoman of the board''s Policy Committee, said parents or custodians with provisional custody agreements educationalresources that are not court-ordered by the beginning educationalresources of the next school year will have to take their children out of the school they are attending. For the last several years, homeschooling has been the fastest growing educational alternative in the country. Estimates of its growth rate typically range from 15-25% annually. Homeschoolers are notoriously difficult to count, however, the National Homeschooling Research Institute believes that currently 1.2 million children homeschool today. While this constitutes only about 2% of all school age children, itÿýs more than 20% of those outside the government educational system. And, with educationalresources a 20% annual growth rate, another quarter million children will join the homeschooling movement this year.