MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 28
Greetings Eddies,
We recently put out a free diploma maker tool that seems to be making the rounds thanks to your word-of-mouth sharing. If you haven’t tried it yet, you just type in the student’s name, give your home “academy” a name, and a minute later you have a print-ready diploma:
The tool is mostly meant for fun, and to produce a nice keepsake for graduates of any grade or level.
We also noted that a parent-issued diploma is “legal and accepted in nearly every state.”
We’re standing by that statement, but you may have heard recently about a case of a homeschooled graduate in Nebraska – a 22-year-old volunteer firefighter and state-licensed EMT named Andrew Coates – who was rejected from consideration as a firefighter because the city wanted a diploma from an accredited institution.
The news caused something of a national uproar – partly because Coates’ struggle against city hall was such a stark case of common sense versus bureaucratic thinking.
This week’s deep dive unpacks the full story and offers some guidance on what kinds of documentation are required or recommended for different career and higher education pathways.
ALSO IN THIS EDITION:
What to do when schoolwork turns into tears.
Do SAT scores still predict who finishes college?
What your child’s MAP, i-Ready or Star score report is telling you.
POLL: Lifelong homeschoolers or switchers? What our Facebook families told us, and one family’s only regret.
PLUS: October clubs, field trips and virtual events.
Let’s dive in.
- Charlie (the OpenEd newsletter guy)
P.S. Mid-year enrollment is open now in Utah, Nevada, Texas, Washington and Minnesota! In Oregon, Indiana, Oklahoma, North Dakota, Wyoming and Iowa, it opens this Thursday, October 1. If you know a family who missed the fall window, send them to opened.co/apply.
DEEP DIVE
The State Trusts Him With Your Life. The City Won’t Trust His Diploma.
The city of Fremont, Nebraska recently turned down Andrew Coates – a volunteer firefighter and state-licensed EMT – for a paid firefighting job because his parent-signed diploma wasn’t issued by an accredited high school. His volunteer fire chief testified in his favor at the appeal, but the city’s civil service commission let the rejection stand (Omaha World-Herald).
What does all of this mean for families who print a diploma at home? Here’s the TL;DR:
Parent-issued diplomas are legal. In nearly every state, parents can set graduation requirements and issue a diploma. Accreditation attaches to schools, not students.
Cases like Fremont’s are rare. One council member who opposed the extra “accreditation” requirement checked 14 Nebraska cities Fremont’s size or larger and found no rules like it.
Some pathways do require more official records. An Oregon electrical apprenticeship directs applicants from unaccredited homeschools toward a GED, and a few state schools like CUNY have separate admissions routes for homeschoolers. For most doors, though, the diploma is the symbolic summary; the transcript, test scores and portfolio are what actually get read.
One family’s diploma story. Maecy Palkki’s oldest daughter already had an associate’s degree when the Mayo Clinic, where she applied to work, asked for a high school diploma. Maecy printed and signed one, and Mayo accepted it. Hear her tell it.
Read the full piece for why we think the case confirms our stance, and what it means if you’re homeschooling high school (with or without OpenEd).
Further reading
LATEST IN OPEN EDUCATION
Trends
Do SAT scores still predict who finishes college? AEI followed one of the last classes admitted before tests became optional. (AEI)
Critics call the teen social media scare a moral panic. Jon Haidt’s team answers with seven kinds of evidence. (After Babel)
Finland borrowed hourly recess from 1960s American schools with great success. Now pediatricians and several states want to bring that model back home. (The 74)
Grade inflation alert: Average high school GPAs rose from 3.17 to 3.36 between 2010 and 2021, while ACT scores fell. (Hechinger Report)
Tyler Thigpen names the cause of falling test scores worldwide that most explanations leave out. (Tyler Thigpen)
When tractors emptied the farms, America built high schools. An Alpha School alum says AI calls for a similar paradigm shift in education. (Austin Scholar)
The first American woman to compete in welding at WorldSkills has a reply for anyone who calls her a “natural.” (Mike Rowe)
Tips
Three principals on what gets a teenager to actually do SAT practice. (Khan Academy)
How many hours of photography does it take to earn a high school credit? (Homeschool Hideout)
French school children learn to spell and punctuate mainly through one simple habit. Here’s how to make it work at home. (Brave Writer)
Homeschooling as an introvert, home with your kids all day? A mom of three boys gives her two daily rules. (Simply Charlotte Mason)
OpenEd mom Cassie Shepherd handed one subject to her husband this year. She says it’s going infinitely better. (Home-Centered Learning)
Why one mom has her kids write their daily plan on a whiteboard (plus 9 other skills that make homeschool flow). (Homeschool Better Together)
Tools
Marketplace partner Savvy Learning walks through how to read MAP, i-Ready, Star and state test score reports. (Savvy Learning)
A neuroscientist calls about 100 Greek and Latin roots a “cheat code” for thousands of the hardest academic words. (ClarifiEd)
A medieval unit study that runs history, STEM, art and architecture through the Middle Ages at three levels. (Brave Writer)
Colonial recipes kids can make themselves, each paired with a piece of Revolutionary War history. (The Natural Homeschool)
A Halloween sensory bin for preschoolers that doubles as counting and fine motor practice. (Montessori From The Heart)
What does a sound wave look like? Musician Nigel Stanford built a mesmerizing song around the answer. (YouTube) (h/t OpenEd’s Stacy Coplin)
THE PULSE
Lifelong Homeschooler or Convert?
We asked on Facebook, and the answers were roughly split down the middle. About 40% have homeschooled from the start, and another 40% switched from public or private school. The remaining 20% have gone back and forth, or done different things for different kids.
Remember that there’s no one-size-fits-all path – even within one family or for one student. Different seasons come with different needs, constraints, and combinations.
COMMUNITY CORNER
October Calendar
Clubs, field trips and live events are accessible to enrolled families. Sign in, open the marketplace, and filter by Events or Clubs.
Fossil Planet, a virtual field trip with the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Paleontology, Wednesday 14 October at 11 am Mountain.
In-person field trips in 12 states through October, from pumpkin patches to Feline Rescue Centers. See the list.
Around the World Week, 26 to 30 October, with pupusas, haiku, a live walking tour of Paris and geography bees for grades K-5 and 6-12.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
When Schoolwork Turns Into Tears
In last week’s podcast, Cynthia Holt reminded us that while you might be able to get a kid who is crying over schoolwork to finish the worksheet, by that point they’ve stopped learning. So stop. Step outside, get some sun, touch grass, drink water, and come back once everyone feels better.
Watch the full conversation above, the clip on Instagram, or read it on the episode page.
MEME MONDAY
Nailed the Interview
One last thing: we believe families should be able to customize their own education - why not your inbox too? Set your email preferences to personalize which emails land in your inbox. Note: If you are enrolled in OpenEd, you will receive program-related emails regardless.
That’s all for this week!
- Charlie (the OpenEd newsletter guy)