South surburban Prairie State College is adapting their curriculum to reflect the community, and one of those changes is welcoming home-taught students.
Ten years ago, there were over 500 families affiliated with Christian Home Educators of the South Suburbs. Grassroots Homeschoolers is a non-religious home school association in the same region. Over the past decade, lots of home schoolers got their feet wet in a traditional classroom setting by attending Prairie State, who back then needed encouragement to accept non-traditional students.
Estimates are there are over 50,000 homeschooling families in Illinois alone, making it a smart and logical move for community colleges to welcome home schooled students.
Cathy Robinson, dean of academic services and counseling at PSC, said she's seen a "noticeable increase" in the number of homeschooled students entering the college.
Additionally, PSC's director of admissions, enrollment and career development services, Marietta Turner, noted that these students tend to be quite technologically savvy.
"This is a very computer-oriented demographic," Turner said of the homeschooled population. There are logical explanations for both the increase in homeschooled students at community colleges and these students' ability to work well on computers.
Community college is an "affordable step for many families," said Arlene Olson, who heads Grassroots Homeschoolers, a nonprofit organization based in Matteson.
