homeschool vs. continuation school

llctll · November 10, 2004, 9:01pm

Hi Guys,

I am a very concerned sister. One of my younger sister who is a Junior is HS is facing explusion from her HS due to possession of drugs. She is a straight A/honors student who is very bright, but made a big mistake.

She got into the wrong crowd her freshmen year and become a "troubled child" but in the last year, has done a competely 180 and began to excel in school again. Until this incident, she is under review for expulsion.

My understanding is that she might be sent to a continuation high school other kids "like her" because she would not be accepted into another school district for at least a year. However, in our district, these students in continuation high schools rarely end up in college. She is determined to go to college, but I do not know what the best direction to guide her into.

How does homeschooling work as far was receiving a grade/transcript? Assuming her SATs scores are good, how colleges look at this?

Any suggestions/advice?

THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!

texas137 · November 10, 2004, 10:08pm

Junior year in high school is a little late to "homeschool" in the sense of creating a program out of whole cloth. Beginners usually spend about a year figuring out their options and what works for them before they can truly create an individualized program. That would be fine if your sister was in elementary school, but if she wants to go to college with her age cohort, she really cannot afford to spend her junior year of high school experimenting with something your family currently has no experience with. I would consider either having her take CC colleges, or signing up for a distance learning high school, from which she could get a high school diploma. There are a number of these. Here are some links to get you rolling:
<a href="http://www.utexas.edu/cee/dec/%5B/url%5D">http://www.utexas.edu/cee/dec/</a>
<a href="http://www.de.ttu.edu/%5B/url%5D">http://www.de.ttu.edu/</a> 
<a href="http://www.americanhighschool.com/%5B/url%5D">http://www.americanhighschool.com/</a>

I also have a book recommendation that is full of all kinds of ideas - The Teenage Liberation Handbook by Grace Llewellyn

homeschoolmom · November 10, 2004, 10:13pm

Although homeschoolers have had a lot of success in college admissions, I think your sister is going to face a lot more raised eyebrows than the typical homeschool applicant, because of her disciplinary history.

It also seems to me that the far more urgent problem at this point is not college admission but helping your sister create a new life for herself that does not involve drugs or hanging around with other people who use them.

llctll · November 10, 2004, 10:18pm

i totally understand and our family is actively working on that. i believe the judicial system scared the wits out of her..enough to realize that every decision she makes from now on can change her life. she understands that part, but she has confided in me, mostly with concerns on a higher education.

thank you for your reply.

homeschoolmom · November 10, 2004, 10:22pm

Early enrollment in a community college might be a helpful course of action, as Texas137 suggests, though I would suggest doing some research into the prevalence of drug use at the cc.

A part-time job in the right setting might also be a very good idea. Volunteering in a non-profit organization could be good.

I would be most concerned about helping her to find a positive supportive community that she can be part of as she rebuilds her life, as well as good role models and mentoring.

These may ultimately be helpful for college admissions, but, as I said above, the urgent problem is making sure she turns her life in a positive direction, away from drugs and those who use them.

Given your sister's history, when she does apply to college, it will be very important for her to have recommendations from people who have had extensive opportunities to see her and work with her on a daily basis (face-to-face, not distance-learning instructors or correspondence school instructors.) Community college profesors, employers, and non-profit agency supervisors would all be very helpful.

It is still not going to be easy, unfortunately.