Part III: Taking a Hold of History: How Black Families Can Provide the Best Hertiage-Based Curriculum
© Jennifer James
One of the major differences between black homeschoolers and homeschoolers of other races is that black families tend to seek curricula, texts and materials that positively reflect blacks in their content. For example, black families would be more apt to look for a well-written children's book with a black main character as opposed to utilizing one where no black characters are seen or token characters are utilized. It is safe, then, to say that seeking and incorporating a well-researched, well-balanced, and well-rounded multicultural and heritage-based curriculum is one of the top priorities for black homeschoolers. Many maintain that they want their children to learn that blacks have had a rich history; one that is not always mired in the oppression of slavery and the Civil Rights movement, but one that is steeped in the richness of black history, literature, the arts, sciences, and far beyond. They want their children to learn more about prominent figures in black history as opposed to simply Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglass and Martin Luther King Jr. In addition to a complete education, one where all subjects are adequately taught, they want their children to learn about themselves and their rich black history.
That said, virtual charters cannot replicate a quality heritage-based curriculum unless they are charters that are black specific. At this time, however, there appear to be no virtual charter schools specifically for black educational enrichment similar to the ones you see scattered across the country in local neighborhoods.
Virtual charters will negate the efforts of black homeschoolers who want to provide a vigorous heritage-based education for their children. These virtual charters are mainly designed -- like any other public school across the county -- to be as "PC" as possible and that means providing a dismal black history to ther students. The depth of these charter schools' multicultural curricula is shallow at best because they only touch on a few points in black history. Black children in virtual charters will, therefore, not be afforded a balanced look at their own history without heavy supplementation from their parents. Because this is the case, black families should stick to home schooling separate for any virtual charter as their involvement in providing a multicultural/ heritage-based education themselves would be the same as if they enrolled their child these public schools.
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