Home Schooling (Competent Private Education)

Home schooling is instruction using a plan and a course of study in a setting other than a public or organized accredited nonpublic school. It includes competent private instruction (CPI) by a licensed practitioner or a non-licensed person, independent private instruction (IPI), home school assistance programs (HSAP), and non-accredited nonpublic schools. Iowa Code section 299A.1.

Here is a link to the Iowa Dept. of Education web page for Home Schooling (Competent Private Instruction).

Here is a link to the Home School Legal Defense Association, another resource for information about home schooling.

Here is a link to the Home School Mom: Homeschooling in Iowa.

Here is a link to the Home Schooling Guide produced by Online Schools.org.

Here is a link to a comprehensive homeschooling guide for parents of special needs children, which is filled with helpful resources and information. This guide guide offers in-depth information in several areas, including:
  • How to choose a homeschool curriculum.
  • Important definitions that outline what special needs means in a school context.
  • Advantages and disadvantages of homeschooling and distance learning.
  • Some fun learning activities and tools parents can incorporate into their lesson plans.
  • Homeschool organizations that offer further resources.
Another resource for curriculum is to use Massive Open Online Courses, or MOOCs for short. Here is a link to a review of MOOCs that might be helpful. 

If you have useful links to add to this page, please contact Kevin Vidergar, Director of Teaching and Learning, at [email protected].