Category: Press Release

Significant Growth in Homeschooling Market Drives Demand for Industry Trade Magazines.

The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine Returns to Quarterly Print: Homeschooling is on the Rise
Johnson City, TN, October 02, 2018 –(PR.com)– Homeschooling is once more on the rise and families are looking for resources to help them. Parents continue to seek reliable content to help them take charge of their children’s education, especially in the wake of school violence, bullying, and the failure of schools to meet academic standards. Parents also choose homeschooling as a way to pass on a legacy of faith and wholesome values.

Prior to entering the digital age in 2012, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine supported over 20,000 subscribers, in addition to sales through large retailers and bookstores. Since that time, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine has been regularly read by over 90,000 families using the free apps and online.

“We are returning to a subscription model in response to dramatic growth in the homeschooling market and to meet customer demand,” explained Gena Suarez, founder of The Old Schoolhouse®. “After almost two decades as the trade magazine for homeschooling families throughout the U.S. and more than twenty countries worldwide, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine will return to quarterly printing as of the start of 2019 with a fresh new design focused on today’s homeschooling families.”

Subscriptions to The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, beginning with the Spring 2019 issue, are available for $29/year. The magazine will also continue to be available from retailers around the country for a cover price of $9.95 per issue. Access remains free through the TOS digital app, as well as to members of SchoolhouseTeachers.com, the online curriculum division of The Old Schoolhouse® that offers more than 400 courses for preschool through high school, an educational video library, and a large variety of additional teaching and organizational to its members. The Old Schoolhouse® also reaches customers through “The Homeschool Minute” weekly newsletter, “Homeschooling with Heart” blog, and Homeschool Review Crew product reviews.

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, “approximately 3 percent of the school-age population was homeschooled in the 2011-12 school year.” Homeschooling is on the rise. According to the National Home Education Research Institute, led by Brian D. Ray, Ph.D., there are “about 2.3 million home-educated students in the United States” as of Spring, 2016. They further report that the number of U.S. homeschoolers is estimated to be growing at a rate of 2% to 8% per year, making homeschooling a more common choice for families nationwide and driving demand for industry trade magazines, like The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine.

About The Old Schoolhouse®
The Old Schoolhouse, LLC is a privately held corporation that publishes the industry-leading homeschool education print magazine, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, as well as hundreds of books and planning support tools for homeschooling families. SchoolhouseTeachers.com, a division of The Old Schoolhouse®, supports over 7,500 member families with more than 400 courses for preschool through high school as well as educational videos, World Book online, planning tools, transcripts, and support for homeschooling parents. Established in 2001, The Old Schoolhouse® is focused on providing affordable solutions for homeschooling families.

Community Builds Relationships and Influences Development of Future Resources

Johnson City, TN, September 11, 2018 –(PR.com)– Homeschooling parents share a unique set of experiences and concerns, leading many to reach out for like-minded individuals with whom they can interact. Social media options, with their fluctuating popularity and fleeting conversational format, often aren’t enough. SchoolhouseTeachers.com has responded to the need with a private forum just for homeschooling moms. Despite shifts in trendy social media platforms over the last 15 years, the discussion forum has endured. A private forum offers a stable secure option for facilitating conversations and lasting relationships around a focused common interest.

“At the foundation of The Old Schoolhouse® and SchoolhouseTeachers.com is the desire to build community. Moms want to know that they can talk about what they’re doing in their homes and receive real, ongoing support. They need encouragement, advice, tips on homemaking, and most of all, they need genuine relationships with other moms who understand. SchoolhouseTeachers.com developed the new forum to meet these needs,” said Bonnie Rose Hudson, Director of SchoolhouseTeachers.com. “Our forum offers the opportunity for members to return to ongoing conversations and search through specific categories for relevant information. Members’ comments and discussion topics also help shape future curriculum and resource offerings, which benefits members over the long term.”

Entrepreneur® supports the development of forums for reaching customers in a meaningful way. They researched where customers discuss companies and their products, revealing “forums [are] one of the main areas of conversation, either first or second most popular, for every sector we analyzed.”1 Social Media Today, devoted to analyzing and reporting the latest information in the social media industry, reported, “So, message boards are a cornucopia of engagement. People spend hours on message boards and forums.”2

The secure, private forum is available only to members of SchoolhouseTeachers.com, an affordable educational option featuring more than 400 self-paced courses for all grade levels. Features of the forum include: separate discussion boards for all ages and subject areas, boards just for encouragement and prayer, a board for recipes, one for special needs, one for discovering new resources and ideas, and finally, a board for all things homeschooling, where organization and other general topics are discussed. Moms no longer have to hunt all over the Internet looking for separate private groups to join in order to find support for everything. It’s all in one place exclusively for members of SchoolhouseTeachers.com.

About The Old Schoolhouse®
The Old Schoolhouse, LLC is a privately held corporation that publishes the industry-leading homeschool education print magazine, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, as well as hundreds of books and planning support tools for homeschooling families. SchoolhouseTeachers.com, a division of The Old Schoolhouse®, supports over 7,500 member families with more than 400 courses for preschool through high school as well as educational videos, World Book online, planning tools, transcripts, and support for homeschooling parents. Established in 2001, The Old Schoolhouse® is focused on providing affordable solutions for homeschooling families.

(1) Falls, Jason. “Why Forums May Be the Most Powerful Social Media Channel for Brands.” Entrepreneur, 7 May 2012, https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/223493# (accessed September 3, 2018).
(2) Abraham, Chris. “2015: The Year of Message Boards and Forums.” Social Media Today, 7 January 2015, https://www.socialmediatoday.com/content/2015-year-message-boards-and-forums (accessed September 3, 2018).

Connecticut Author Publishes 2nd Time in 2 Months with Release of Latest Book, Greenwich, CT, August 25, 2018 –(PR.com)– Having just released her book, “Hail Mary for Peanut,” in late July, Heather D. Nelson was able to pen another book in a matter of a few short weeks: “The concept had been rattling around in my mind for quite a long time. Once I decided to put the words on paper, it fell together so much faster than I anticipated.”

Heather D. Nelson’s was originally published in 2009 in the field of Infertility and Pregnancy Loss. Since that time, she has had a string of columnist positions and even some freelance Op-Ed opportunities. Her life has evolved over the years and now she actively blogs on everything from homeschooling and writing, to advocating for her Type 1 Diabetic son. All while working on her next project.

“Just Stop: 10 Things Everyone Should Stop Saying” is a satirical, short-read collection of essays on the common pitfalls associated with the platitudes we so wildly throw around. Nelson covers colloquialisms as common as, “Time Heals All Wounds,” and even more casual phrases like, “Just Relax.” In each case she breaks down the vernacular to educate her “dear readers” on why she feels these phrases are risky, outdated, or sometimes even harmful. The book discusses ways to approach each situation with a unique and more elevated perspective.

The book is available on Amazon as both eBook and Paperback.

Nelson’s other books can also be viewed on her Amazon Author Page at amazon.com/author/heatherdnelson.

Contact the Author for interviews or quotes: heatherdnelson.com/media

Aug. 10, 2018, SULPHUR, OK. (Chickasaw Nation) – Homeschool educators and students are invited to the Homeschool Day 10 a.m. – 5 p.m., Thursday, Aug. 23, at the Chickasaw Cultural Center, 867 Cooper Memorial Road.

Homeschool educators and students will enjoy educational films, guided horticulture tours of the village, spiral and butterfly gardens, traditional games, stomp dance demonstrations, cultural demonstrations and much more.

Students can participate in a number of different crafts and make-and-takes, including finger puppets, bookmarks, clay pendants, tin foil gorgets and more.

Homeschool groups receive free admission to the Chikasha Poya Exhibit Center. Sack lunches which will include a sandwich, chips, apple, cookie and bottled water are available for $2. Lunches must be preordered by Monday, Aug. 20.

Visitors can tour the Te Ata Exhibit and the Sculpting Cultures: Southeast and Southwest Native Pottery Exhibit during the event.

Explore the life of Mary “Te Ata” Thompson Fisher and her journey to become one of the greatest Native American performers of all time now through Nov. 11 in the Aapisa’ Art Gallery.

View items owned and worn by Te Ata, as well as memorabilia and props from the recently released, award-winning film.

The Sculpting Cultures: Southeast and Southwest Native Pottery Exhibit features historic Pueblo pottery from the Keres language family and modern pottery from Five Tribes artists.

This exhibit is a partnership with the Indian Arts Research Center at the School for Advanced Research and the Museum of the Red River. The pottery will be displayed in the Aaittafama’ Room now through Sept. 2.

For more information or to order a sack lunch, call 580-622-7130. Visit www.chickasawculturalcenter.com for additional information on a variety of cultural center events.

LUBBOCK, TX, August 20, 2018 /24-7PressRelease/ — Texas Home School Coalition announces the launch of a new website, HomeEducator.com, widening its scope beyond the state of Texas to equip and encourage all families worldwide who homeschool, as well as young families who are considering homeschooling.

“We believe homeschooling offers a high quality education, which is why we have developed HomeEducator.com to provide a wealth of resources to support people who have made the decision to homeschool, or are considering it,” says Tim Lambert, president of Texas Home School Coalition and national expert on homeschooling.

Lambert was recently widely quoted in the media, noting that interest in homeschooling is on the rise as a result of bullying, persistent violence and deadly shootings in public schools. “When the Parkland, Fla., shooting happened, our phone calls and emails exploded,” said Lambert.

The safety of home is just one of the reasons behind homeschooling’s growing popularity. The National Home Education Research Institute estimates annual growth of homeschooling between two and eight percent, making it the fastest growing form of education. It was estimated in 2016 that from 1.7 million to 2.3 million students in the U.S. are homeschooled. The number is nearly impossible to pinpoint since some states, like Texas, have no requirements for reporting homeschooling activity.

“It’s clear that homeschooling is becoming more mainstream,” says Lambert. “And we hope to encourage families who are exploring their educational options to seriously consider homeschooling.”

Among the offerings on HomeEducator.com are specific resources for homeschooling children with special needs, including the IEP GeneratorTM, which enables homeschooling parents to easily produce a professional, legal document to coordinate the educational goals and progress of their student with special needs. HomeEducator.com also offers advice for others in seemingly difficult homeschooling scenarios, such as single parenting and families where both parents work.

To celebrate the launch of HomeEducator.com, Texas Home School Coalition is making its award-winning magazine, “Home Educator Quarterly,” free nationwide until September 15, after which it will be available outside of Texas for an economically-priced subscription. (It will remain free for Texans.) Additionally, all new subscribers receive the free e-book: “25 STEMulating Activities for Future Scientists, Techies, Engineers and Mathematicians.”

Texas Home School Coalition Association is the largest state homeschooling association in the United States with more than 4,250 members. Executive Director Stephanie Lambert is available for comment: thsc@thsc.org.