College-Prep Homeschooling: Your Complete Guide to Homeschooling through
High School
by David P. Byers, Ph.D., and Chandra Byers
ISBN-13:
978-1-60065-100-7
ISBN-10: 1-60065-100-3
416 pages, 5½ x 8½, softcover, $15.95Scheduled for release August 2008
College-Prep Homeschooling is
written especially for parents who want to teach
their children at home through the high school years but doubt their ability. Dr. David Byers, a college professor with a PhD in education, and his wife Chandra are veteran
homeschoolers of over 12 years. In their book, they provide clear and
detailed information about how parents can not only be successful
homeschooling through high school, but how they can help their children
develop the learning skills needed to be successful in college and in life.
They have been supremely successful
homeschoolers themselves. Not only did they teach all six of their children
at home from preschool through high school, but their two oldest are now
attending the University of Nebraska at Omaha on scholarships.
Praise for College-Prep Homeschooling
"Loaded with useful information, from suggestions on how to select the
appropriate courses to teaching students how to deal with typical teenage
distractions....
"The
Byers smoothly mix practical suggestions for creating a high school
curriculum with traditional and non-traditional educational theory.
"...
inspiring ... vast amount of information ... thoroughly approached and
smoothly delivered ....
"Together the Byers have achieved a worthwhile read for any parent venturing
into the uncharted waters of homeschooling their high school child in
preparation for a successful college experience."
—ForeWord
Magazine, Sept-Oct 2008
"Written by a homeschooling college professor
and his wife, College-Prep Homeschooling would be an excellent addition to
your homeschool library. The information it provides about teaching
methodologies, learning options, and college-level skill development would
be particularly valuable for parents considering homeschooling through
high school."
—Jeanne Gowen Dennis
author of Homeschooling High School: Planning Ahead
for College Admission
"David and Chandra Byers are uniquely qualified to teach parents how to
homeschool teenagers. David, a professor, wrote the family's curriculum
himself, and Chandra did the day-to-day teaching of their six children.
Together, they walk concerned parents through every step of high school
education, from buying or building a college-worthy curriculum, to making
sure your child has all the skills he will need to enter college or the
workforce. Chandra's notes tell you how the plans their family made worked
out in real life.
"I wish I'd had this book when my children started high school. David's
straightforward, practical approach to high school education, and
Chandra's
refreshingly honest commentary on going from reluctant homeschool mom to
homeschool champion make this book the perfect tool for parents who worry
about these critical final years of homeschooling. College-Prep
Homeschooling is thorough, realistic, and reassuring!"
—Terrie Lynne Bittner
Author of Homeschooling: Take a Deep Breath—You Can Do This!
"David and Chandra share their passion for teaching and learning along with
a remarkable story of their own experiences, which have the power to help
you along the fruitful and rewarding journey of educating your own
children. It's a gift of love.
Through their insights, they provide the nuts-and-bolts of planning this
challenging task and since I've been there with my own two children, their
guidance is wise counsel, targeting the important characteristics that
move beyond the content into the heart of learning. They distinguish
teaching from the art of learning through practical suggestions and a
realistic perspective. By focusing on the four characteristics for a
successful transition into college, David and Chandra have also outlined
those necessary for lifelong learning, a needed ability in this
everchanging global economy. Reading like a conversation shared over
coffee, they invite you into their lives to capture a glimpse of how you
may effectively evaluate your family's needs and desired outcomes. After
all, as parents, we want to give our children the best of the past in
preparation for their future."
—Dr. D. Lee Tincher
Director at Talenton School for the Gifted
Homeschool advocate and consultant working through Home Educators
Resource, Duncanville, TX
Adjunct professor at Dallas Baptist University and
Indiana Wesleyan University
"David Byers has a tremendous approach to grow not only great students but
great adults. His concept of going beyond textbook and pedagogical
methods, teaching students to think, analyze, and critique should be
required reading for homeschooling parents of high schoolers. Thinking
from the point of view of a college professor (David) receiving homeschool
students as well as a parents developing that student (David and Chandra),
the Byers offer a unique approach to education. The superficial approach
common in today’s classrooms and textbooks is well explored, with the end
result a teen sub-educated and not ready for the mental and time
management processes required in colleges and universities. As a
practicing Optometrist, I see young people on a regular basis who
unfortunately do not have the higher level thought processes and
performance skills necessary for success in today’s world. The procedures
recommended here will get a student ready for the deeper thought needed
post high school and applicable for getting ahead at that first job. As a
leader of a large metropolitan area HS group (Homeschooling High School in
the Omaha metropolitan area) dedicated to high school education and
activities, I’ve seen Dr. Byers techniques transferred to many of our
local teens with lasting results thru his student classes. There are very
few books currently available in the homeschool community training the HS
parent in educational technique and thought. His ideas regarding grading
and assessment methods go beyond “was the multiple choice correct” or “was
the essay completed.” This book goes from “what to do” to “why do it”
while remaining very practical. There is a very useful section on
alternatives to traditional testing to assess performance and level that
will give any HS ideas to break the written test monotony. The pro/con
segment on different curriculum types is excellent. The sections regarding
planning, record keeping, transcripts, and portfolios are extremely useful
with first-rate examples, some of the best I’ve seen. The history of
homeschooling was a very interesting chapter. Chandra’s sections in each
chapter keep the ideas well grounded from the day to day HS teachers point
of view. My first thought after reviewing the book was this is something
that should be read regularly to act as an annual gyroscope, reminding the
HS parent to assess their goals and methods prior to starting the new
academic year while keeping the big picture in mind."
—Dr. Mark Greenwell
Director - Homeschooling High School Network
Omaha, Nebraska
"College-Prep Homeschooling is my number one suggested
book for those interested in homeschooling high school. Every parent I
know
who is homeschooling would benefit greatly from this book, whether a
veteran
or new to homeschooling. I found it inspiring, could even feel my insides
swell with a new excitement for what I was doing with my own children. Not
only is this book inspiring, it is insightful and practical. I absolutely
loved it!"
—Terri Camp
Homeschooling mother and author of If It Weren't for Eve, I'd Be a
Perfect Wife