Concerns about racism help drive more African-Americans to home-school
Brandon Kirksey, 7, is home-schooled
CREDIT GABRIELLE EMANUEL / MICHIGAN RADIO
On a quiet street in Detroit, light pours in the back windows of the Kirksey home. It falls on a wall of textbooks, puzzles and multi-cultural children's books.
Brandon, who is 7 years old, is sprawled out on the wood floor examining a laminated world map.
“Michigan,” Brandon says, pointing enthusiastically to his home state. His 3-year-old brother, Zachary, tries to echo him. Their mother, Camille Kirksey, coaches Zachary on the correct pronunciation.
This might seem like a classic weekend scene, but it’s a weekday scene. That’s because this isn’t just a family home, it’s also a tiny school. A school for one. For Brandon.
Brandon's two younger siblings, Zachary and 10-month-old Ariyah, tag along for the fun.
For three years, Camille Kirksey has home schooled her children. They are part of a growing number of African-American families choosing to home-school.
In the U.S., home-schooling is one of the fastest growing forms of education. The number of kids in charter schools and the number of kids being home-schooled are comparable. Each hovers around 2 million.
However, research suggests that African American families choose to home-school for very different reasons than white families. It often has to do with how African American children are treated in school. That was the case for the Kirksey family.
In their household each school day starts with yoga in the back room. Then, the Kirkseys move to the dining room, where bowls of fruit mix with stacks of books. From there, they do poetry recitation, reading and math. And Fridays are reserved Concerns about racism help drive more African-Americans to home-school | Michigan Radio: