The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Archives invites participants for the homeschooling community’s first known oral history project.
Wisconsin holds a unique place in homeschooling history; it was a Wisconsin case that prompted the U.S. Supreme Court to rule that parents have a constitutional right to direct their children’s educational and religious upbringing (Wisconsin v. Yoder, 406 U.S. 205 (1972)).
Legislators, scholars, journalists, and parents make decisions about homeschooling every day, but they often lack robust data on homeschooling to support informed decisions. More importantly, the voices of homeschool alumni are often overlooked in conversations about homeschooling in the United States.
The WHA project aims to address this gap by creating an archive of homeschool alumni interviews that illuminates the diverse voices and experiences of children homeschooled in Wisconsin. Interviews will be video recorded, transcribed, and donated to the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee’s Libraries Archives for use by UWM faculty, students, and the general public.
Participants must be 19 years or older and homeschooled (as defined by Wis. Stat. sec. 115.001(3g)) for at least one year in Wisconsin.