Everyone with a mind agrees, the quality of public education in today’s United States is appalling— and with such destructive trends as federal funding and “No Child Left Behind,” it shows no signs of improving in the near future. Fortunately for those parents who are seeking a quality education for their children, there is the ABeka Academy, which provides such an education and in a Christian setting. ABeka does not accept government funding, either on the federal or state level. The Abeka curriculum is influenced by the organization’s belief in the Bible as “the foundation for all other learning.”
The academy offers courses from grades 4 thru 12 in the Bible as well as in science, math, geography, economics history, and language. Elective course include keyboarding, document processing, orchestra, and family/consumer sciences.
To enroll in any of the academy’s courses one must pay the tuition fee, which as of now is $750 but which may be changed without notice; sales and local taxes are also applicable. Once the payment has been made, the student is sent the textbooks for those courses and can log in using his or her ID and password. It is also possible to log in as a guest. Students can also watch videos of the course lectures online. The textbooks are published by ABeka Books, a ministry affiliated with Pensacola Christian College, and are written by people who have taught successfully in the relevant fields. At home, parents can supervise their children reading the a beka books, watching the videos, and doing the required assignments, which must be mailed within a year from the assigned begin date.
Three education programs are offered— an accredited program, independent study, and a traditional program. Each program has a certain number of credit requirements in each department for graduation.
Live meetings are also held by local representatives of the academy. For these one may have to pay for registration. Online students and parents can search for such events within a certain distance of their hometown. There are three types of meetings: online events; material displays, where the representatives display books and materials that are part of the ABeka catalog; and conventions, hosted by other organizations. Attendance for both the first two types is free; conventions may require an entry fee by the organizations hosting them.
The ABeka homeschool system has proven to be remarkably successful in providing many children across the nation with the education they need in today’s world.