No Child Has To Be Left Behind: Conference Highlights Newest Learning Opportunities, Homeschooling a

Boxborough, MA July 8, 2005 -- The annual New England Homeschool and Family Learning Conference will be held July 15 and 16 at the Boxborough Woods Holiday Inn, Boxborough, MA. Featured will be dozens of workshops and interactive sessions for parents, teens and children.

Conference supporters believe that home education offers hope and optimism for choices in education and brighter futures for their children. Parents today have the opportunity to make changes, ponder many educational choices and get the information they need to provide the best possible education for their children.

One of the conference speakers, Dr. Samuel Blumenfeld, well known educator, author, commentator and champion of school reform writes, "Fortunately, there are a growing number of parents who have seen the light and have turned to home-schoolingÉ we ought not to expect politicians to solve our education problems. They will have to be solved by parents... for the only true reform of education will take place when the government gets out of the education business."

The public is welcomed to join hundreds of families for a weekend of learning, encouragement and support. Veteran home educators, beginners or those simply looking at the option will be provided with a full selection of workshops to meet every need. Additionally, some parents want to supplement their childrenÕs traditional education with the methods that are succeeding for more than a million American children. Today, options abound. All of them will be discussed.

One of the most respected educational conferences, this annual event offers more than 100 workshops taught by nationally recognized experts to help all families develop a lifestyle of learning.

Workshop tracks include: Homeschooling: Getting Started; Homeschooling and the Law; Identifying and Meeting the Needs of Gifted Children; Dealing with Learning Disabilities; Developmental Stages from Birth to Adulthood; Discovering Children's Learning Styles; Succeeding with High Schoolers; Early Childhood Education; Teaching Math, Science, Reading, Literature, Social Sciences; College Preparation; Houesehold Management and Organization and much more.

Methods of homeschooling and alternative education are presented: eclectic homeschooling, unschooling, Waldorf methods, Montessori, umbrella schools, virtual homeschooling, distance learning, online education and much more; it's all under one roof. The full exhibit hall features more than 70 companies and thousands of the finest educational resources.

This year's guest speakers include:

* Jim Weiss, an internationally known and respected recording artist and live performer and storyteller. Literature truly comes alive when Jim Weiss performs! From fairy tales to Sherlock Holmes to the ancient world of Archimedes the mathematician, Jim's performances and workshops combine the richenss of oral language with the best in world literature, and the result is entertainment (and learning) magic.

* Attorney Deborah G. Stevenson, founder of National Home Education Legal Defense. Ms. Stevenson has a private practice in Southbury, Conn., handling cases in all aspects of education and appellate law. In addition to her legal practice, Attorney Stevenson is also a veteran homeschool Mom and founder of Connecticut's Citizens to Uphold the Right to Educate (CT's C.U.R.E.) and Executive Director of Home Education Legal Defense of Connecticut, newly reorganized as NHELD.

* Derek Carter, president of Foundations for Success and a licensed family, marriage and parenting counselor, active in the Long Island Greater New York homeschool community as a leader and homeschooling father.

* Cheryl Carter, founder and director of "Organize Your Life" an organization that helps people reach their maximum effectiveness and productivity. She is a writer, homeschool leader and homeschooling mother.

* Shirley Minster, a Master Degree certified teacher who holds credentials in education, educational guidance, and counseling. As an ardent supporter of homeschooling and individualized learning programs, she uses her extensive credentials to advocate for individual families and the right to choose the educational program that works best for the children.

* Suzanne H. Stevens is an internationally acclaimed author and lecturer. She has published seven books. Her titles include The LD Child and the ADHD Child: Ways that Parents and Professionals Can Help and Classroom Success for the LD and ADHD Child. Ms. Stevens is a popular talk show guest on numerous television programs all across Canada and the US. She has lectured professionally to packed houses since 1982 and regularly speaks and leads workshops at educational conferences.

* Josh Shaine, former director of the MIT High School Studies Program and former headmaster of Massachusetts Academy for Gifted students. He has taught at public, private, and alternative schools, and has also worked with special needs students who were either at home or institutionalized for a number of public school districts in several different states.

* Thomas Clark, a lifelong teacher of mathematics and science with more than 30 years of experience at all levels, from elementary through adult. He began his career with twelve years of classroom teaching, including a full year of graduate study, and then served for five years as the state mathematics suprvisor for the Indiana Department of Education. Currently, he is president of Video Text Interactive, a company that specializes in bringing the textbook to life through technology.

* Amelia Harper is the author of the extremely popular Literary Lessons From The Lord of the Rings, a complete one-year literature curriculum for secondary level students. She is also the Media Editor for The Old Schoolhouse Magazine, a national homeschool publication, freelance writer, educator and mentor.

* Dr. Susan Snyder is principal member of IDEASÑInventive Designs for Education and the ArtS, LLC, a company dedicated to facilitating child appropriate educational models and programs. She has taught at all levels, Pre-K - post-graduate, and holds a BS and MA in Music Education, a Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction, an Orff Master Teachers Certificate, and a Cooperative Learning Trainers' Certificate.

* Dr. Samuel L. Blumenfeld, author, educator, international commentator and school reformer, who has spent the last 30 years writing about American education and seeking answers to such baffling questions as: Why is America experiencing a decline in literacy? Why are so many American children afflicted with learning disabilities? His six previous books on education answer these and many more questions puzzling the public. His best-selling expose of the National Educational Association, N.E.A. Trojan Horse in American Education, has virtually become a classic in critical educational literature.

* Lynn Scully is the founder and developer of the get IT Independent Tutorial SAT Preparation course. LynnÕs 16 years of tutoring experience range from the elementary level through the masterÕs level and has covered many topics. Lynn has conducted numerous workshops and classes and is actively involved with various schools in NJ as a testing and curriculum consultant. She currently works at Blair Academy in Blairstown, NJ.

* Special Conference Event: The FRC Museum & Community Education Expo joins the fun as a major exhibitor at the conference occupying over 1500 sq. ft of exhibitor space and 4 workshop classrooms. This space will be completely devoted to hands-on programs and learning opportunities presented by the best New England area Museum & Community educators. Featuring:
- 40 Museum & Community Educators
- 5 LIVE Animal Presentations
- Over 50 Educational Workshops for children, teens and families
- An Evening Planetarium Show and
- A Family LUAU Party Friday Night!

Walk-in registrations are welcome and the public is invited.
Registration information can be found online: http://www.homeeducator.com/conferences.htm
Walk-in registration begins at 8:00 a.m. on Friday and Saturday.
There is a special Friday daytime rate available for those wishing to browse the exhibit hall and buy resources.
Press Passes are also available.