Georgia black homeschool group ‘to disciple families toward Jesus Christ,’ create societal change 

Nicole P. Doyle never thought she would homeschool her children, but a public-school teacher in Georgia talked her into it. 

“My son was in the school, and the teacher actually suggested to me, ‘Say, you ever thought about homeschooling? Because you’re spending so much time here,’” the co-founder of Georgia Black Home Educators Network (GBHEN) recalled. 

“I was so apprehensive about homeschooling, and she looked at me and was like, ‘I’m pretty sure once you’ve started this, then you’re not coming back.’ And I was looking at her like, ‘I will be back.’ And she’s like, ‘No, you won’t.’” 

Today Doyle has graduated two of her four children from her homeschool and has a broader vision “to disciple families toward Jesus Christ, with homeschooling as the vehicle.” 

Her association will host its third annual event, the Flourish Family Homeschool Conference, to hundreds of attendees Jan. 29-31 in Decatur, Georgia. 

“Everything is ready for us to put family first in such a way that it’s going to create societal change,” she said, noting black families are the fastest-growing demographic in U.S. homeschooling. “When you are turning parents toward conscious Christian rearing of their children, you will see a societal shift.” 

Clothes baskets and community 

An estimated 79,000 Georgia students are homeschooling in the 2023-24 school year, according to a report by Johns Hopkins University’s “Homeschool Hub.” 

Although the COVID-19 pandemic caused a significant increase in the number of homeschool families, the continued growth since then “is not driven by a global pandemic or sudden disruptions to traditional schooling,” researchers concluded. 

However, Doyle knows the secret sauce to sustaining a homeschool: finding like-minded families to do life together. “I didn’t recognize that I had a community that was going to jump into all aspects of my homeschooling journey,” she says. 

She stumbled upon this community at the library, when she saw another mom with many children managing their massive book collections the same way she did. “I would carry a clothes basket, and I saw her with a hamper, and I was like, ‘Who is this woman? That’s a genius. Yeah, just like me,’” she jokes. 

The mom introduced Doyle to DeKalb Christian Home Educators (DCHE) – a diverse, multigenerational cooperative started in 1989. It provides Christ-centered academic classes, parent mentorship, family-oriented field trips and extracurricular activities to over 150 families. 

Doyle joined DCHE and eventually served as board chair. 

“What really endeared my heart to the group was when they had a black homeschooling fathers panel, and I tricked my husband into going,” she said, noting how the dads explained their role as heads of the household using a fourfold description of “prophet, priest, protector, provider.” 

“It’s a more intense and beautiful journey when you are being intentional about everything, including education.” 

The pandemic allowed parents to sit still and engage with their kids, which opened the way for healing from generational trauma and family issues, Doyle explained. 

“There were some hurts, emotional tender spots in families – extended and immediate – that needed to be tended to. When you were out in the world before the pandemic, you were being seen by a lot, but once you’re home, who are you performing for?” 

The ongoing journey of homeschooling can function as a way for families to repair those hurts and restore multigenerational relationships, Doyle argues. 

“We slowed down life because we’re homeschooling,” she said, adding her second son’s special needs responded best to a year-round homeschool schedule where he could also take internships and other extracurricular activities. 

“If you slow down life, you now have the opportunity to really dive into the things that you need to repair – emotionally, psychologically, spiritually – in your life. And I don’t think many of us even think about that.” 

The overall results include a holistic education and a joy coming from rest, according to Doyle: “When you take your journey and you make it family-centered with the Holy Spirit leading you, you will watch generational healing.” 

‘Kingdom projects’ 

As Doyle has invested time in her multigenerational homeschool community, she’s witnessed families who have graduated their children and now take on what she calls “kingdom projects.” 

“The kingdom project was your kids and in your household, but you’re not done,” she explains, pointing to the number of home-based businesses and nonprofits just within her group. For example, one retired homeschool mom started a food pantry, which feeds 500 people a week. 

“These years are really about you – not just growing your kids, but you get the opportunity to really understand who you are and what you’re made to do.” 

Doyle’s kingdom project is GBHEN, which started in 2023 and received support from the VELA Education Fund. Her association works to bridge technology and educational equity gaps by cultivating environments that honor diverse cultural backgrounds. 

“In the face of the educational upheaval brought on by the pandemic, I became committed to highlighting homeschooling as a school choice option. 

“The plan originally was just we were going to do a conference, but now we are champions of the ‘Parent-as-Educator’ movement.” In the conference’s first year, she was excited to see about 300 attendees register. 

“Then I got an opportunity to go on the Fox morning show here, and in no less than 48 hours, over 150 people registered. At that moment we realized, ‘OK, this is bigger than we thought.’” 

The association aims to serve underserved, under-resourced families. Doyle cites a range of definitions and demographics: fixed-income, black, brown, culturally diverse, rural, single-parent, grandparents-as-guardians, and neurodivergent. 

“We wanted to pull homeschooling resources for those families that are on the fringes, that no one’s really focusing on. We’re recognizing that homeschool is not free, and sometimes it’s very difficult when you’re a fixed-budget family with a lot of children.” 

For example, the conference’s technology equity initiative helps families who may have difficulty securing devices for online education and computer programming classes. 

“If you have a lot of children, let’s just be honest: you probably don’t have six laptops for every child,” she said, highlighting GBHEN’s partnership with Compudopt and Homeschool EmpowerED to distribute 139 laptops, 50 tablets and Chromebooks to homeschooling families in 2023-24. 

“We wanted to make sure that we are always providing resources that may not be readily seen as being the most urgent at that time.” 

‘Educational sweat equity’ 

Each associational initiative must help empower parents to be advocates for their child’s education, according to Doyle. 

“This community, it functions off what we like to call educational sweat equity. So, every parent shows up and they give a lot because we always tell parents, follow your child’s interest.” 

For example, Doyle’s oldest son loved robotics, so she became a robotics coach for his group. 

“When he got to be a teenager and was too old for the Lego League robotics, he became the robotics coach, and he led his team to his first state trophy in mechanical design as the coach in his senior year of high school. So, it’s just being full circle with everybody helping, everybody being there for one another.” 

Not only the moms, but the dads also play a vital role. Every year the conference closes with a panel session featuring homeschool fathers. 

“We say we close it with the men,” she jokes. “It’s just something about other men seeing other men in this place, really talking about family, marriage, fidelity – everything you can think of when it comes to, ‘Are you sincerely being the head of your household, and are you loving your wife like Christ loved the church?’” 

This year Doyle is planning to speak at one of the conference workshops, titled “Cultural Restoration: Integrating Heritage and Healing in Homeschooling.” 

“It is just an exciting place to be in,” she says, adding she expects to see over 300 parents attend. 

“If you focus on a Christ-centered education, all the other things will be added to what you need.”