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Jennifer Burns’ ‘Excelara’ Helps Parents Reclaim Their Kids’ Education

Every child deserves an excellent education — but many students no longer receive one from American public schools.

According to America’s latest national report card, fewer than two thirds of American eighth graders can do math (26%), read (30%), or do science (31%) at grade level.

Many public school districts compound poor student outcomes by teaching damaging social ideologies, forcing students to violate their faith — even making them change in front of members of the opposite sex.

Jennifer Burns, an educator and expert in Christian classical education, offers families an alternative through Excelara, an initiative helping parents start and join Christian, classical hybrid schools.

Excelara offers parents and other “education entrepreneurs” everything they need to create affordable, flexible and excellent schools — from rigorous, biblically-based classical curriculum, to administrative support and teacher training, to help finding financial aid.

“Starting a school is a heavy lift,” Burns told the Daily Citizen. “It’s weighty because you need to get it right — you can’t mess around with a child’s education — but there’s also so many details that go into starting a school.”

“I knew that I needed to give [people] more than just a copy of a handbook or a schedule, but a turnkey solution to start a school,” she explained.

Excelara’s curriculum, model and services stem from Burns’ more than 20 years of experience teaching classical, Christian curriculum — starting with her own children.

She credits God for prompting her to change from a “normal” school schedule, five days a week, eight hours a day, to a university model, where kids spend more time working independently.

Excelara recommends education entrepreneurs adopt hybrid schedules allowing students two days with teachers, two days of independent study and one day of enrichment, though schedules can be adjusted to accommodate parents’ needs.

Burns and the Excelara team encourage academic instruction days be held in churches.

“We believe that the church should be the locus of exceptional education like it was at the founding of our country,” Burns explained, continuing:

The purpose of education is to know God and glorify Him and enjoy Him forever. Education needs to be consistent with that chief end.

The kind of schools Excelara helps parents create differ greatly from traditional ones. I asked Burns how she would defend Excelara’s model to parents who worry about the academic and social implications of such a dramatic shift.

“The fruit of this kind of schooling — Christian at its foundation, classical in its pedagogy and hybrid, meaning a partnership between school, family and church — all of that working together produces amazing little humans,” she assured, noting that, while Excelara students may spend less time in a physical classroom, they are full-time students enrolled in a rigorous curriculum.

Burns found increased independent learning time helps students not only remember the material but engage with it.

“There’s a beautiful rhythm to sitting at the feet of wise teachers a couple of days a week and then having the opportunity to wrestle with information on your own,” she observed, noting:

It builds excellent critical thinking skills in students because they’re not being spoon-fed the information all the time. They start to think deeply about whether they agree with it or not, and how it relates to other things they’ve learned.

Further, the university model teaches kids skills they’ll need in college.

“They become good, independent learners,” Burns continued. “They learn how to manage their time well [and] pace themselves; they learn how to learn.”

Excelara’s model allows children to spend more time with their parents, which Burns contends increases maturity.

“We’re trying to train up these students to be young men and young women, and [children] learn that by observing and modeling adults,” she reasoned.

Conversely, Burns has found kids who spend comparatively less time with their peers value their friendships more.

“Let’s face it, when you’re with your friends five, six days a week, eight hours a day, you tend to take them for granted,” she told the Daily Citizen.

“Our students who come to school two days a week are so precious with one another because they value the time spent with each other.”

Excelara supports student outcomes using technology, including a one-on-one AI tutor.

Given the harms AI chatbots and other tech can cause children, I asked Burns why she believed Excelara’s technology positively impacts students.

Burns acknowledges tools like AI can be dangerous to kids. She also believes they can be used correctly to enhance learning.

She used Excelara’s AI as an example. Unlike other chatbots, which prioritize efficiency, Burns says Excelara’s AI engages with students using the Socratic method. Children must articulate ideas in their own words to engage the bot.

Burns believes the tool, which students use on independent learning days, increases their confidence in class.

“We’ve taken students who feel less than, who feel so self-conscious about where they are academically — and helped them get their confidence back,” she relayed.

“They are more apt to raise their hands and engage with their classmates because they’ve already pre-articulated ideas to the AI.”

Importantly, Excelara’s AI tutor does not exempt parents from taking an active role in their children’s education. Burns emphasizes parents must “ continually engage with [their] student, making sure they’re very aware [AI] isn’t a substitute for a peer, for a parent or a teacher.”

Burns fresh, nuanced perspective characterizes Excelara’s materials and approach to making excellent, Christ-based education accessible to all children.

Burns concluded:

We [at Excelara] feel very strongly [about giving students the kind of education that [isn’t just] about exiting public school, but about running towards something that is really exceptional.

Learn more about Excelara here.

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Florida Becomes First State in the Nation to Adopt Education Freedom Declaration

Photo Credit: Jennifer Burns, Excelara

The Anti-Homeschool Movement Wants Control of Our Children

President Reagan rightly stated, “The nine most terrifying words in the English language are: I’m from the government, and I’m here to help.” Today’s ominous version is, “Pass this legislation to protect children.”

Government is using emotionally charged language, yet again, “help” and “protect,” as keys to quietly unlock the Constitutional doors that safeguard us from government intrusion. Much like in Reagan’s era, homeschooling, along with parental and religious rights, are at a tipping point. As Daily Citizen has previously reported, Illinois is next.

Historically, Illinois has been one of the most homeschool friendly states in the country. Home education has flourished in Illinois under a 1950 Illinois Supreme Court decision, People v. Levisen, which affirmed that a home could legally be a private school and free from government interference, so long as basic subjects were taught in English.

Illinois House Bill 2827 (HB 2827), introduced by Rep. Terra Costa Howard, would dismantle this 70-year legal precedent by requiring parents to sign a “homeschool declaration form” – or face jail time

Jeff Lewis, President of the Illinois Christian Home Educators (ICHE), says,

Those agencies are given the ability to adopt regulations and create rules … that would further restrict homeschooling and what parents are doing — but those people aren’t elected … This bill is laying a foundation for something beyond what’s actually written in the bill by giving the authority to these regulators to do more.

Upon its introduction, Rep. Howard’s opening statements referred to the bill as a “…minimal step to provide accountability.” What she didn’t acknowledge is that opens the door for criminal charges.

Section 20 of HB 2827 lays out the required information for a new “Homeschool Declaration Form”:

The form shall include, but not be limited to: the name, birth date, grade level, and home address of the child; the name, birth date, contact information, and home address of the homeschool administrator; and assurance that the homeschool administrator has received a high school diploma or its recognized equivalent. The State Board of Education shall create the template.

This isn’t an update to “protect children” as claimed. Illinois is fundamentally shifting who holds authority over them, and it’s not their parents.

HB 2827 asserts the government — not the parent — is the ultimate authority, and protector of a child’s life.

It also assumes all parents are potential abusers, to be monitored by the state, otherwise children are at risk.

How could this happen in a state like Illinois?

In July 2024, a relatively unknown advocacy group called the Coalition for Responsible Home Education (CRHE), not based in Illinois, released a fill-in-the-blank proposal called the Make Homeschool Safe Act.

Framed as a child-protection measure, this model legislation includes sweeping regulations: mandatory homeschool registration, state-approved curriculum standards, annual assessments, proof of parental qualifications, and submission of health records. In essence, giving local authorities unprecedented access into homeschooling.

At first glance, this proposed bill was just another draft with no traction. But something more strategic was underway; their goal was to set precedent and encourage other states to follow suit. With a Democratic supermajority in the Illinois House, Senate and Governor’s office, Illinois became the first test case.

Make Homeschool Safe Act states in section II:

  • “There are a number of children being homeschooled in [STATE]. The true number of homeschooled children is likely to remain unknown without adequate notification and oversight.
  • “The laws of [STATE] do not currently provide adequate protection for homeschooled children, leaving them vulnerable to child abuse and educational neglect.
  • “It is in the interest of the Legislature to ensure homeschooled children are safe and receive a sufficient education.
  • The purpose of this legislation is “to affirm and protect homeschooled children’s right to comprehensive education and a safe home environment.”

But this is where legislators get it wrong; homeschoolers are not more likely to be abused, nor fall behind academically. In fact, homeschooled students consistently outperform their peers and experience high levels of well-being.

At its core, it’s not about test scores or curriculum; it’s about control.

Once that foundation is laid, other states will have a precedent to point to. And they will want to pass similar legislation.

This fight matters, and far beyond Illinois. It is a turning point in the national conversation about educational freedom, parental rights and the future of homeschooling in America.

It’s about what kind of nation we’re becoming. One that trusts parents, or one that replaces them.

Image from Shutterstock.

‘Land of Lincoln’ Looks to Bully Homeschool Families

Homeschool families in Illinois are currently pushing back on a bill that threatens their parental autonomy and rights.

As currently proposed, the “Homeschool Act” or HB 2827, requires parents who want to educate their children outside of the traditional system to sign a “homeschool declaration form” – or face jail time. It would also demand that parents doing the teaching have a high school diploma or GED. State officials would reserve the right to inspect and critique curriculum. 

The “Land of Lincoln” is one of a dozen states known for steering clear of any meddling with homeschool families. While 38 other states do require parents to sign a declaration to educate in their homes, none of them have criminalized those who do not. Illinois would be the first.

Those behind the bill claim oversight is necessary to ensure the proper education and personal protection of the state’s students.

“It is an empirical reality that abuse and neglect occurs in homeschool settings, and that abusive caregivers can deliberately exploit the cover of homeschooling to isolate children — not educate them,” claimed Jonah Stewart, interim executive director of the Coalition for Responsible Home Education (CFRHE).

“While research has yet to settle the question in terms of rates of abuse by school status, all children deserve protections from abuse,” he added.

There is actually no evidence that children being homeschooled are at any elevated risk of abuse. 

And if homeschooling is so detrimental to a student’s academic success, why do studies show that those who are educated at home regularly achieve higher scores and outperform their traditionally schooled counterparts?

The Illinois legislation is either an ignorant attempt to solve a problem that doesn’t exist or an aggressive power grab by government officials to control what students, who are otherwise outside their reach, are being taught.

Illinois state Representative Travis Weaver strongly opposes the onerous and invasive legislation.

“My colleagues on the other side of the aisle that would say homeschooling is growing, and that’s how we need to regulate it. I totally reject that,” Weaver said. “That’s a false, misnomer of a lot of Illinois politicians that when things are good, it’s time for the government to step in. Homeschooling is a massive success.”

While educating children in the home dates back thousands of years, the modern-day movement took off in the late 1970s and early 1980s. In fact, Focus on the Family founder Dr. James Dobson is often credited for popularizing and normalizing the practice in Christian families by talking with advocates for it on the Focus daily radio program.

Like many Christian parents then and now, Dr. Dobson believed that mothers and fathers were best equipped to teach their children, and also equipped to pass along the values and principles of their faith, especially if a local school system was hostile to fundamental truths being shared in the home.

Homeschooling exploded during the COVID pandemic, and while many of those children have returned to traditional classrooms, it’s estimated that 3.7 million students (or 6.7%) are currently being educated at home.

Will Estrada, who serves as senior counsel with the Home School Legal Defense Association, calls the Illinois legislation a form of harassment.  

“Our single goal is to defeat this bill,” Estrada told National Review.

“It would be the first state where homeschool freedom has gone backwards. It would disproportionately harm vulnerable communities, low-income families, single parents who are homeschooling their children, minority communities.”

Because of Illinois’ liberal legislature, opponents of the bill face an uphill climb to defeat it. But last month, over 8,000 homeschool supporters descended on the state capitol to protest the proposal. Despite the avalanche of opposition, HB 2827 was voted out of committee by an 8-4 margin. 

Abraham Lincoln, who lived in Illinois for 31 years beginning in 1830 right up until the presidency, attended formal school for only a year. The rest of his education was self-directed and based in the home. It’s a shame that many of the same legislators who rightly hail the 16th president are failing to acknowledge that his greatness was fueled by the very type of education they now seem to want to discourage and make more difficult for families and their children.