Public, private, homeschool all used in family’s education quest

It took three generations working together to ensure 9-year-old Alex Foster’s education worked for him.

New federal scholarships could make finding the right education easier for other students, but Gov. J.B. Pritzker needs to allow it.

“Not to discredit all public schools, because lots of times it is the children and it is the environment, but I find that there are not a lot of teachers interested in educating little Black boys. It was the same way I felt raising my son,” said Alex’s grandmother, Allegra Millender-Rogers.

Millender-Rogers and Alex’s mother, Awrian Rogers, noticed concerns about his education as early as kindergarten. Despite his enrollment at a high-quality private school, Alex wasn’t catching on.

“He was struggling to keep up. They were reaching out about maybe needing to do an IEP [Individualized Education Program],” said Rogers, of South Holland, Illinois. “He wasn’t on par with reading or math. They were talking about holding him back.”

They stuck with the school through first grade, but when they weren’t seeing improvement they decided to try their neighborhood public school. Eisenhower School serves only two grades; they hoped the smaller size would help. Unfortunately, it didn’t.

“He was exposed to a lot of distractions in the classroom. His behavior was starting to change,” said Millender-Rogers.

Rogers agreed: “He couldn’t keep up there, either, but he had a tutor. We saw how with one-on-one attention he would engage more. So, me and my mom both decided maybe the route for him is homeschool.”

With some research, the family found a small homeschool co-op in the south suburbs and enrolled him in the middle of the 2024-2025 school year. WeSchool offered certified teachers and a custom education plan.

“Before you come here, they do an assessment to see where you are as far as math and reading. From there, they place you in the curriculum you’re going to have for the year,” Rogers said. “They care about teaching him. They won’t move on to the next thing without him understanding it first.”

The co-op also involves less time in a formal classroom setting. They do field trips every Monday and on Fridays families are expected to study independently.

“It isn’t all about being glued to a desk,” Rogers said. “If they get distracted, they can get up, walk around for a minute, and come back and sit down.”

The new environment turned out to be exactly what Alex needed. After less than a year, he is essentially caught up.

“He used to hate reading because he couldn’t read,” Millender-Rogers said. “Last night, he picked up a book on his own. He’s starting to comprehend more. He’s getting to a point where he wants to read and he can tell you about what he read.”

Not all families have the resources to pursue an education that best fits their child. Money and geography can be barriers. That’s why federal lawmakers took steps to ensure flexibility through the new Federal Scholarship Tax Credit program.

Money from the program may be used for many kinds of education: private, homeschool – even tutoring, course materials or extracurriculars for public school students. Illinois donors in 2027 will be able to donate up to $1,700 per year, but Illinois families won’t be able to receive those funds unless Gov. J.B. Pritzker lets Illinois join the program.

Many more students like Alex could benefit, giving families and their children an opportunity to thrive no matter what type of education works best for them.

“It’s clicking for Alex now, but no single kind of education fits all children,” Millender-Rogers said.