The Tennessee Home Education Association was formed in 1984 for the purpose of preserving & defending the rights of parents to direct the education of their children & to provide a statewide network of support, encouragement, & assistance to home schooling families. THEA accomplishes these goals through a unified, organized network of volunteer home schooling parents & others supportive of parental rights. By dividing the state into seven geographical areas to establish chapters & having THEA members elect Area Coordinators/ Board Members, we have developed a unified, representative state voice while building strong support for home schoolers at the local chapter level. Over thirty newsletters are produced & sent out locally. Hundreds of support groups serve TN families.

THEA monitors the Tennessee legislative & judicial arenas, & alerts members to crucial events affecting the freedom of home education. We also write & find sponsors for legislation favorable to home schooling, & coordinate an annual home schoolers Capitol Hill Rally & Legislative Reception Day with food, curriculum displays, & projects provided by home schoolers from around the state.

THEA sponsors a TN Home School Debate Tournament in conjunction with the National Home School Debate Tournament.

Conferences are held annually by the larger chapters, bringing nationally recognized speakers to encourage & inform home schoolers. Curriculum Fairs are hosted by each of our seven chapters to allow home schoolers to view & select curriculum. These annual events insure that home educators are kept abreast of the latest books & resources available. Workshops are held to further inform parents on educational techniques & curriculum application. Graduation Ceremonies, Teachers Workshops, Science Fairs, Field Days, & Field Trips are a few of the other services provided by our chapters. In addition, most of the local areas are further subdivided into numerous Support Groups led by veteran home schoolers. These support group leaders coordinate activities & are available to answer questions, offer advice, & encourage the home schoolers in their groups. Also our chapters each publish a monthly newsletter to keep home schoolers apprized of the events in their locale.

To learn more about THEA (Tennessee Home Education Association), visit the THEA website at www.tnhea.org .