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New York, in other words, considers the phenomenon so limited that it's not worth really worrying about. Which is much different than the situation in California, where a recent court decision has homeschooling parents enraged. A state appellate judge found that in order to teach at home, a parent needs to have the same credentials as a teacher at a public or private school. And not only would parents need a teaching certificate, but they would also need to submit lesson plans to the state for approval.

"This kind of ruling is meant to keep [the teaching] industry thriving. As an educator, I find it sad to accept that people believe that parents should not be capable of educating their children," says Robinson, who in addition to teaching Tau and Deion also conducts GED courses at City College. "Why are we, as parents, supposed to trust educators when they cannot extend the same courtesy to parents?"

Jennifer James is a mother in North Carolina who chose to homeschool her children and also founded the National African-American Homeschoolers Alliance. "African-American homeschooling is definitely growing all over the coutry," she says, estimating that black children make up about 10 percent of the nation's 150,000 homeschooled kids. "I suspect it's because more and more African-American families have finally realized that home education is an option for every American family, regardless of race or socioeconomic status."

Parents that the Voice talked to listed various reasons for pulling their kids out of New York's schools—the lack of resources and diverse curriculums, overcrowding, violence, and an emphasis on standardized testing and not individual achievement. Combine those concerns with financial limitations that can make private school an unattainable option and you have more black families teaching their kids at home.

Not that the public schools aren't at least trying to address the concerns of black parents about their boys. Clyde Cole is the founding principal of the Academy of Business and Community Development, an all-boys public school serving grades six through 12 that was built to address fears that the school system was failing black boys.

"It's not that [all] boys don't do well; it's that many of them don't do well," says Cole. "Getting up without permission to do whatever—look at what your friend is doing, throw something in the garbage—all of those kinds of things boys typically do is unacceptable now." But besides the behavioral problems, Cole says that schools have been doing a poor job because of today's emphasis on standardized testing, which limits what teachers can do. Understanding the unique needs of boys, the ABCD Academy spends a great deal of time and resources to instill a moral code, character development, and social skills. "I think that schools that focus on character development serve students better in the long run. Kids that come with 'home training' tend to do better. If kids don't come with that, they don't know what to do. It's not that boys are worse-trained at home, but their behavior stereotypically is not conducive to the 'little red schoolhouse' mantra."