Fluorescent ballast has white/black wiring; home wiring has red/white; how do I match them up?
Yes, in North America on a fluorescent ballast, white is neutral and black is hot -- switched hot, that is.  

In North American wiring, white and gray are neutral, green and yellow/green are safety ground, and everything else is hot.  So red is hot. 

Further, there's a mild preference to use black for always-hot and red for switched-hot. You obviously want switched-hot to a light.