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Homeschooling Articles
Posted 3/4/07 (By Travis)
2/28/07 Washington Times
Home-schooling has been illegal in Germany since Adolf Hitler outlawed it in 1938 and ordered all children to be sent to state schools. <.> Only some 500 children are being home-schooled in a country of 80 million. Home-schooling families are prosecuted without mercy.
Posted 8/21/06 (By Travis)
10/20/06 Catholic Standard Times
If you suspect Plett is guilty of a very serious crime, guess again. She was arrested and thrown in
prison for homeschooling her children.
Homeschooling, along with any educational institution other than state-run
schools, was outlawed by Adolf Hitler in 1938. But a recent decline, both academically and
morally, in the country’s public school system has more and more German parents looking for better
ways to educate their children.
The Konrads contended that Germany’s compulsory school attendance laws were a violation of their
human rights.
The human rights court ruled: “Parents may not refuse the right to
education of a child on the basis of their convictions,” adding that the right to education “by
its very nature calls for regulation by the state.”
Posted 8/13/06
The road increasingly traveled: Homeschooling
7/11/06 TownOnline.com This article is posted just for this simple quote:
Boston-based Sherry Robartez noticed her daughter was losing joy once she entered kindergarten, but that her personality change and attitude problem disappeared once school was out for the summer. "So I pulled her out in kindergarten and started her in homeschooling," stated Robartez.
Posted 7/26/05
Home Schools Run By Well-Meaning Amateurs
7/25/05 National Education Association Condescension and idiocy from the NEA. As mentioned, the NEA has fought a decades long loosing battle with the tiny homeschooler associations. More on that:
A history of Homeschooling, Legislative battles
From the Home School Legal Defense Association
A number of courts in other states ruled against educational freedom, however. By the early 1980s, homeschoolers in many states were left with difficult choices: hide, move, or persuade the legislature to create a new legal option for parents who educate their own children in their own homes. Remarkably enough, homeschoolers were able to persuade one legislature after another to pass homeschool statutes in the 1980s:
>>
1982 Arizona and Mississippi legalize homeschooling.
>> 1983 Wisconsin and Montana follow suit.
>> 1984 Georgia, Louisiana, and Virginia pass
homeschool statutes. Rhode Island gives superintendents the authority to "approve"
homeschool programs.
>> 1985 Arkansas, Florida, New Mexico, Oregon,
Tennessee, Washington, and Wyoming all enact homeschool statutes.
>> 1986 After homeschoolers won a federal court
case, Missouri legalizes home education.
>> 1987 Maryland, Minnesota, Vermont, and West
Virginia all permit homeschooling.
>> 1988 Colorado, New York, South Carolina, North
Carolina, and Pennsylvania allow parents to teach their own children at home.
"The
Evil Empire"
Three states (North Dakota, Iowa, and Michigan) prosecuted homeschoolers so
fiercely that they became known as the "Evil Empire." One family after another was
prosecuted for teaching their own children in their own homes, and the courts were quick to convict.
Finally, in 1989, after seven fruitless appeals to the North Dakota Supreme Court, homeschoolers
finally won. The legislature legalized home education.
The next state in the Evil Empire fell in 1991, when Iowa finally enacted a homeschool statute. One
official within the Iowa Department of Education still did her best to block homeschooling through
restrictive state regulations, but freedom-loving families in Iowa worked even harder to keep the
freedom they had earned. (In the end, the homeschoolers won, and the disgruntled official left the
Iowa Department of Education to work in another state agency.)
By 1993, only one state still routinely prosecuted homeschoolers: Michigan. Then,
on May 25, 1993, five judges on the Michigan Supreme Court overruled four dissenting judges to allow
sincere religious parents to teach their own children at home without a teacher's license. It was
not until 1996 that the state legislature finally allowed any parent to teach a child at home
without some assistance from a certified teacher.
Posted 7/25/05
Why Homeschooling Continues to Grow
5/16/05 TCRecord.com
A generation of baby boomers, who were in the thick of parenting and who were dismayed at the bureaucratic mindset that had overtaken American public education, now had inspiration to take the educational road less traveled. <.> Some home educators think of their endeavor as 'family-schooling' or 'parent-funded' and want the practice to remain wholly independent of government money and control, an issue that is often debated by home education bloggers and activists.<.> But in an age of unprecedented technological innovation and mobility, one fact is clear: It’s relatively easy and cost-effective for a youngster to bypass institutionalized schooling and receive a well-rounded education. Online classes, homeschool cooperatives, tutors, internships, volunteer work, travel, home businesses, hobbies, sabbaticals, even the great outdoors - these serve as gateways to the examined, enriched life. The article ends with this conclusion under the 'Strength of Homegrown Versus Mass Produced': When it’s all said - and by now a countless number of articles, commentaries, and research papers have been written about homeschooling - perhaps the greatest lesson to be learned is how important the concept of liberty is to the delivery of education. Parents must have opportunity to do what is right by their children and not be limited by geographic location, punitive state laws, or societal prejudices. When freedom and choice peacefully exist, students thrive, and, ultimately, society benefits. As Dr. Lines (2000) has stated, "The hard evidence suggests that the vast majority of homeschooling families are more active in civic affairs than public school families." As seen in previous articles, the Teachers Unions and the public education system fought against the legalization of homeschooling and today continue to attack it with burdensome regulations.
(Advice on a freerepublic thread with lots of links)
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Home schooling grows in popularity with little oversight
Associated Press - A hostile article about home schoolers. This entire story is an insult to parents trying to save their kids from the ravages of public school that is being forced on them. Home schooling is growing in popularity in the United States with almost no oversight and little accountability (as opposed to?), leaving the power to educate and raise children solely to parents, the Akron Beacon Journal reported Sunday. The U.S. Department of Education estimated in July that about 1.1 million children are home schooled, or about 2 percent of the nation's 53 million children ages 6 to 18. The number is growing 10 times as fast as the general school-age population, the department estimated. At it's heart, home schooling is a parental rights movement, driven by a growing dissatisfaction with public schools, the newspaper reported as part of a seven-part series. Some home-schooling parents maintain their right to raise their children is God-given. So, the right to take this 'privilege' away from these families is what? State-Given? Researchers told the newspaper that the academic world has been reluctant to study home schoolers because a large number of families resist outside contact (are they a cult?) and prefer not to answer questions. Friction exists between home schoolers, who see their movement as a fundamental parental right, and the social workers, school officials and others who try to monitor the children. Yes, the home schoolers resent the fact that elitists desire full control over their children. James Muchmore, a Western Michigan University professor, has studied the home schooling movement and, without pointing fingers at either side, believes it is emerging as a polarizing issue. "It is becoming almost like the abortion issue and gun control - those perennial issues with fanatics on both sides who don't trust each other one bit,'' Muchmore said. More political correctness - both sides are equally to blame, yadda yadda... Parents trying to protect their children from the government are not 'fanatics'!
Homeschooling Under Fire in 2005 Legislative Sessions
2/9/05 HSLDA - In fact, if the AP article posted above this one were to objectively analyze things, they would see that homeschoolers are under assault all across the nation by education interests: Several states have introduced bills that would restrict the freedom to homeschool. Attempts to Impose State Assessments on Homeschools For example, both New Mexico and South Dakota filed bills that would force homeschool students to take state-selected standardized tests in the public school or under the supervision of a certified teacher. These bills violate a federal prohibition in the No Child Left Behind Act that forbids states to require homeschoolers to take the state assessment. (Considering D.C. Schools aren't obeying the law requiring kids be able to transfer schools (see D.C. section below for other violations of NCLB), these folks might as well break the law too!)
New Jersey introduced a bill in 2004 that would give the state Board of Education virtually unlimited power to impose new restrictions on homeschoolers, force homeschoolers to take a state assessment based on public school curriculum and turn over private medical information to the public schools. The bill was defeated last year after hundreds of homeschoolers and HSLDA staged large rallies at the Capitol in opposition. It has been reintroduced at the beginning of the 2005 legislative season. <.> After Democrats took control of the House, Senate, and Governorship in Montana, a long-time anti-homeschool Senator filed one of the harshest bills we have seen for a long time. The bill would transform one of the best homeschool laws in the nation to one of the worst. It would require that homeschools be supervised by a certified teacher and monitored bi-annually by the school district. Among other restrictions, it would even prohibit the homeschooling of any child with developmental disabilities in spite of HSLDA studies proving that special needs students learn better in a homeschool setting. It also prohibits homeschooling by stepparents and legal guardians! <.>
An Oregon Senate bill turns the clock back by requiring families to submit a yearly notice and standardized test results to their local school district. The legislature had previously removed these requirements from the law. HSLDA Attorney Thomas Schmidt is working with the state homeschool association OCEAN to defeat this bill.
Attempts to Expand Jurisdiction over Homeschoolers Besides these legislative challenges, families are also facing major expansion of state jurisdiction over their children in Michigan, Wyoming, Hawaii, Colorado, Indiana, New Jersey, and Iowa. All seven of these states have introduced one or more bills expanding the compulsory attendance age in the state, thus requiring parents to comply with school regulations for longer periods of time. The goal of the teachers unions is to lower the mandatory school age to three years of age and raise it to at least 18 years old. <.> Our legal legislative team at HSLDA, headed by Senior Counsel Chris Klicka, is made up of five lawyers and six legal assistants. They are actively working around the clock to defeat all of these restrictive homeschool bills and continue to monitor hundreds of bills in all 50 states. They are also working on promoting many bills that will advance homeschool freedoms. <.> These are the attacks the tiny homeschoolers associations faces. They have 11 people fighting the millions of dollars of the Unions and establishment education interests. And the homeschooling parents are 'fanatics'?!?
Homeschool Mom charged with Allowing Truancy (posted 5/9/05)
4/2/05 The Southern Illinoisian This story has been added to the collection of articles at the end of 'A Charter School Tale'. Williamson County State's Attorney Charles Garnati is taking a tougher stance with parents who fail to follow established curriculum guidelines when home schooling their children. Who 'establishes' these curriculum guidelines? The state or the parents? If the state can throw mothers in jail who don't follow 'established curriculum guidlines' then it really isn't 'homeschooling', it's state education at home, which perhaps is just what these elitists want. You think I'm exaggerating about mothers being 'thrown in jail'? On Thursday, he announced at a press conference that he has charged Marion resident Kim Harris with permitting truancy, a Class C misdemeanor punishable up to 30 days in jail and a $500 fine. Garnati adds, "Unfortunately, there is no law on the books that criminalizes improper home schooling." This is false, it is exactly what he's doing. Garnati stressed that he supports home-schooling in general, just not for parents who abuse the privilege. You see, by the sheer benevolence of the state, the masses are granted the special privilege of not always having their child forced into compulsory attendance of what they (the parents/masses) might view as a bloated, failing, and propagandizing, public school, which, on a side note, is also forcibly funded with their stolen tax dollars. Marion High School Principal Gerald Murphy said the dispute is not whether or not children are enrolled in public schools or home-schooled, but rather if the parents who choose to home school are trying to get around the system and not provide a quality education for their child. You mean to tell me the very people that have been fighting real education reform tooth and nail for 50+ years are now going to determine what is or isn't a 'quality education'? What is even the point of these 'truancy laws'? Who is the parent of your child? Is it you.. or the STATE?
6/7/05 USA Today We'll give credit where credit is due. This is a pretty fair, thus rare, article on homeschoolers. Some highlights:
There were more than 1.1 million home-schooled youths in the USA in spring 2003, up from 850,000 in 1999, according to the most recent numbers from the National Center for Education Statistics. That's about 2.2% of the USA's student-age population, or one of every 45 students. Most learn at home because of their families' religious beliefs or concerns about the educational environment at traditional schools. (Which they are forced to pay for) emphasis mine.
Three years later, home-schoolers won first, second and third place in the 2000 national spelling bee. And May 25, seventh-grade home-schooler Nathan Cornelius of Cottonwood, Minn., won the 2005 National Geographic Bee.
Despite its newfound acceptance, home schooling has had to battle for legal and social legitimacy.The National Education Association, which represents public school teachers, demanded tighter controls on home schooling, asking lawmakers to ensure that home study is monitored by local school administrative personnel and that students participate in state or locally mandated testing programs in "suitable settings." The NEA still has that position but is no longer lobbying for those tougher rules. (We saw in a previous article that homeschoolers are under attack from all over. I doubt that this statement is true) Coaches and academics say home-schooled athletes have plenty of motivation and superior time-management skills. "The paradox of home schooling is that freedom from adult time management usually results in an increase in time-management skills by the children," Stevens says. "Home schooling makes it possible to develop relationships with a wider range of people. Schools are organized by age and organize kids' lives for them. "Home schooling obliges them to be more responsible." Paul Yetter, who coaches Hoff, says she is a master of her time. "She is always on time, to the minute," he says. emphasis mine This last part is especially interesting to me. Another case of freedom yielding benefits.
Homeschool girl fights for band spot
6/19/05 Lincoln Journal Star
Ron Hasley said he's "a constitution kind of guy," who will pursue the issue, not only for his daughter but for other homeschool students. "I pay taxes," he said. "I'm asking for a service, and I'm not getting it. I hope what happens here sets precedence for the state." A 'constitution kind of guy'? Whadayaknow? I thought these sorts were extinct. :)
Posted 10/3/05
13- and 14-year-old siblings enter UC Berkeley as junior transfer students (Homeschooling success)
9/23/05 UC Berkeley News "We don't think they're geniuses," said Pierce [Father], who got his undergraduate Asian Studies degree in 1991. "We think it's a question of hard work and focus."
How these siblings wound up in college at such a young age is actually very simple, according to their parents. Ma and Pierce didn't originally intend to homeschool their children and sent them off to kindergarten and then Montessori school, Charles for one year and Mayumi for two. But the school relocated further away from them and they reconsidered their options, Pierce said. "The whole thing with our kids is that we just found it heartbreaking to see their progress slow down when they went to school," he said. They signed up for a home schooling seminar being held in Berkeley, met some other home schooling parents in the area, and made the plunge. "We were afraid they wouldn't reach their full potential if they went the normal way," Pierce said.
"We went to the library a lot, and I let them just read whatever they liked. On Sundays they went to Barnes & Noble to read new books," said Ma, who eventually received her J.S.D. from Boalt Hall in 2000. "Now, it's their favorite place." Making learning fun and tapping natural curiosities is what government (public) schools generally cannot do because of broken feedback loops in the system. Added to 'A Charter School Tale'.
Posted 11/25/05
Home Education Seen As Timely Solution to Failing Public Schools
11/23/05 Agape Press I only posted this because it reaffirms the trend to greater homeschooling and freedom from the public school system, but most importantly, it has a great quote:
Meanwhile, he points out, home schooling has experienced tremendous changes, growing from its early days of being viewed with suspicion and skepticism by government and education officials [This is an understatement, as previously stated, homeschooling used to be illegal and homeschooling parents used to face jail time. Even today they still face regulatory harassment by politicians and teachers Unions.] to now offering large state conventions and curriculum fairs and even exerting influence with state legislatures around the nation.
Home schoolers were once outcasts, Moore asserts, "but the tide has turned, and now Christians who are public schooling their children are on defense." Now it is those parents with kids in government schools, he says, who must "give an explanation of why they're doing such a terrible thing."
Lol, gotta love it. Although, I wish this article wasn't written with such a Christian angle, as not only Christian parents should be asking themselves these questions.... [Of course, a little disclaimer before I get hate mail: I've never insinuated all public schools are terrible, just that a vast majority are.:)]
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