“...many families do not have the money for private schools and a great many parents (especially among the inner-city poor) are not educated enough to homeschool.”
I haven't met many people who didn't have enough of an education that they couldn't homeschool their children, at least through grade school. It doesn't require much by way of intellect or erudition.
Parents may not homeschool well for a variety of reasons - mostly related to lack of time or lack of effort. However, lack of education is seldom a problem.
The inner city poor may comprise something of a general exception, because so many lack basic literacy and numeracy. But really, anyone who can get a long on a day-to-day basis, can read a newspaper, or use a cookbook recipe, can teach his or her children successfully.
As for compulsory education, I'm not sure I accept your point. When I look at the results, especially of inner city school systems, I don't see that much, if any, education has taken place. Many of these children receive diplomas when they turn 17 or 18, but yet remain illiterate and innumerate.
sitetest
Homeschoolers scored in the AVERAGE of the 86th percentile,
AND THE LEVEL OF EDUCATION AND/OR INCOME OF THE PARENTS HAD MINIMAL IMPACT ON THESE RESULTS.
http://www.hslda.org/docs/news/200908100.asp
When I look at the results, especially of inner city school systems, I don't see that much, if any, education has taken place. Many of these children receive diplomas when they turn 17 or 18, but yet remain illiterate and innumerate.
Which is it? You can't have both.
I agree that the education system in America is a complete mess, but eliminating it altogether will only make things worse.
I haven't met many people who didn't have enough of an education that they couldn't homeschool their children, at least through grade school. It doesn't require much by way of intellect or erudition.
Parents may not homeschool well for a variety of reasons - mostly related to lack of time or lack of effort. However, lack of education is seldom a problem.
Herein lies the problem. There are a great many families that depend on the income of both parents. The certainly have the education to homeschool their children, but they are simply unable to.
I think what concerns me the most with elimination of education is what will happen to the middle class. There are plenty of children from less fortunate backgrounds who DO go to school to learn and succeed in life. If this avenue is closed to them America will actually become the nation of "haves and have nots" that the left claims we are.
The education system needs to be overhauled from the ground up. Vouchers need to be made widespread and the unions must be broken.
Well said, sitetest.
It is merely assumed that government school teach anything at all and are effective.
Studies have never been done to demonstrate where academically successful children learn ( **in the home** at the kitchen table or Prussian-model classroom) or who is doing the teaching ( teacher, parent, family, friends, paid and unpaid tutors, study clubs, or the child himself doing homework).
It is entirely possible that the only think government Prussian-model schooling does is send home a very expensive curriculum that the family and child follows IN THE HOME!
It was this sentence above that caught my attention. I agree with your point. i suggest that we look a little deeper and farther. Maybe little education is happening in the school for the academically successful child, too.
I, too, see little education taking place. In fact, if it were investigated the education that is taking place is likely entirely due to the efforts of the parents, family, friends, paid and unpaid tutors, study clubs, and the efforts of the child ( himself) **in the home**.
It is entirely possible that we are spending up to $30,000 per child per year on a government schooling program that is ineffective for all children. Without studying where the learning is taking place and who is doing the teaching place it is impossible to know.
Maybe, just maybe, the only thing government schools do is send home a very expensive curriculum that the academically successful child follows in the home.
Parents go to considerable expense and effort to move to a so-called “good” school. Maybe the government school isn't good. Maybe it is the “afterschooling” done by the families in that district that is really good and is entirely responsible for the high test scores. When so-called “good” schools publish their test results I never see how many of those students are receiving paid and unpaid tutoring or “afterschooling” **in the home**.