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George Bush's secret army (Why Democrats Hate, and Fear, Home Schooled Kids)
Economist ^ | March 17th 2004 | Economist

Posted on 03/17/2004 6:38:11 AM PST by gobucks

A revolution is happening in American education. As it grows in size, it should frighten teachers everywhere.

Just how bad are American schools? And how deeply do conservative Americans distrust their government? One answer to both these questions is provided by the growth of home-schooling. As many as 2m American students—one in 25—may now be being taught at home.

The growth of home-schooling is all the more remarkable when you consider two facts. The first is the commitment of the parents. They give up not just a free public education, but also often the chance of a second income as well, because one parent (usually the mother) has to stay at home to educate the children.

The Department of Education highlights the results of its survey: “Homeschooling in the United States: 1999”. See also the Home School Legal Defense Association.

The next is that the practice challenges most of the assumptions behind public education. For most of the past 150 years, compulsory mass education has been the hallmark of a civilised society. Sociologists such as Max Weber have hailed the state's domination of education as a natural corollary of “modernisation”. Yet in the most advanced country on the planet (on many measures), more than 2m parents insist that education ought to be the work of the family. How has this come about?

Faith's imperatives

The 2m figure comes from the Home School Legal Defence Association. The most recent (1999) survey by the Department of Education put the number at only 850,000. The chances are that the HSLDA is closer to the truth. Rod Paige, the education secretary, uses its figure in his speeches, and, although home-schoolers tend to refuse to answer government surveys, a wealth of anecdotal evidence suggests that home-schooling is on the rise.

The market for teaching materials and supplies for home-schoolers is worth at least $850m a year. More than three-quarters of universities now have policies for dealing with home-schooled children. Support networks have sprung up in hundreds of towns and cities across the country to allow parents to do everything from establishing science labs to forming sports teams and defending their rights and reputation. When J.C. Penney started selling a T-shirt in 2001 that featured “Home Skooled” with a picture of a trailer home, the store faced so many complaints that it withdrew the item from sale.

Home-schooling is a fairly recent phenomenon. When Ronald Reagan came to power, in 1981, it was illegal for parents to teach their own children in most states. Today it is a legal right in all 50 states. Twenty-eight states require home-schooled children to undergo some kind of official evaluation, either by taking standardised tests or submitting a portfolio of work. Thirteen states simply require parents to inform officials that they are going to teach their children at home. In Texas, a parent doesn't have to tell anyone anything.

The main reason why legal restrictions on home-schooling have been swept away across so much of America is the power of the Christian right. Not all home-schoolers, of course, are religious conservatives. One of the first advocates of home-schooling, John Holt, was a left-winger who regarded schools as instruments of the bureaucratic-industrial complex. A lively subdivision of the home-school movement, called “unschooling”, argues that children should more or less be left to educate themselves. And the number of black home-schoolers is growing rapidly.

Yet the Praetorian Guard of the home-schooling movement are social conservatives. They turned to home-schooling in the 1970s in response to what they saw as the school system's lurch to the secular left—and they still provide most of the movement's political muscle on Capitol Hill. Senator Rick Santorum home-schools his children—or, rather, his wife does. Another Republican home-schooler, Congresswoman Marilyn Musgrave, sponsored a bill to clear up various legal confusions about grants and scholarships for home-schooled children.

George Bush has tried hard to keep home-schoolers on his side. During the 2000 campaign, he said: “In Texas we view home-schooling as something to be respected and something to be protected. Respected for the energy and commitment of loving mothers and loving fathers. Protected from the interference of government.” As president, he has held several receptions for home-schooled children in the White House.

Just as the teachers' unions provide so many of the Democrats' volunteers, home-schoolers are important Republican foot-soldiers. According to the HSLDA, 76% of home-schooled young people aged 18-24 vote in elections, compared with 29% in that age group in the general population. Home-schoolers are also significantly more likely to contribute to political campaigns and to work for candidates—normally Republican ones.



An education that works

So there is certainly an ideological edge to many home-schoolers. But do not be misled. First, this is a bottom-up movement with parents of whatever political stripe making individual decisions to withdraw their children (rather than following orders from higher up). Second, the movement has a utilitarian edge. Home-schoolers simply believe that they can offer their children better education at home.

One-to-one tuition, goes the argument, enables children to go at their own pace, rather than at a pace set for the convenience of teaching unions. And children can be taught “proper” subjects based on the Judeo-Christian tradition of learning, rather than politically correct flimflam. Some home-schoolers favour the classical notion of the trivium, with its three stages of grammar, dialectic and rhetoric (which requires children to learn Greek and Latin).

This sounds backward-looking, but home-schoolers claim that technology is on their side. The internet is making it ever easier to teach people at home, ever more teaching materials are available, and virtual communities now exist that allow home-schoolers to swap information.

The other factor working in home-schooling's favour is its own success. Many parents have been nervous about home-schooled children being isolated. With almost every town in America now boasting its own home-schooling network, that worry declines. Home-schooled children can play baseball with other home-schooled children; they can go on school trips; and so on.

What about academic standards? The home-schooling network buzzes with good news: a family with three home-schooled children at Harvard; a home-schooler with a bestselling novel; first, second and third place in the 2000 National Spelling Bee; a first university for home-schooled children (see article). Systematic evidence is more difficult to find.

There are certainly signs that home-schoolers are thriving. One recent survey by the HSLDA showed that three-quarters of home-educated adults aged 18-24 have taken college-level courses compared with 46% of the general population. But this is hardly conclusive. Home-schoolers do not have to report bad results. Moreover, home-schoolers may simply come from the more educated part of the population.

Yet these arguments point to change in the way the debate is unfolding. It is no longer about whether home-schooled children are losing out, but whether they are doing unfairly well. “Maybe we should subcontract all of public education to home-schoolers,” Bill Bennett, Mr Reagan's education secretary, once wondered mischievously. That looks unlikely. But America's home-schoolers represent an assault on public education that teachers everywhere should pay attention to.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Extended News; Government
KEYWORDS: fearfuldems; homeschool; homeschoollist; hslda; voting
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To: Graymatter
Are you using K12???
121 posted on 03/17/2004 9:09:23 AM PST by netmilsmom (Jonathansmommie's daughter was born 3-11-04, God Bless her!)
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To: blackdog
Is SOS good? I want to use it next year!!
122 posted on 03/17/2004 9:10:45 AM PST by netmilsmom (Jonathansmommie's daughter was born 3-11-04, God Bless her!)
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To: Graymatter
In what state do you reside? Do you have the option of privately homeschooling w/o the 'benefit' of charter?
123 posted on 03/17/2004 9:15:02 AM PST by mrs tiggywinkle
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To: netmilsmom
We found it to be great. The CD quizes can be a little too microspecific on the "correct answer" but for $300 for the works, I found it a winner.
124 posted on 03/17/2004 9:16:10 AM PST by blackdog (I feed the sheep the coyotes eat)
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Comment #125 Removed by Moderator

To: blackdog
I disagree about the computer issue. I don't think having a computer teaches critical thought where there is none,however there are many important uses for computers in the classroom.

We have the world at our fingertips now.

If we are using the case of inner city kids, I don't think many of them have computers in their homes. That is another example of how they are being left behind.

How will they compete in the market place? Of course we would all love to believe that having a "love of learning" will fuel our children and help them succeed.

While a very important trait,loving to learn does not pay the bills.

BTW- I agree with you about the cost of an education to a certain degree. I homeschool two on $500.00 year and two computers. It has been very effective for me.

126 posted on 03/17/2004 9:22:54 AM PST by Diva Betsy Ross (Every heart beats true for the red ,white and blue!)
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To: gobucks
"Maybe it should frighten teachers' unions more interested in turf than in teaching." I agree it was a relatively weak statment in an otherwise bold article. Your suggestion is better. Were you home schooled?

Alas no, but we began homeschooling in 1989. It is often overlooked that the process of homeschooling serves as a marvelous and wide-ranging liberal arts education for the publicly-schooled parents.

127 posted on 03/17/2004 9:23:58 AM PST by Tirian
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To: blackdog
I often wonder just how much money is earmarked for my child's schooling---have heard it's at least $5k---which now is going to a cyber charter which doesn't merit it either. The kid and I are the only ones doing any work. We didn't need their computer or their materials, just their "official" status to keep the govt watchdogs from hassling us for unnecessary accounting.

I'm not official or I could charge the state for unnecessary clutter of cyber school material in my house.

128 posted on 03/17/2004 9:24:55 AM PST by Graymatter
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To: blackdog
Homeschooled kids have won the national spelling bee each time in the past six or so years. The defense talking points issued by the NEA include that it's unbalanced children winning it. They study six hours a day on spelling and vocabulary in preparation for it. Thus an unfair standard is presented to the public school kids, since they are so "balanced".

Of course, being Lefties, that isn't even true. A few of the homeschooling finalists were also finalists in the national Science, Geography, and/or Math competitions as well.

129 posted on 03/17/2004 9:28:18 AM PST by Teacher317
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To: TontoKowalski
If you are going to take your kid to England, then I recommend visiting and spending an entire day at the Royal Armoury Museum in Leed, England. They have huge displays of armour and weapons and live action sword fight demonstrations in a 5 story building. Sooooo cool.

I was there for 4 hours and didn't get to see or read all the documentation.
130 posted on 03/17/2004 9:31:22 AM PST by Chewbacca ("Turn off your machines! Walk off your jobs! Power to the People!" - The Ice Pirates)
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To: gobucks
They give up not just a free public education

The price of ignorance is extremely expensive.

131 posted on 03/17/2004 9:32:40 AM PST by nickcarraway
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To: Desdemona
ping
132 posted on 03/17/2004 9:32:59 AM PST by nickcarraway
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To: mrs tiggywinkle
Thank you for the link ... I look it over, and suddenly, it dawned on me; I've been Mr. SAT my whole life, but it never occured to me that perhaps, the SAT is not the best way to determine an 'aptitude'.

Looks like, ahem, I have homework ahead of me. Now, I have to decide if I want to encourage this ACT test taking road at all. I hate feeling stupid ... I'm suspecting I should have known about this awhile ago.
133 posted on 03/17/2004 9:33:15 AM PST by gobucks (http://oncampus.richmond.edu/academics/classics/students/Ribeiro/laocoon)
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To: mrs tiggywinkle
We're in PA. I understand from native PA folks that homeschooling here means arduous record-keeping, paperwork, answering to evaluators, possible irritation from unfriendly local school district (and we're in one of those). So I decided to use a cyber charter, would rather not say which one, not to offend. It's still a bother. The kid's advanced in every subject and I supplement the school lessons heavily. For 2 cents and a good secretary I'd go with traditional homeschooling. I just don't feature jumping through hoops at my age.
134 posted on 03/17/2004 9:33:25 AM PST by Graymatter
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To: keithtoo
well, a little, because you pay for public schools through taxes.
135 posted on 03/17/2004 9:34:02 AM PST by nickcarraway
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To: netmilsmom
I seriously think that the only reason why they don't touch us is because we pay them to not educate our kids. If we ever got a tax break for it, they would be on us like a bad rash.

It's comments like these that make me realize how slow I can be. What an insight ... I never would have had it occur to me. In effect, the unions are extorting protection money from home schoolers .... its unreal, and I see why you added the word seriously.... I can be so DUMB. And I'm serious. But, I need to know this, so thanks for this tidbit .... I'm going to chew on it awhile.
136 posted on 03/17/2004 9:36:31 AM PST by gobucks (http://oncampus.richmond.edu/academics/classics/students/Ribeiro/laocoon)
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To: Carry_Okie
I have heard that universities actually like homeschool students- they realize they're getting a better educated student.
137 posted on 03/17/2004 9:37:25 AM PST by nickcarraway
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To: Diva Betsy Ross
While a computer is nice, it's not that effective for those troubled areas if ya know.......

I think it's a matter of priorities. I'd rather see the school teaching how to mix mortar, lay bricks, fit plumbing joints, square a foundation, and the science associated with that stuff than to hope that the interest is there to run a computer. It's not.

A stone mason in my area earns $30 per hour. His laborers earn $18 per hour. He has work scheduled two years out. And by the way his laborers are mexicans because nobody here can mix mortar or fit stone. Last I knew, computer work was getting hard to come by.

138 posted on 03/17/2004 9:38:25 AM PST by blackdog (I feed the sheep the coyotes eat)
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To: blackdog
Good points. I think in 18 years there should be time enough to learn it all.

We don't know what the future holds for certain jobs. We do know that computers are not going away.

139 posted on 03/17/2004 9:41:06 AM PST by Diva Betsy Ross (Every heart beats true for the red ,white and blue!)
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To: netmilsmom
Hello again.

Do you know that there's a home school girl scout troop that meets in Sterling Heights?
140 posted on 03/17/2004 9:42:00 AM PST by cyclotic (Cub Scouts-Teach 'em young to be men, and politically incorrect in the process)
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