Posted on 03/05/2006 12:31:49 PM PST by wagglebee
eaching your children at home will continue to require dedication - but no longer a college sheepskin - under a change to state law awaiting the governor's signature.
Two identical "high school diploma" bills that passed recently say it's OK for anyone to home-school a child in Virginia as long as that person has earned at least a high school diploma, not a bachelor's degree as currently required. The proposed change raised little ruckus in the General Assembly.
But parents who home-school welcomed the elimination of what they called an arbitrary, unwarranted restriction.
Virginia parents with neither college nor high school diplomas already could home-school but only if they were certified teachers, which usually requires college; used an approved correspondence course; or followed the Virginia Standards of Learning requirements in English and math used in the public schools. Those in the last category also had to prove to the local schools superintendent that they could provide "an adequate education" for their children.
Home-school advocates said that standardized test scores they're required to file each year with the state show that having a high school diploma or college degree makes little difference in teaching ability - it's more about one-on-one attention and knowing your children.
"Just having a college degree is no predictor of success in home schooling," said Ian Slatter, media relations director for the Home School Legal Defense Association, based in Purcellville. "There was definite frustration that there was this different standard and no justification for it."
Opposing the change was the Virginia PTA.
"It's very troublesome," said Stella Y. Edwards, state legislative chairwoman. "The state and federal governments have sought to raise the level of standards " while this change would lower them for some, she said.
"The children are the ones missing out here," she said.
Under the current and proposed laws, all home-school teachers undergo annual reviews through test results or other means and can be placed on a year's probation if students aren't adequately progressing. Those without college degrees who go the SOL route face increased scrutiny that varies across the state.
"The problem with that is, some superintendents have additional requirements they put on home-school parents - they don't treat them equally," said Yvonne Bunn, home-school support director for the Home Educators Association of Virginia, which sought the change.
Elsewhere, the only college requirements for home-school teachers are in Tennessee, which requires a bachelor's degree to teach high school subjects, and North Dakota, which requires one only if a home-school teacher doesn't want to be monitored for the first two years by a certified teacher.
Forty-one states don't specify any educational qualifications to home-school, according to the Home School Legal Defense Association.
Gov. Timothy M. Kaine wants to add a two-year period of oversight by the state Board of Education and further study the bills but "generally is supportive of efforts to eliminate regulatory hurdles for parents who choose to home-school their children," spokesman Kevin Hall said. Proponents said they had no problems with such oversight.
Locally, 2,125 children were home-schooled in the five South Hampton Roads cities in 2004-05, the latest figures available from the state. That reflected a 2 percent increase in two years - four times the increase in public school enrollment during the same time.
"It's very troublesome," said Stella Y. Edwards, state legislative chairwoman. "The state and federal governments have sought to raise the level of standards " while this change would lower them for some, she said.
No, they just want to remove children from the NEA's socialist agenda which really has nothing to do with education.
Homeschool ping.
This is amazing, it seems that 'free public education' means the government owns your kids.
Good grief! It's easier to homeschool in MA than it apparently is in VA!
Home schooling might eventually get Virginia a governor that don't drool and flutter his eyes while speaking.. but then its awful close to West Virgina.. Could be the water..
Well they aren't your children, lady, so butt out.
This is great news. I homeschooled my son all the way from K through 12 and managed just fine without a college degree. It's not like it's college level material, and I didn't write my own curriculum. You have to be a moron to flunk this skill since the teacher's manuals give you the answers. What with software, the Internet, dvd's and everything else in addition to books, the work is all done for you. The teacher is just the buyer, the scheduler and the grader. So what's the problem with public school teachers? I suppose one problem is that they get stuck with crappy curriculum that is more aimed at indoctrination than education. And then they haven't the freedom to discipline a kid effectively like mom or dad can. Whup-de-do that you have a degree on the wall if you can't get Johnny to sit still and listen to you. Or if once he does listen, all you've got to work with is politically correct nonsense.
Education by committee can never be as effective as one-on-one teaching can. Especially when the committee is all entangled in politics.
Ping!
Good news for Virginia homeschoolers
Not fer long it ain't.
WooHoo! Thanks for the ping! I will pass this on to my neighbor!
Also, I must say that I loathe the local PTA let alone the Virginia one. UGH!
They were the biggest reason for maintaining the *NO MERRY CHRISTMAS* for Winter Festivals.
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