How to Suppress Homeschooling

Let’s get one thing clear from the beginning; in this country, parents have the right to teach their children at home, provided they meet minimal expectations regarding the preparation of their children for citizenship. This is not just a homeschooling parent’s view; it’s the consensus view that emerges from every judicial opinion rendered in a legal challenge to homeschooling

There has been a lot written and spoken about homeschooling, most of it positive. Unfortunately, there always has been a focused, often loud voice, spewing disinformation about homeschooling. One has only to read the published position of the National Education Association to understand whose voice it is, and also what drives the position. Let’s be clear—it is the success of homeschooling relative to the public education establishment, not a concern for the welfare of homeschooled children that motivates the education establishment to suppress homeschooling.

How successful is homeschooling? To date, every reputable published study has concluded that homeschooled children perform at least as well as their institutionally educated peers on the basics of literacy, mathematics, history, and social studies. In fact, if one can believe the results of the Iowa Test of Basic Skills and the Iowa Test of Academic Proficiency, homeschoolers as a group score approximately 25 percentage points above the general population. This is the test regime most often employed in the public schools in Georgia, so it must have some credibility. And these results are not unique to one year, or to one cleverly-selected sample of homeschoolers—they are repeated time and time again, all over this country. The message is crystal clear; homeschooling works, and works extremely well, as method of primary and secondary education.

Even the education establishment has recognized that it cannot attack homeschooling simply on the basis of academic results. Thus, for many years, the education establishment raised the issue of "socialization"—how could homeschooled children possibly be learning to cope in the "real world" if they were being isolated at home? Socialization is much harder to study than academic achievement, and there have been few reliable studies comparing the socialization of institutionally educated versus homeschooled children. But the studies that have been published suggest that homeschooled children are at least as well socialized as their institutionally educated peers. Much more convincing than scientific studies is simply the observation of groups of homeschoolers compared to groups of institutionally-educated students, for example, on field trips, at the theater, or in other similar settings. Furthermore, homeschooled children quite often are out in their communities, taking arts and crafts classes, volunteering, participating in theater, singing in choirs, and myriad other activities. They most definitely are not isolated, and their experience of the "real world" is out in the world, not in the artificial environment of the narrow age-group settings found in educational institutions.

The education establishment has realized that the socialization issue will be seen for the red herring that it is, and has searched for other means to suppress homeschooling. Two new strategies have emerged, and these pose real threats to homeschooling. The first strategy is to argue that homeschooling needs some form of accreditation. A number of reasons have been offered: it eases the transition back to the public school for those homeschoolers who go back, it is the basis for awarding a recognized diploma, and it makes it easier to provide homeschoolers access to public school programs and facilities such as science classes, libraries, sports, etc. But accreditation is simply another word for conforming, and the desire to not conform is the fundamental reason for choosing to homeschool. Homeschoolers as a group will not be seduced nor will they be tricked by the false promises of accreditation.

The second strategy for suppressing homeschooling is one that is much more likely to be successful, and it is to drastically limit homeschoolers’ access to public higher education. In this, the education establishment has discovered its only effective weapon against homeschooling. The strategy has been used in Georgia, and it unfolds in this way. First, the state Board of Regents establishes a goal of "raising academic standards in the state," and promulgates a policy requiring entering students to have completed a "college preparatory curriculum." Next, the Board of Regents dictates that if a student graduates from a "recognized" public or private school, having taken the designated courses, he or she will be presumed to be "college prep curriculum"-qualified. Finally, the Board of Regents will "recognize" the need to provide access to homeschoolers, and will promulgate an admissions policy for homeschoolers that requires a large number of specific subject tests, such as the SAT II tests, to demonstrate CPC proficiency. The policy specifically prevents institutions from using a portfolio to establish CPC proficiency.

This strategy is extremely effective for three reasons. First, the staff people at the state Board of Regents are members of the education establishment, and therefore anxious to "do their part" in the war against homeschooling. Second, homeschoolers are inclined to take a position that "if you are so stupid that you don’t want me, I’ll go somewhere that appreciates me." Since there are many private colleges and universities that welcome or actively recruit them, homeschoolers have alternatives, albeit generally much more expensive ones, to public higher education. It is this aspect that works so effectively to suppress homeschooling; many parents, faced with the prospect of private college tuition, simply give up and send their children back to the education establishment. Third, the Board of Regents often is not an elected body, so it does not answer directly to the voters, and often works completely out of view of the public. Thus, there is simply no mechanism for the citizenry to effect changes in Board policies.

There will be those who ask, "Why don’t you just take the additional tests, if homeschooling is so effective?" The answer is one that may be difficult for non-homeschoolers to understand. We choose to homeschool, in part because we believe deeply in the need to be an effective learner, as opposed to the need to learn specific factual material. Homeschoolers, left alone, typically become extremely well educated in the specific subjects that interest them, in addition to becoming proficient in the basics. Subject tests, like the eight SAT II tests currently required in Georgia, force children to learn specific factual information, chosen by somebody else, just as if they were in an educational institution. In other words, it is a way to force them to conform. What makes this a travesty is that there is no documented evidence that the proficiency demonstrated by the tests is necessary for success in the student’s chosen academic field of study. And even if it is, for one or two of the tests, to require eight is discriminatory and punitive.

Homeschooling is a movement that has grown rapidly in the past decade. In 1984, when Georgia adopted a homeschooling law, it was estimated that there were approximately 600 active homeschooling families. Today, the estimate is 12,000. If the 20% growth rate of the past five years continues, homeschoolers will number more than 100,000 by 2007. It is the size of the movement that makes the education establishment so desperate to suppress homeschooling, or at least to force homeschoolers into greater conformity. And they have found two new strategies that they can deploy largely out of the view of homeschoolers until it is too late for an effective response.

It is our independence and our desire for privacy that has made us vulnerable to the education establishment. Homeschoolers don’t publicize their successes. Homeschoolers don’t cultivate their elected officials. Homeschoolers don’t "sell" homeschooling to their neighbors. Homeschoolers have ignored the misinformation and disinformation, and allowed the education establishment to work behind the scenes for too long. It is time for homeschoolers to "come out of the closet," and demand respect and fair treatment by the education establishment. If we educate the public, if we cultivate our elected officials, we can make those demands successfully. Otherwise, we must contend with the reduced opportunities and the continuous threat of additional regulation and restriction.

This article is an oldie but goodie. The writer describes conditions for homeschoolers in Georgia.

Your restrictions, and the restrictions placed on your children, may vary from state to state. No surprise.

One of my closest friends was home-schooled from kindergarten through the 8th grade (after that she attended a private, all-girl Catholic high school). Without a doubt she is one of the most interesting, most informed, and most well-read people that I know. She was awarded a full academic scholarship to study at Notre Dome, and, after that, she received a graduate fellowship at Vanderbilt University.

Both of my daughters were homechooled. They never attended a day of public school. One daughter was given a full scholarship to Stanford. The other daughter was offered the same but is choosing UC Santa Cruz.

Stanford, the US Military Acadamies, MIT and many other colleges actually seek out homeschoolers. They are more open minded, more curious, more serious about learning, have a boarder education and are better socially adjusted then puiblic school children.

That last one, social adjustment, comes as big surprise to many people not familiar with homeschooling.

To the best of my knowledge, home schoolers do better on the S.A.T.S. and the A.C.T.S. then do kids that go to schools. At least in NYS. A few of my friends are teachers and have had talks about this. The Union points out the socialization aspect to them, and hits on it alot, they also try and tell them that mostly white parents do this because they want to raise the kids racists, and blah blah blah. "Its the job of the teacher to sometimes undue the damage that a misguided parents may do". They also point out that fewer students in schools affects their budgets and salaries, it part of the reason teachers are so against it. Their union leadership will lie to them for its own purpose, I was surprised about the scores being better for home schooled kids though.

A few years back there was a lawsuit filed by a homeschooler in Georgia who aced the SAT's and was told he had to undergo further testing to get into a state college. Do you or anyone know what the outcome was?

Thank you for bringing this article to my attention. I am curious to know what you think of the requirement for the homeschooling parent to have a 4-year college degree--as is the case in some states. Is this a deterent or is there a legitimate reason behind it?

I will graduate college just in time to homeschool my child, but I wonder--from what I have experienced in my institute of "higher education"--if that will make me a more capable homeschooler than my child's godmother with whom I share virtually the same life experience, save her decision to stay home and mine to go to the University.

One of the best homeschooling moms I know did not graduate from high school. The need for accredidation is a bunch of malarchy. What is really needed is the parent's willingness to do a good job and access to good books. I would say that some NEA types have neither of those two requirements.

I can't think of any legitimate reason any state could name for requiring parents to have a 4-year college degree in order to homeschool their own children.

Only a high-school education is required for military service.
Registering to vote doesn't even require that much.
Dittos for getting a driver's license.
In most states, a day-care provider needs no special training, just a license to operate the center.

The degree requirement HAS to be a deterrent, promoted by and for the public education establishment.

lawsuit filed by a homeschooler in Georgia who aced the SAT's

No, I'm not familiar with the story.

When I was in the military, I was given some good advice.
"No matter what you know, or think you know, someone will resent you for it."
And "Never ace a test. Never. Put down one or two wrong answers. All perfect scores are automatically suspect."

Whyat would be wrong with a group of people getting together and hiring a qualified teacher to teach their children.

Our socialist don't make it in a system where there is compettion. God forbid we should have a say so concerning our own wards of the state.

mostly white parents do this because they want to raise the kids racists

The teachers' unions are desperate, aren't they, if they're such braying jack@sses as to spout such vile lies.

Their worldview does not include home-educated children who excel, think for themselves, and aren't under the leftist thumb!

Thank you. I thought it was an unnecessary hinderance. I see much in day-to-day college life that tells me many of those who receive degrees will still be far less equipped than those of us with life experience and most of all--COMMITMENT to give our children the best education.

People used to do just that. In small towns, they would advertise for a teacher, then interview the candidates.
The best, most competent teacher (and one whose worldview was acceptable to the parents, BTW) was chosen.

It used to be common to hire tutors, too. This was more often true of wealthy families, but that fact doesn't negate the truth.

There is no substitute for a well-rounded, real-world, old-fashioned education.

Whyat would be wrong with a group of people getting together and hiring a qualified teacher to teach their children

That's what we are planning to do for our children...perhaps 6-10 parents collaborating to develop a curriculum/hire a teacher/volunteer one day per week, etc.

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