"8. Homeschooling is selfish. According to this article in USA Today, students who get homeschooled are increasingly from wealthy and well-educated families. To take these (I’m assuming) high achieving students out of our schools is a disservice to our less fortunate public school kids. Poorer students with less literate parents are more reliant on peer support and motivation, and they greatly benefit from the focus and commitment of their richer and higher achieving classmates."
This idea that the State has some claim to compel students to attend public schools for utilitarian reasons is a case in point. The responsibility and authority for making decisions concerning the education of children belongs within the family. That some parents are irresponsible, ignorant, or morally negligent does not justify infringing on the rights of parents who are responsible. If the education being offered by the secular state is substandard, tends to promote immorality, or poses physical dangers to the safety of children, parents are well within their rights to seek alternatives whether they be private, religious, or home-based instruction.
There is an argument for the socialization function of the education of children in schools, that formal schooling provides certain social advantages, etc. There can be a pretty good debate on that, but it has to be balanced out with the other issues.
Liberals and secular humanists made serious mistakes in McCollum v. Board of Education Dist.71(1948) and Abington School District v. Schempp, (1963). By removing Christianity and prayer from public schools they set up the situation driving the homeschool movement. Students have different learning styles and varying educational needs which cannot be met by the Deweyite and Fabian Socialist education offered in many school districts. As long as this continues, concerned parents will seek alternatives. Providing a solid Christian education benefits society in numerous ways. Schools would be wise to return to that tradition.
This ties right in with the marxist principle of having everyone be equal at the lowest common denominator.
My first thought is that it's supposed to be the AUTHOR'S job to teach the poorer students. Isn't that what teachers are getting paid to do?