Home-school is so popular some getting suspicious

Houston Chronicle ^ | 5/10/10 | J Radcliffe

[SoFloFreeper]

More than 22,620 Texas secondary students who stopped showing up for class in 2008 were excluded from the state's dropout statistics because administrators said they were being home-schooled, according to Texas Education Agency figures.

But that's where the scrutiny of this growing population seems to end, leaving some experts convinced that schools are disguising thousands of middle and high school dropouts in this hands-off category.

While home-schooling's popularity has increased, the rate of growth concentrated in Texas' high school population is off the chart: It's nearly tripled in the last decade, including a 24 percent jump in a single year.

“That's just ridiculous,” said Brian D. Ray, founder of the National Home Education Research Institute. “It doesn't sound very believable

[sitetest]

Dear conservatism_IS_compassion,

I don’t mean to suggest that it is the government that is the appropriate authority to judge the commitment of parents. Rather, I related how the homeschooling portfolio review works in my county, and how it can show clearly the commitment about which you speak, which you said could only be judged by the parents themselves.

The commitment of homeschooling parents is readily and objectively observable.

Not sure what was “the way [you] suggest.”

sitetest

[<1/1,000,000th%]

[chapman55k]

We used Singapore up to pre-algebra, Teaching Textbooks through Algebra, Algebra II, and Geometry, then switched to Thinkwell math for pre-calculus. That is where we are now. Even though I do math for a living (including quite a bit of calculus), we will send both kids to the community college next year for Calculus I, II, II, and Linear Algebra to prepare them for a four year school. We tried Saxon, but we liked the other programs a lot better.

That is one of the things that is truly good about homeschool—parents can change to whatever they want, whenever they want if something is not working. We used completely different basic reading programs for our so and our daughter because they learn so differently.

[metmom]

It’s good to know that there are other good math curricula out there.

Honestly, if the kids can memorize their addition and multiplication facts and understand fractions, I’d say 90% of the battle is over.

The rest of mathematics is manipulating figures and all use those basic tools.

[chapman55k]

I agree. A good foundation is absolutely essential.

[secretagent]

Homeschoolers must defend their right to educate their own kids, and also keep the right from being abused by liars and cheats.

I disagree.

The natural right is a negative one, the right to be left alone as long as one is not committing aggression against others.

The LEGAL right should mirror the natural right.

Government's proper role, in general, is to only defend individuals from aggression from other individuals.

Leaving one's kids out of government schools, for any reason, is not an aggression against others.

Which means that "liars and cheats" should not even be at issue, since the government has no proper role in compelling school attendance.

[secretagent]

Not providing a child with a proper education is child abuse....It is the same as if they could not provide food, clothing, or shelter.

I disagree. The above, unlike illiteracy, endangers the immediate physical wellbeing of the child.

[secretagent]

And it’s an insult that we pay for our children to be indoctrinated by the state.

Worse, that we even countenance compulsory attendance.

[secretagent]

You can't protect against every possible shortfall or ill in a free republic.

Not even with a government gun.

[HospiceNurse]

I disagree. The above, unlike illiteracy, endangers the immediate physical wellbeing of the child.

Illiteracy is child abuse like malnutrition is child abuse. It affects the child for the rest of its life and reflects poorly on the parents and the society that allowed it to happen.

[secretagent]

Illiteracy is child abuse like malnutrition is child abuse. It affects the child for the rest of its life and reflects poorly on the parents and the society that allowed it to happen.

I see illiteracy and malnutrition as no threats to the immediate physical well-being of the child, and therefore not child abuse if child abuse is to mean "that which justifies state intervention".

Teaching that government has a proper role in compelling attendance anywhere, except to court or jail, presents severe long term threats to children, parents, and society.

I see it as a far greater threat than illiteracy.