We Stand For Home Schooling

we stand for homeschooling.org ^ | 5 Jun 2003

[steplock]

We Stand For Homeschooling

The very nature, language and essence of homeschooling are being challenged and even co-opted by a vast array of emerging educational programs which may be based in the home, but are funded by government tax dollars, bringing inevitable government controls. These new "home-based" publicly-funded entities are variously called: charter schools, cyber-charters, e-schools, Independent Study Programs (ISP), dual enrollment, Blended Schools Programs (BSP), Programs for Non-Public Students (PNPS), Public School Alternative Programs (PSAP), virtual schools, academies, community schools, home bound, and other newly devised terms and concepts. There is a profound possibility that homeschooling is not only on the brink of losing its distinctiveness, but also is in grave danger of losing its independence. A recent article in Education Week illustrates the problem.

Now, the situation has been upended in an unanticipated manner as proponents of home schooling in California, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and other states use charter school regulations to launch cyber schools. In many cases, youngsters who were already being schooled wholly at home are simply turning to cyber charter schools as a conduit to public funding, but others who had been in classrooms are staying home, too, to take whole schedules of courses online.

(1)

This view is distorted and incorrect. The vast majority of homeschoolers has never sought public funding. The "proponents" are those who would make a profit from publicly-financed home-based education. These proponents are not homeschoolers. The newly-emerging consumers of these programs are being misled into thinking these programs are homeschooling. Anyone who is enrolled in a publicly-funded school program, even if that public school is based in the home, is a public school student and not a homeschooler.

Further evidence of an unprecedented crisis is seen in a report from the Ozaukee Press (WI). Reporting on the development of Wisconsin Virtual Academy, a for-profit K12, Inc. cyber-charter school directed by William Bennett:

[Northern Ozaukee] School Board member Kate Redmond said she liked the idea of using a virtual school to reach out to families that want homeschooling for their children. "It is bringing home schooling under the state's umbrella," Redmond said.

(2)

One of the most blatant examples of "blending" homeschooling with existing public school models is represented in the Okaloosa County (FL) Blended School Project (BSP):

This proposal is designed to create a seamless educational plan for two groups of students: students that are schooled at home and students that are schooled at "government schools" (public schools). The proposal on the following pages would add a third choice beyond just home school or government schools…Blended Schools.

(3)

In an additional report from the Akron Beacon Journal regarding Ohio's TRECA, a cyber-school consortium of multiple school districts:

Educating children at home is the fastest growing element of charter schools in the state. Enrollment could soar from about 3,000 cyberschool students last year to more than 12,000 in the next few years. The superintendent estimates that while the schools receive more than $5,000 in state and local money per child, the cost is only $2,500 per elementary pupil and $3,500 per high schooler. He said public school districts would use profits to fund other school programs, while for-profit companies would pocket the difference.

(4)

What happens to homeschooling when publicly-funded school programs come under fire as has already begun? What will be the inevitable results of this guilt by association? As cited in Education Week:

Ohio's first online charter school-the Electronic Classroom Of Tomorrow, or eCOT-received $1.7 million in state payments for students who may not have met enrollment requirements in September and October of 2000, a recent state audit concludes.

(5)

We understand that it is pure folly to define what homeschooling is because of its diversity; nor can any one group pretend to speak for all homeschoolers. However, some educational programs can be clearly identified as NOT homeschooling. It is time to take a strong stand. Any time home education comes under "the state's umbrella" through public funding, it is no longer homeschooling. It is now public schooling.

________________________________________________________________________

WHEREAS a significant aspect of homeschooling is the independence from government control that it holds for every family regardless of the approach to education they choose;

WHEREAS charter school enrollees are public school students;

WHEREAS publicly-funded programs have co-opted the very language which homeschoolers have developed and utilized for years, including words and concepts such as: home education, family-based, parent-directed, independent family education, and the very word homeschooling itself. Publicly-funded cyber-schools are often misidentified as homeschools and the public will view them as homeschools if they are allowed to co-opt the language of homeschooling;

WHEREAS it is clear that the strongest motivation of the proponents of publicly-funded programs is access to taxpayer monies;

WHEREAS savvy marketing and slick corporate styled PR campaigns are purposely blurring the distinct difference between a publicly-funded cyber-school conducted at a place of residence and a homeschool, and in the process they are insulting parents by stating that homeschooling is extremely "arduous", "you need not feel frantic," and you need an "expert;"

WHEREAS homeschool parents are capable, intelligent people who accept responsibility for their children's education and have been effective without the enticements of a computer, "experts," reimbursements or packaged curriculum, and have succeeded without standards-driven accountability models, testing and other government interference;

WHEREAS the biggest difference between homeschools and publicly-funded school programs is that homeschoolers take direct responsibility by choosing a curriculum, an approach to learning, and the principles and values on which these are based while publicly-funded school program parents accept and follow detailed instructions about what to learn and how to learn it, using a curriculum designed to comply with state requirements and values;

WHEREAS cyber-public schools masquerading as homeschools are justifiably under fire for abuses, inevitably tarring homeschooling with the same brush; and

WHEREAS corporations are finding willing accomplices in school district administrations who are enticed by the financial gains corporations are promising their districts. Public school districts, because of the loss of funding, have pre-empted the for-profit corporations by starting their own publicly-funded in-home programs, even districts which object in principle to charter schools,

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the words and concepts of homeschooling should not be used by publicly-funded school programs, and/or by the corporations that control them, to seek legitimacy or profit;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the words and concepts of homeschooling should not be used to seek legitimacy by those who have chosen to enroll in a publicly-funded school program. These families should honestly call such enrollment what it is - enrollment in public school. Their choices should not compromise others' rights to remain independent.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the signers of this statement will work to ensure that the basic right to choose an education consistent with one's principles and beliefs is maintained for homeschoolers by informing homeschoolers and the general public that public school programs (including charter schools) that are easily confused with homeschools threaten the freedom to choose an education consistent with one's principles and beliefs; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the signers of this statement will encourage homeschoolers to make known explicitly and publicly how public school programs that are easily confused with homeschools, threaten our basic homeschooling freedoms and the nature, language, and definition of homeschooling.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the signers to this document reclaim homeschooling.

__________________________________________________________________________

We encourage you to print and circulate this document widely.
We also encourage others to join us by .

View the Original Signers by clicking .

Download this document as an Acrobat .

Print a printer friendly directly from your browser.

Download Acrobat Reader HERE.

_________________________________________________________________________

(1) Education Week "The Virtual Schoolhouse," by Gene I. Maeroff, February 26, 2003.

(2) Ozaukee Press, "Virtual school gets go-ahead in Fredonia," by Mark Jaeger, February 6, 2003.

(3) Okaloosa County (FL) Blended School Project Proposal at: http://www.okaloosa.k12.fl.us/stuserv/ci/blended_school_information.htm

(4) Akron Beacon Journal, "Funding falls short for cyberschools," by Dennis J. Willard and Doug Oplinger, July 17, 2002.

(5) Education Week, "Ohio Audit Reveals Difficulties Of Tracking Online Students," by Andrew Trotter, December 5, 2001.

[Scenic Sounds]

Wow. Posts just don't get any better than that.

There's an outline for a very informative column in there. ;-)

[netmilsmom]

>>Socialism by any other name is socialism.

You're not homeschooling your charter schooling at home. There's a difference.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If my child is going to school at home (understand that only 20% of the education is online with K12) you can call it what you like. Home-school, school at home or homeschool, my child is not in a classroom in another building with terror kids and care less teachers.
You want to call it socialism. I call it a decent education for my daughter. You don't want government regulation on your homeschooling, I want you to stay out of my business if I choose to do a virtual-charter.

[TontoKowalski]

I'm fine with that warning for the very reasons that you stated. Unfortunately I have seen homeschooling organizations go the route of lobbying the government, opposing these types of programs. That's where I have problems because in that case it a homeschooling organization seeking to limit the educational choices of other families.

Codder too: I did not mean to imply that HSLDA endorsed this particular proposal, although a review of my post certainly could have led you to believe that.

I meant to use the HSLDA example to point out how sometimes perfectly reputable homeschool organizations take positions that, if carried out, limit the educational choices for parents.

PMCarey said this better in his post, an excerpt of which I've posted above.

For the record: I like HSLDA and support them, but I don't personally endorse every single position they take. Sort of like my relationship with the National Republican Party.

[pgyanke]

I read your conversation on this topic with interest. My son became a one-year-old this weekend and my wife and I discuss homeschool vs the local Catholic gradeschool often. There is obviously a diverse body of thought on the topic--as there should be.

The article itself states that there is no single voice for homeschoolers--I don't think the author is attempting to create a "homeschool my way or you're not homeschooling" document. I see this as an important clarion call against government intrusion. It's about the language. What's so important about the language? Language becomes law.

E.g.: The word "regulate" in the Second Amendment has given rise to heated debate over its meaning. In the time of the founders it meant the local militia (us) should be well-apportioned and armed for defense against tyranny. In the modern parlance it means to control and limit. Now, in fighting over the meaning of the word, we are fighting for our Constitutional rights.

If the government co-opts the language of homeschooling in their own curriculum, then you will find the language of homeschooling in legislation and regulation. In short order, the limits imposed on government "homeschools" will apply to your homeschools. How will you fight? It is the law.

This issue is important and the time to take action is before we find ourselves fighting the written word of law against a team of bureaucratic lawyers.

[netmilsmom]

>>If the government co-opts the language of homeschooling in their own curriculum, then you will find the language of homeschooling in legislation and regulation. In short order, the limits imposed on government "homeschools" will apply to your homeschools. How will you fight? It is the law. <<<

Okay, I get it. It's all a matter of the words.
My great-nephew goes to a virtual elementary school and is not homeschooled. I can live with that.

[Lady Eileen]

Well said.

[ppaul]

To compel a man to furnish contributions of money for the propagation of opinions which he disbelieves is sinful and tyrannical. -- Thomas Jefferson

[Lady Eileen]

ppaul...Thanks for the reminder...May God have mercy on us.

[FourPeas]

If you can trust parents to decide how to educate their children themselves, you can trust them to decide how much Government assistance and how many Government strings they are willing to accept.

Well said and this, I believe, is the crux of homeschooling. We, as parents, are the ones to rightfully decide how, where and when our children are schooled.

[FourPeas]

I can't seem to find the explanation of how our freedoms as homeschoolers are threatened. Could you please explain?

[pgyanke]

I can't seem to find the explanation of how our freedoms as homeschoolers are threatened. Could you please explain?

I'll take a crack at this.

Homeschooling has become the catch word for educating your child yourself. Most states at least "allow" for this type of education. Some states (like CA) have shown some hostility but been forced (or chose) to back down from more aggressive actions. Part of the reluctance by legislatures and regulators to directly engage has been the lack of regulation of homeschoolers and a lack of desire to join a public debate on their regulation.

If the government successfully adopts the language of homeschooling and refers to some of their own programs as "homeschooling", then you will begin to find government regulation of "homeschooling". The regulation will be written to cover government action and programs but homeschool opponents will use the language as a club on those who, up until now, they have been unable to affect directly.

[steplock]

2 more good related articles

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/925720/posts
BRAIN TRAINING AND PRESCHOOL FAILURES

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/925740/posts
THE GOOD AND THE BEAUTIFUL AND THE TRUE

[GOPrincess]

"2. Vouchers obscure the difference between parents who are willing to sacrifice to send their children to a private school from those who are unwilling to sacrifice. This means private schools will lower their standards of who gets in."

There is so much troubling about this statement I don't even know where to begin.

We are currently sacrificing to send one of our children to private school. (My husband drives an early *'70s* car, for goodness' sake!) Simultaneous tuition for more is not a possibility, especially with college looming soon for our eldest. The idea that everyone can afford to "sacrifice" enough to privately school their children (or pay for a homeschool curriculum) -- if only they try hard enough -- is absurd, as is the corollary, that children whose parents cannot afford private schools are unworthy of a quality education and, indeed, will somehow taint the educational experiences of others.

I would like to add that I would far prefer to keep our tax dollars in the first place and use those dollars directly in the marketplace. That not being likely as a possibility while my children are young (!), I feel no compunctions about settling for the second-best option, receiving my money back in the form of either vouchers or being able to select a homeschool curriculum. My children will be out of the public school classroom, receiving a quality education and personal attention, while avoiding many of the educational/social problems that led us to make this choice in the first place. It is ironic that those who would call a homeschool charter "socialist" do not recognize that in using the homeschool charter we are avoiding the very socialist indoctrination they fear.

My belief is that the more educational choices there are, ranging from completely private, unregulated homeschooling to programs which compete for tax dollars, the more control parents will have over their children's education, and the more it will force traditional public schools to be responsive to the marketplace.

[Clint N. Suhks]

Keeping Homeschooling free from government interference--

Everyone who homeschools needs Mike Smith at HSLDA, he protects your rights in Washington and protects you from all government interference.

[GOPrincess]

I'm not sure I buy the theory that by co-opting the homeschool "language" this will in turn lead to government regulation, but let's say this is a real possibility: Would it not then behoove private homeschoolers to build support among all homeschoolers -- on the theory that we *all* should have free choice, whether it be private or charter -- rather than using excluding, inflammatory language in pushing their cause?

Although I have chosen to begin homeschooling through a charter, I absolutely believe in the right of others to homeschool without any government participation/regulation and would happily work alongside private homeschoolers to prevent that kind of regulation. Yet I find that some of those I would support attack my choice with derogatory language. (And Heaven forbid a *computer* is involved, let alone a *corporation*! LOL.) As another poster said, this kind of divisiveness may come back to bite private homeschoolers, who could find broad support across the homeschooling community lacking when they need it most.

[Lady Eileen]

Thanks steplock.

[hsmomx3]

If homeschoolers choose a cyber school or anything affiliated with a govt. school, will that homeschooler be counted as a public school student, and will that district receive fed. money as a result?

[pgyanke]

Maybe I'm missing something... I don't see where the original document to this thread used divise or inflammatory language toward other homeschoolers. They specifically said there is no one voice for homeschoolers because every family is different.

Their venom was directed against those who accept government dollars to "homeschool." Accepting government dollars opens you up to government regulation (after all, they can't support religion, discrimination, et al).

Their premise is that if the government is involved it isn't a home school.

[Lady Eileen]

Thanks...for the reference.

[GOPrincess]

I liked this commentary on the subject at hand:

http://www.marygriffith.com/work3.htm