[Antoninus]

You and I have a right to complain (and more) if a kid is so uneducated that he becomes a burden on, or even a positive danger to, a free society.

LOL. Your comments are so divorced from reality that they approach absurdity. Now be honest--is a kid who is "uneducated and a burden on or a danger to a free society" more likely to come out of the public school system or a home-school family?

I am not at all defending California's public education system -- but I side with Jefferson on this one. We don't need a bunch of ignorant fools deciding our future for us.

Jefferson would be appalled at what our public school system has become. And if you want to see "ignorant fools" in action, visit your local teacher education college. My acquaintances who were studying "education" (one of whom even went to Harvard for graduate school) were some of the most ignorant people I ever knew. The fact that people like them make educational policy in this country is part of the reason I decided that homeschooling was the way to go.

[sitetest]

Dear Antoninus,

Ah, I see you prefer the pragmatic arguments against state control of education.

Of course, why not? They're so much easier! The examples abound! LOL.

sitetest

[r9etb]

Now be honest--is a kid who is "uneducated and a burden on or a danger to a free society" more likely to come out of the public school system or a home-school family?

It depends, of course. The trial court said that the kids in this case were getting a lousy education, even as it ruled in favor of the home-schoolers. And those kids may well have turned out as burdens on society. OTOH, it's quite obvious that many of the products of California public schools are of questionable worth ... though it's difficult to determine whether the fault lies with the teachers, or the parents in many of those cases. Based on second-hand information from teachers I know, the "average" home environment of the student body determines much of the educational environment within a school.

Ah ... but that brings up the "parent" word again. What say you about parents who don't much care about their kids' education?

And in any case, I've made no comments on how a good education should be provided; only that we have an obvious interest in kids being well-educated. You cannot deny that, surely?

As it happens, I don't have anything against home-schooling per se, having home-schooled my own daughter at one time. I know a number of folks who do a very good job at it. On the other hand, I've seen some home-schooling products who have gotten a seriously bum deal from their parents.

As for the quality of public education in California -- I agree that California public schools are pretty poor, as a general rule.

However, California LAW says what it says, and thus the quality of California public education is actually irrelevant to the case at hand ... unless (again) you're an advocate of judicial activism.

Are you suggesting, perhaps, that these judges should undertake to reform California public schools? I'd think Kansas City's experience would argue against such ideas.

At any rate, California's education problems are not a matter for the 2nd Appellate Court to decide.