Anyone home schooling out there?

[ChicosBailBonds]

California just made it illegal today unless the parents have a teaching credential.  This should get interesting.


http://www.onenewsnow.com/Legal/Default.aspx?id=69177

[SoCalwarrior]

California public schools are horrible.  The courts should figure out how to fix them first.  Forcing  a kid to fight sixty other kids, some of them gang members, for one of the thirty desks in a portable bungalow trailer seems a bit much.

[NavinRJohnson]

I thought Wisconsin's teachers' union was out of control. Wow.

[77ncaachamps]

As a CA teacher, I don't see any push on this matter from the teachers' unions (read the article as it references possible violations involving a Christian school, which is non-union). If anything, the state might be asking for the insurance of students' preparation as they enter/assimilate into the classroom setting and the collection of any state funding by schools who claim that a student is "present" when they are actually being schooled at home.

There are good homeschooling parents out there, and then there are those who "think" they know what homeschooling is - but actually don't provide a rigorous curriculum.

As a side note: Look at the comments on the link's thread. They fall into line with the audience of the website.

EDIT: By the way, I find it interesting that the first article leaves out other information. Read the Mercury News article below.

A state appellate court ruling that says parents must have a teaching credential to home school their children has rocked home schoolers throughout the Golden State, and many expect the decision to be appealed to the California Supreme Court.

The controversial unanimous ruling by a three-judge panel in Los Angeles was triggered by a dependency court proceeding.

Mary and Philip Long homeschooled their eight children through the Sunland Christian School, a private school that supports homeschooling through its independent study program.

The family came to the attention of the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services when one of the children said the father was physically abusive. Social workers learned that all the children in the family had been homeschooled, and an attorney representing the two youngest siblings asked the juvenile court to order that they be enrolled in public or private school.

"The judge didn't like the family," said Debbie Schwarzer, a Los Altos attorney who homeschools her 10- and 12-year-old and is active in the Homeschool Association of California. 'But instead of making a ruling that affected two children, he made a ruling that affects tens of thousands of children. What the judge has done is send us back to the Dark Ages."

As a "published" decision, the appeals court ruling sets precedent throughout California, although in the short-term it handed down orders only in the Los Angeles case and is unlikely to force other school districts to make immediate changes to their policies. Other appeals courts around the state could still weigh in with differing opinions, and the California Supreme Court would eventually have the last word.

If the state Supreme Court agrees to review the 2d District ruling, the justices would ordinarily put the issue on hold until it is fully resolved.

Once largely the province of the radical left and conservative Christians, home schooling has grown rapidly in recent years and in some circles is considered mainstream.

Much of the growth has been fueled by the Internet, which allows parents to shop for online lessons in geography and history, swap teaching responsibilities with other parents, and access countless homeschooling blogs, listservs and conferences.

Though accurate numbers are difficult to pin down, advocates such as Keith estimate that there are at least 200,000 students taught by their parents in California. Some parents homeschool for religious reasons, but others turn to homeschooling out of concerns over campus safety, peer pressure and the increasing focus on standardized tests.

Homeschooling laws vary from state to state. California offers a number of ways to homeschool: parents can file paperwork with the state establishing their home as a small private school, hire a credentialed tutor to educate their children, or enroll their children in independent study programs that are overseen by either charter schools or local school districts. But some parents simply homeschool without ever telling anyone, and state education officials have largely turned a blind eye to the practice.

[ChicosBailBonds]

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/03/07/MNJDVF0F1.DTL


Not so sure 77, see article from this morning.


What I find interesting is the data shows OVERWHELMINGLY (not even a discussion) that home schooled kids excel at much higher levels then their peers in public or private schools, yet the union is saying all students should be taught by a credentialed teacher.  Interesting.  As I've mentioned here before, my mom was a teacher for 40+ years and won Colorado and California teacher of the year (even got an award from John Kerry for it in Washington D.C.).  She's now retired but is doing home schooling 2 days a week in Colorado for some families.  She's credentialed so she's fine (if Colorado decides to go the way of California).

I just don't think the state should have any say on how parents educate their kids, especially in light of the data.

[Pakuni]

I just don't think the state should have any say on how parents educate their kids, especially in light of the data.

You don't think the state should have any say?

While requiring full-on credentials seems much, shouldn't there be at least some level of oversight and minimal standards for children in home schooling?
I mean, if some wacko parents want to teach their children exclusively from the World Church of the Creator curriculum, that's OK with you? Or they believe in completely independent study for their kids, aka watching cartoons all day, the state shouldn't have the right to intervene?
Perhaps those are extreme examples, but no less extreme than a position that the state shouldn't have any say in the matter.

[ChicosBailBonds]

I just don't think the state should have any say on how parents educate their kids, especially in light of the data.

You don't think the state should have any say?

While requiring full-on credentials seems much, shouldn't there be at least some level of oversight and minimal standards for children in home schooling?
I mean, if some wacko parents want to teach their children exclusively from the World Church of the Creator curriculum, that's OK with you? Or they believe in completely independent study for their kids, aka watching cartoons all day, the state shouldn't have the right to intervene?
Perhaps those are extreme examples, but no less extreme than a position that the state shouldn't have any say in the matter.

There is oversight already....they must meet curriculum minimums and test minimums ...and these kids do so at a rate that far exceeds anything the private or public schools are doing.  So your examples are ridiculous because they wouldn't lead to the results these kids are showing in testing and achievement.

[Pakuni]

I just don't think the state should have any say on how parents educate their kids, especially in light of the data.

You don't think the state should have any say?

While requiring full-on credentials seems much, shouldn't there be at least some level of oversight and minimal standards for children in home schooling?
I mean, if some wacko parents want to teach their children exclusively from the World Church of the Creator curriculum, that's OK with you? Or they believe in completely independent study for their kids, aka watching cartoons all day, the state shouldn't have the right to intervene?
Perhaps those are extreme examples, but no less extreme than a position that the state shouldn't have any say in the matter.

There is oversight already....they must meet curriculum minimums and test minimums ...and these kids do so at a rate that far exceeds anything the private or public schools are doing.  So your examples are ridiculous because they wouldn't lead to the results these kids are showing in testing and achievement.

Wait ... didn't you just say the state shouldn't have any say? Wouldn't these curriculum minimums of which you speak be the state having a say in how these parents are educating their kids?
Your initial position, it seems, would do away with those minimums. Now you appear to be supporting them.
Which is it?

FWIW ... those testing numbers are skewed by the fact most home-school kids aren't required to take those tests. To borrow a phrase, your comparing apples to oranges.
I have no doubt that many, many home-schooled children do well. But measuring test results from a group of kids who have to take the test, regardless of their academic standing, knowledge of the language, etc., with a group of kids who can choose whether or not to take it probably isn't the most accurate comparison.

And I'll stop now lest these be judged a "political" thread.

[ChicosBailBonds]

Pakuni

As long as they meet the same standards and norms that every other kid has to, I don't care if they're taught myths like global warming is caused by man or the media is straight down the middle.  I don't care if they teach them that Jesus Christ was the son of God or Adam and Eve is a fable or Scientology is a "religion".

Are they able to read, write, be proficient in mathematics, meet the standards that everyone else has to meet?  So by that definition...yes, I guess that's where I draw the line on what the state should have a say in.

Maybe they should setup a credits trading scheme where parents that home school their kids can buy home schooling credits to offset the fact they aren't sending them to the local school.   

Finally, it depends on the government agencies of each state, but many have to take tests (the students) for aptitude certification.  In a study done by the University of Maryland with home schooled kids vs Catholic/Private school vs public, the home schooled kids out performed their peers by 30 to 37% in all subjects.

At the end of the day, it's a shame to all of the mothers and fathers in this state that are trying to teach their children each day are now, by law, committing a criminal act for doing so.  Seems rather silly.

[77ncaachamps]

Chicos,

I think there's a trust element involved here, and as we all know, the government has an issue with trusting its citizens (so they legislate).

I would think it is fair to say most parents who homeschool do it because they are competent, have a preference (i.e., religious, cultural), and/or the traditional brick-and-mortar school is just too far away.

The funny thing is that some kids I see in my current school and a lot of those I saw in my old school are from homes that do not recognize the parents as the foremost educators. They view school as a drop-off point and expect the teachers to fill in the gaps (and very large ones for some). These are the parents whom I wouldn't trust homeschooling their kids.

Which beg the questions: Other than tests, does the state really need to verify whether the homeschooled child is getting a comprehensive education? And if this stands for homeschooled children, why should the approach be any different to the traditional classroom? Lastly, what effect, if any, would this have on federal education funding for a state's population that is homeschooled?

I haven't had the time to read the sfgate article. When I do, I'll reply.