Homeschooling, Research

New Study Says Homeschooling On The Rise In U.S.

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Homeschooling is gaining popularity, in the United States, as an alternative to traditional institutional schooling. In a new study just released by Dr. Brian Ray of National Home Education Research Institute (NHERI), he estimates that the number of school age children (ages 5 to 17) who are educated at home, in the U.S., has jumped from approximately from 2.9% in 2007 to 3.8% in the spring of 2010. Based on population data from the 2010 Census and the U.S. Department of Education, the overall population of school age children grew about 2.11% from 2007 to 2010, but numbers enrolled in schools only grew by 0.59% from spring 2007 to spring 2010. He also states that there is other reliable data gathered from state departments of education and private homeschool organizations that support evidence that there has been a 7% increase in the homeschool population from the same time period. Ray offers an official number for the study at 2,040,000 K-12 homeschooled students in the U.S. and “confidently” offers an estimated range between 1,734,000 and 2,346,0000.

Data collected for this study, previous research findings, and the experience of the researcher show that there were an estimated 2.040 million (2,040,000) K to 12 homeschool students in the United States in the spring of 2010. The author is highly confident that the true number lies between 1,734,000 and 2,346,000 homeschool students in grades K to 12 in the United States during the spring of 2010.

Either way, the claim that homeschooling is now a passing fad has no support.

Dr. Ray states several variables in his study, one of which being the number of “underground” home educators who are living in states attempting to control home education via some form of registration. He finds that nearly 10% of families living in such states are flying under the radar, and he feels this is a conservative estimate. He also adds:

Basically, the study tells us that the number of home-educated children and youth in America has continued to grow over the past three or so years. It appears to have grown in both absolute numbers and in terms of the percentage of the total school-age population nationwide.

According to Ray, it is uncertain just what drives parents to home educate and notes that economy may or may not influence the decisions for various reasons.

In another vein, it is uncertain what effect nationwide economic hard times are having on the percentage of families that might choose home-based education. Difficult economic times might cause more parents to decide they need two incomes. If so, more families would find it difficult to have one parent available to homeschool the children. On the other hand, if fewer jobs are available nationwide then it might be more likely that one parent could be at home to conduct home-based education. Further, if the economy is down in general, families have less monetary resources available, after taxes, including those that pay for state (public) schools, and therefore less to put toward tuition in private schools. Thus, homeschooling might increase as a percentage of private-education choice. Further research might address this intriguing issue.

HSLDA had this to say on the new study:

“‘The growth of the modern homeschool movement has been remarkable,’ said Michael Smith, president of HSLDA. ‘Just 30 years ago there were only an estimated 20,000 homeschooled children,’ he added.”

The authors of the study speculate that numbers will continue to grow in the next 5 to 10 years due to the idea that the numbers of previously homeschooled students of the 1990s may begin homeschooling their own school age children.

Legislation

A Call To Action For Homeschoolers To Protect Their Educational Freedoms

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If you are not familiar with how things are done in Jefferson City, with regard as to how legislation is formed, it is important to understand that even though January marks the beginning of the legislative session, work has been going on behind the scenes for months, even years, in formulating plans for lawmaking. This year seems to be the year of culmination for education reform in Missouri. It is also very important for you to understand why this may be a grave threat to your ability to maintain your homeschooling freedoms.
With the unilateral implementation of Common Core Standards across Missouri and Race to the Top being redressed and repurposed in order to camouflage and re sell its philosophy of nanny state eduction to the taxpayers, the next focus will be the switch from traditional public education to a massive infusion of Charter Schools across the state and maybe even vouchers and/or tax credits. Disastrous for homeschoolers? Yes, and here is why.
The legislature, Republican and Democrat, is deeply rooted in the idea that it is government’s job to monitor, regulate, supervise, oversee, the education of the children under their representation. We continue to see, year after year, more and more legislation designed to put more educational bureaucracy into government. With that ever growing bureaucracy, more authority to define and choose standards also shifts from parents to the bureaucrats and legislators. It is this mindset that defies the homeschooler’s freedom to make the best educational choices for their own children. Read these comments from Senator, Jane Cunningham:

“There are many times that government uses the private sector to achieve their goals,” Cunningham said. “I think maybe this is the time, because we are slipping behind so dramatically in global rankings, to ask what is the best way to deliver education to the public. …

… We so desperately need education reform and quality schools. The Legislature has to look at what we feel are appropriate measures.”

With the introduction of Charter Schools added to the mix of educational reform, there will be, as there has been in the past, discussion of vouchers and tax credits. There has always been a debate about the amount of taxation that homeschoolers pay to support public education, but it is extremely important to understand that no tax relief would ever come without serious strings attached.

This year, Scott Dieckhaus, (R) District 109 – Franklin and St. Charles Counties, is the Chairman of the Elementary and Secondary Education Committee. He will be spearheading, for the House of Representatives, all legislation related to education. Here is the problem. Representative Dieckhaus has repeatedly voiced opinions which may be adverse to educational freedoms.
The St. Louis Beacon published and article in which Dieckhaus said that he is willing to go as far as changing the Missouri Constitution and putting all options on the table as it relates educational reform. Does Dieckhaus believe that private schools should be pulled under the umbrella of public education oversight if they accept vouchers? Will he also expect the same from homeschoolers who receive tax credits?

He also realizes that if public money is going to go to non-public schools, taxpayers are going to want some sort of say over how it will be spent.

“There should be some form of oversight or accountability,” he said. “I’ve talked to quite a few private and parochial schools, and they seem to be at least willing to look at it.”

On November 29th-30th, Dieckhaus attended a conference on Education and had this to say, on Twitter, about the experience:
Scott Dieckhaus
sdieckhaus Scott Dieckhaus
Ready to spend three days with some of the greatest education reformers in the world. Better education is coming to Missouri soon!
Scott Dieckhaus
sdieckhaus Scott Dieckhaus
At #EIA10 and excited to hear from Jeb Bush, Chris Christie, Eva Moskowitz, Arne Duncan among others.

Why would Republican, Dieckhaus, choose a Democrat who is about as far removed from the republican platform, as a mentor? Let’s talk about Arne Duncan as a mentor. Arne Duncan is President Obama’s Secretary of Education. He is the steam engine behind Race To The Top, the most restrictive educational philosophy this country has ever seen. RTTT would take all local control from schools and parents across the country and impose national curriculum standards in all schools. As Chief Executive Officer for Chicago Public schools he declared his animosity toward homeschoolers in an amended board report in November of 2005.
… Parents/Legal guardians who choose to educate their children at home are subject to the provisions of the Illinois School Code.  Those provisions include the Compulsory School Attendance Law, … parents/legal guardians who choose to educate their children at home must provide an education “at least commensurate with the standards prescribed for the public schools.” … there must be an organized, coherent plan for educating the children in a home school using appropriate materials and teaching methods.” … Parents/Legal Guardians who choose to educate their children at home should notify their local school of their intention to homeschool. …
Once notified of the presence of particular home school or of particular home-schooled students within the boundaries of District 299, appropriate offices within  the CPS will, with the cooperation of the parents/legal guardians, determine whether the home school provided an education at least commensurate with the standards prescribed for the public schools. Such determination will thereafter be made on an annual basis.
CPS may employ any appropriate means, including site visits, to determine whether home schools are providing an education at least commensurate with the standards prescribed for the public schools in the aforementioned subjects. CPS may also employ any appropriate standards and assessments in making that determination.
Remember that Race To The Top Standards, SB 21, vouchers/tax credits, all have common threads of regulation and control that could reach into the homeschooling community. It is important to remind representatives that homeschoolers do not want to be included in any educational reform they have in mind for the coming year or in the future. We are following all state regulations concerning homeschooling and doing an excellent job of making educational choices for our own children and do not need or want the interference of government, state or federal.

Please contact Representative Dieckhaus and tell him you are watching the activity in the legislature and do not want any of the educational reform they have planned for public schools to reach into the homeschooling community and restrict your educational choices and freedoms.

Honorable Scott Dieckhaus
Missouri House of Representatives
201 West Capitol Avenue
Room 413B
Jefferson City, Missouri 65101

573-751-0538

Scott.Dieckhaus@house.mo.gov

Legislation

Educated Citizenry 2020, More Ways To Chip Away At Parental Rights

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The legislature released its report on education late last Friday, and, as promised, we have the results of Educated Citizenry 2020. No surprises. Just lots of Race To The Top, repackaged and renamed. While the report states what the legislature has for the vision of Missouri education reform, in the next ten years, it is clear they have been cooking up their plan for quite sometime in the past. Past and current attempts to pass legislation, which could have or will impose new and stifling regulation, is written all over it.

The report clearly outlines the intention of the state to have its hand in every aspect of education from early childhood education, pre-school through college. They also address the expansion of Charter and virtual schools.

Committee members’ ideas for early childhood education included expansion of opportunities and assurances of quality. The Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education concurred with this priority and in a written statement noted their suggestion that “Missouri fund voluntary, universal preschool for three- and four-year-olds…This would be a transformational policy that would pay long-term benefits— educationally, economically, and socially—for our state.”5 ….

…. For higher education reform, Committee members emphasized reducing tuition costs to keep higher education accessible to all students so as to ultimately increase the number of young adults who earn a postsecondary degree.

A study of how teachers are compensated is a subject of review, as it is in RTTT. Current RTTT recommendations are to introduce merit pay and eliminate teacher tenure. The same sentiments are reflected in the Educated Citizenry 2020 Report. The St. Louis Beacon reports, among other things, that State Senator, David Pearce, a Republican from Warrensburg, intends to use this report to shape further legislation.

On specific issues, Pearce said that he has filed legislation to study how teachers are compensated. Specifically, he said, it might be time to ask teachers if they are willing to be paid on a merit basis if they would give up the protections of tenure at the same time.

While Charter schools and the re-structure of teacher compensation are a major emphasis of Race To The Top, most interesting to note is that the report does stress an emphasis in preparing pre kindergarten age children for school. If you will remember, Homeschooling United reported that Robin Wright-Jones, a member of the E-C 2020 committee, has already filed legislation, before this report was released to the public, which mandates full day kindergarten and lowers the compulsory school age to 4 years of age in SB21. It seems that the fix is already in for an agenda to wrest control of decisions from parents regarding when their children begin their educations.

This report, while full of a great deal of educational-ease, doesn’t address funding for plan implementation when the state is faced with serious budget cuts in the face of mandatory of Common Core Standards. Obviously they are also not concerned with any backlash from parents who consider some of these mandates are an infringement of parental rights. Senator Jane Cunningham, another member of this committee, has pledged to uphold educational freedom. As far as I see, from reading this report, there is no true attempt by the legislature to bring any meaningful reform to education in Missouri. In fact, there are even more intrusive restrictions that keep parent’s in the driver’s seats of their children’s education.

Homeschooling, Legislation

Will They Or Won’t They …

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… Work to protect our rights to educate our children as we see fit. Today the Associated Press released a statement by the Missouri Senate stating that they are ready to release their agenda for upcoming session as it relates to education. The question is, will they fight for your rights as a parent to make choices about your own child’s education, or will they acquiesce to Race To The Top, Common Core Standards and the money that does or does not come with it? Will they try to insert programs such as the Parent’s Trigger, vouchers, tax credits, or use Charter Schools as a crutch for failing public education? Will these things set the stage for regulation on homeschooling?

All the major players of the House and Senate have signed the Educational Freedom Pledge, which states that they will advocate for freedoms without such mandates or regulation. We will keep an eye on this one for you.

Uncategorized

The Educational Freedom Pledge

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Here is a copy of the Educational Freedom Pledge. It supports a parent’s right to be the authority on decisions relating to educating their own children above all other entities, including but not limited to the federal or state governments.

Educational Freedom Pledge PDF

As soon as I learn how to navigate the world that is WordPress, I will have a permanent downloadable document for you to use, in the sidebar, so that you can approach your own representatives with the pledge and urge them to protect your parental rights as they relate to your children’s education.

Homeschooling, Legislation

Is Homeschooling Under Attack In Missouri?

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Homeschoolers in Missouri have long enjoyed reasonable freedom to educate their children at home without much government interference, but the last several years have brought subversive attacks to chip away at those freedoms. The upcoming session proves to be no different. Culture Vigilante reported that the 96th general assembly will once again consider placing more restrictions on the citizenry as it relates to a parent’s right to make educational decisions for their children. Robin Wright-Jones pre-filed a bill, SB 20, in early December which would lower compulsory school age for students in metropolitan school districts to 5 years of age. While the present compulsory age is 7 to 17, (18 in metropolitan school districts and 16 under certain credit hour parameters) this bill mandates that children start school at age 5. While it does address, specifically, students of metropolitan school districts, and exclude homeschoolers, here’s where it gets sticky.

SB 21, also filed by Wright-Jones, pretty much negates the exclusions in the previous bill. And it also plays fast and loose with the definitions of calendar year and school year so that not only will your children be mandated to begin schooling at age 5, some of them will actually be 4 years old, if the bill is adopted as written. And remember, these are mandates, not suggestions.

… ANY child whose fifth birthday occurs at any time during the calendar year shall be deemed to have attained the age of five years at the commencement of the school year beginning that calendar year.  The parent, {guardian, or other person having charge} of ANY child who has attained the age of five years in accordance with this section shall be responsible for enrolling the child in kindergarten.

So, that means if your child is 4 years old and does not turn 5 until after the beginning of the school year, he is 5 years old in the eyes of the state and must go to kindergarten. Present laws would postpone admittance to school until the following year. Also, there is no exclusion for children outside of a metropolitan school district or homeschoolers in this bill. And just incase your child misses the age mandate of the first part of this bill there is a provision to allow the school system to evaluate your young geniuses and admit them even earlier to school.

If passed, SB 20 will also raise the compulsory school age in metropolitan school districts to 18, and firms up the upward adjustment to 17 years of age in other (seven director) school districts, and takes away the ability of those districts to adopt a lower compulsory age via their school board.

Now, anyone who has ever had any involvement with public education knows that there is, in Missouri, a provision in the law for schools to collect funding for any warm body who inhabits a school building. So, perhaps that is where some of the motivation comes from in these two bills. Culture Vigilante also outlines resolutions from the NEA lobby and their influences in this area of legislation.

What ever the motivation, for the reoccurring attempts to mandate that a government school have more and more control of your children, it is important to communicate, with your representation, that you will accept no regulation that takes away your rights to choose how and when you educate your children.

In 2009, Republicans in the House and Senate introduced and passed legislation, SB 291, that tightened the noose around the neck of parents by raising the compulsory school age for all students, including homeschoolers, in the state from 16 to 17 and changed the requirements for graduation. Because the homeschool community, as a whole, has no directed lobby or representation in the capitol, the legislation was not flagged early during the session, and was slipped through and voted on the at nearly the last possible moment in the 2009 legislative assembly. This unfortunate circumstance gave very little opportunity for constituents to be educated on and voice their displeasure with its intrusive constraints. Well, hopefully, we have learned our lesson about how important it is to be proactive and educated about our rights and freedoms, or they will be taken away. Maybe not all at once, but they will be taken away, and when our children have children they may be living in a very different world with a lot fewer choices for themselves or their progeny.

It seems that each year there is an effort to chip away at your rights to educate your children in the manner you, as a parent, deem appropriate. While we still have the choice, perhaps it is important to teach your children about their freedoms and which actions and laws ensure those liberties, so that we strengthen the liberty loving culture and maintain it for the future. That education also includes watching your representation and letting them know how you feel about maintaining your freedoms.