Category Archives: parenting

Educational, Homeschooling, parenting, Research

Harvard Study Says “Good Teachers” Shape The Futures Of Children. What About Parents?

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The New York Times released a story on a study linking “good teaching” to lasting positive affects on students. The study, conducted by Harvard and Columbia University researchers, tracked 2.5 million students over a 20 year period and concluded:

Elementary- and middle-school teachers who help raise their students’ standardized-test scores seem to have a wide-ranging, lasting positive effect on those students’ lives beyond academics, including lower teenage-pregnancy rates and greater college matriculation and adult earnings.

Value-Added-Ratings, a controversial system now being used to measure teacher effectiveness, is likely to be influenced by the results of this new study, says Robert H. Meyer, director of theValue-Added Research Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The study, mostly tracked student success based on test scores and found good teachers had a longer lasting impact on students than bad teachers, as summed up by the National Center for Policy Analysis.

The difference between excellent teachers, average teachers and poor teachers had a substantial impact on the income potential of students.

  • All else equal, a student with one excellent teacher for one year between fourth and eighth grade would gain $4,600 in lifetime income.
  • Replacing a poor teacher with an average one would raise a single classroom’s lifetime earnings by about $266,000 for each year of teaching.
  • A low value-added teacher in a school for 10 years will result in about $2.5 million in lost income for his/her students, when compared with an average teacher.

While previous studies suggested that the impact of good/bad teachers does not last beyond a three-or four-year period, this study argues that the impacts have significant longevity, manifesting themselves in areas beyond academics and earnings.

  • Students with superior teachers have lower rates of teenage pregnancy.
  • Students are more likely to enroll in college if they received superior teachers in their younger years of education.

Perhaps the study neglected to include some important information in its research. In 2009, Dr. Brian Ray of the National Home Education Research Institute, released a study on homeschooling student achievement and found that homeschoolers, regardless of family income, educational status of parents, or financial outlay for educational material scored 34–39 percentile points higher than the norm on standardized achievement tests, than their publicly schooled counterparts.

So with the great educational reform debate raging in the United States, perhaps some pertinent questions need to be addressed.

Does teacher certification/qualification really have anything to do with student academic achievement? Does teacher influence trump parental influence in the life of students and the decisions they make about higher education and abstinence? Are test scores really the only thing we hang our hats on, in determining longterm personal success of high academic achieving students, or does a solid family influence, such as is found in most homeschooling families, come into play? Bottom line, what studies/research is there to show “good teachers” are more effective at influencing the lives of children than “good” parents?

Homeschooling, Legislation, parenting

Oppressive Reporting Legislation S1877 Stalled

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Homeschool Legal Defense issued a statement, late today, in which they reported that S1877 was stalled during the hearing process. In the alert sent on Monday, the HSLDA described the consequences of such a bill as promoting a police state which could potentially create situations making it more difficult to address the needs and identify true abuse.

A link is provided here for you to watch the hearings and see for yourself the arguments made for and against the legislation.

Educational, Homeschooling, Legislation, parenting

HSLDA Issues Call To Action On S. 1877

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The following was cross posted on GuardianAdLitemReform.wordpress.com

We have outlined, here, some of the abuses of courts and government departments that oversee families and domestic issues. Tomorrow, there is a bill that goes on the floor for debate that would require mandatory reporting by all adults of child abuse and neglect. While, of course, anyone should do so who is truly a witness to such bad acts, but a law requiring/mandating such action would absolutely lead to privacy violations within families as well as false allegations of abuse and neglect which would in turn clutter up the system, making it even more difficult to identify those truly at risk. And do we really want to increase the federal government’s roll in social services investigations.

S. 1877  is due for a Senate hearing tomorrow and you are urged to contact your representatives now to discourage this harmful and oppressive legislation.

U.S. Senate

U.S. House of Representatives

Homeschool Legal Defense (HSLA) offers some background on the issue:

Background:
S. 1877 will amend the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA) to require—for the first time ever—every single state that receives federal funding under CAPTA to force every single adult to be a mandatory reporter of child abuse or neglect. Currently, most states only require certain people (e.g., doctors and teachers) to be mandatory reporters. HSLDA opposes this for the following reasons:

  • The federal government should not force the states to make every single adult a mandatory reporter of child abuse and neglect as a condition for receiving certain federal money. This is a violation of the principle of federalism. The federal government has no constitutional authority to force the states to make every adult a mandatory reporter.
  • Forcing the states to make every single adult a mandatory reporter with no exceptions will lead to a police-state environment, where every adult is forced to act as an informer against friends, family, and neighbors, or face possible charges. There are grave threats to liberty and personal privacy that could result from this.
  • Forcing every adult to be a mandatory reporter will likely lead to a massive increase in child abuse and neglect accusations and subsequent investigations. Individuals will likely report suspected child abuse and neglect out of an abundance of caution so they do not face possible charges. Instead of protecting children, this will (1) harm innocent families as they face baseless investigations, and (2) waste the time of social workers on baseless investigations, instead of protecting children who are actually being abused or neglected.

S. 1877 also creates a massive federally funded educational campaign and training program to inform citizens about the new mandatory reporting of child abuse laws in the states. HSLDA opposes this for the following reasons:

  • In a time of federal budget deficits, the federal government should not be spending $5 million to $10 million per year on a program that should be left to the states.
  • Although the program is established in S. 1877 as a federal grant program to the states, the secretary of Health and Human Services is given the authority to “develop and disseminate guidance and information on best practices for” the entire educational campaign and training program. This could easily lead to the federal government mandating to the states the entire reporting campaign.

In conclusion, S. 1877 will lead to a massive increase in child abuse and neglect investigations upon families. The stated purpose of S. 1877’s mandatory reporting expansion, along with the education campaign and training program is to “improve reporting” of child abuse and neglect. The bill will give states new federal grants to set up“experimental, model, and demonstration programs for testing innovative approaches and techniques that may improve reporting of and response to suspected and known incidents of child abuse or neglect by adults to the State child protective service agencies or to law enforcement agencies.”

Not only will S. 1877 require every single adult to be a mandatory reporter, S. 1877 will incentivize states to create untested, “experimental” programs that will increase the number of child abuse and neglect reports to CPS agencies.

HSLDA has seen firsthand how malicious or ignorant child abuse and neglect allegations have destroyed innocent families. A family has few protections against the power of CPS agencies. And even if a CPS investigation is closed as unfounded, the trauma to a young child, to an innocent family as a stranger (albeit maybe a well-intentioned stranger) enters the home and threatens to remove the children, is lasting and profound.

S. 1877 is unnecessary. The states—using federal money under the existing CAPTA statute—are fully capable of protecting children from legitimate abuse and neglect. S. 1877 will create a massive police state of reporting and will lead to unnecessary abuse and neglect investigations.

Homeschooling, Legislation, parenting

Belleville, Illinois Still Pushing Daytime Curfew …

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… just under the radar and not out in the open. Seems any changes made after an overwhelming turnout of concerned citizens at last week’s city council meeting had no real effect on its members. Changes made to the charter were superficial and unsubstantial. Why does government, on any level, think they have the right to dictate to you how you raise your children? Read the following statement from HSLDA concerning the “changes” made by Belleville’s leadership to the daytime curfew issue.

Dear HSLDA Members and Friends in Belleville:

Following your awesome showing at the last Board of Aldermen meeting, the Chief of Police agreed to revise the proposed daytime curfew ordinance.
We have now had an opportunity to analyze his revisions. They are for the most part mere window dressing. They do not change the fundamental nature of the ordinance as a daytime curfew.
Scripture acknowledges the government’s role in making people fear to do wrong. But a daytime curfew makes people fear to do what is right.
HSLDA, Illinois Christian Home Educators, and local homeschool leaders will continue to work to protect the fundamental liberty of freedom of movement in Belleville.
Action Requested
NOTE:  Please take action only if you live in the Belleville area.
1.) Clear your calendar for the evening of July 5 at 7:00 p.m. The Board of Aldermen will bring up the ordinance for consideration at that time.
2.) If you have a personal line of communication with any aldermen, contact them personally and ask for their support in preventing a daytime curfew.
Background
The basic change in the revised ordinance is that the daytime curfew provisions were shifted from section 30-1-33 to section 30-1-44.
The revised ordinance deletes all references to homeschooling. While this is an appropriate change, the ordinance remains repugnant to fundamental freedom because it criminalizes the basic human right to move about during the daytime.
Daytime curfews tend to spawn litigation. If Belleville enacts a daytime curfew, another loser could be the taxpayer—who will be given the city’s legal bill to pay if a lawsuit follows some day.
Thank you for standing with us for freedom!
Scott A. Woodruff
HSLDA Senior Counsel
parenting

Love Letter To My Son

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A woman with a new-born walked by me, in the store, the other day and I immediately flashed back 18 years. It doesn’t seem like it was that long ago when I was carrying you in my arms. And I can’t believe I sound like my mother as I remember her saying the very same thing about her own children.

Tomorrow you graduate from high school. You are a grown, young man. You are about to leave the familiar, comfortable and safe surroundings of home and go out into the world and shape your own life. Mixed emotions. I can’t be more excited for you and proud of your accomplishments. I can’t be more terrified of sending you off to college and into the world. Where did the time go? Did I teach you all the skills you’ll need to navigate what you are about to experience? Did I pass on enough wisdom? Did you listen? Did I love you enough, care for you enough, make you feel secure enough? Are you ready; am I?

When you become a parent, your life does a complete paradigm shift from being completely self-absorbed to becoming all about teaching someone else to become an independent human being. That’s it. It’s all about doing for and giving to someone else. Everything you do is about providing for your child(ren). Teaching them, loving them, providing for them, caring for them. Parenting is pretty selfless undertaking. But, in some monumental ways, the paradigm shift gave me some gifts and taught me a few things, as well.

It’s obvious that parenthood makes us care givers when we have children, but what surprised me the most about becoming a parent is what you did for me, gave to me, how you changed the way I saw the world. When I became a parent, I learned the gift of knowing how important it is to have something in this life, someone, important enough to walk through fire for. Having a child brought me to understand the significance of how the life cycle is intended to work and why the bonds of parent and child are strong enough to never break, but pliable enough to stretch and allow for change. You are the one who first gave me the gift. And although that gift wasn’t minimized when your sister came into our lives, you are the one who first opened the door to the new existence.

Life’s events threw us some compelling curves. Public school, dyslexia, homeschooling, divorce. Even at the youngest ages you navigated them with great strength and sensitivity. Beyond being your mother, I admire the person you are and the character you possess. I hope, in time and as you gain strength from living in new experiences, you will recognize and fully appreciate these qualities you own. I want you to know how much I love you, how proud I am of the wonderfully compassionate young man who you have become, and how much faith I have in you and your ability to succeed in building a fulfilling life. As you graduate and move into your future, (Grandma was right; you never stop worrying about your children, no matter how old they are.) I also want you to know that I will always be here. There will always be a soft place for you to land, a place to call home, if you need it.

Love always, 
Mom