Question- what do you think lies ahead for the future of homeschooling in America?

[Marie in Oh]

Do you think there is impending doom, more regulation, or no changes ahead? I am not sure what I think, and I would love to know what you all do.

[Deece in MN]

I think a lot of it will depend on who is voted into office this fall, though I am not sure that we will see any major changes regardless of who becomes president. I don't think homeschooling is that high on the list of immediate concerns for the federal government. In the meantime, I don't see any major changes happening in the near future.
Granted, I am speaking to homeschooling on the national level. I suppose individual states can see some changes, but I mostly am concerned with my state and as far as I am aware we have no major legislation in the works that may impact hs'ing laws in MN.

[mcconnellboys]

I agree with these thoughts. My only concern would be that someone comes in and passes the "Rights of the Child" legislation which has been lurking in the background for a few years. Loss of parental rights might well set the stage for loss of homeschooling rights, too....

I think HSLDA, for one, is currently monitoring this issue closely. Don't throw stones, I know some don't like them, but they *are* a source of info on hsing issues....

Regena

[Deece in MN]

I agree with these thoughts. My only concern would be that someone comes in and passes the "Rights of the Child" legislation which has been lurking in the background for a few years. Loss of parental rights might well set the stage for loss of homeschooling rights, too....

I think HSLDA, for one, is currently monitoring this issue closely. Don't throw stones, I know some don't like them, but they *are* a source of info on hsing issues....

Regena

Oh, yea, I forgot about that. Out of curiosity, do you know which candidates would be likely to support that piece of legislation?

[Marie in Oh]

I assume homeschooling would be a part of that. I hadn't given it much thought until recently as it is a state issue normally, but there is a lot of talk that it could become a federal issue depending on the administration. Just wondering what others here thought.

[Karin]

Well, none of the 3 who are garnering so many delegates (Clinton, Obama & McCain) even mention homeschooling on their sites. Huckabee is the only one left who actually has a chance of getting a nomination who mentions that he supports it. But, you know, it's never about one issue, is it?

I do think something needs to be done to protect the rights of parents. Canadians have already lost some of their former rights, and people are trying to do the same thing here. Not just parental rights, either. I really haven't read the act HSLDA is promoting, so I can't offer an opinion. I'm of mixed feelings about that group, but I can't fully support either the conservatives or the liberals, and that includes homeschool groups. Generally, I look at both sides (I get emails from a liberal group and a conservative group so I can see both sides--when both are up in arms about a homeschool issue and are on the same side of it I take serious notice!)

[Adrianne]

we are seeing a trend toward all different types of alternative schooling. Parents are just not happy with the public school system. B/C of this, you are seeing a rise in cyber schools, charter school etc. These are not traditional HS, but parents still oversee the child's work from home. (yet they are held accountable by the cyber school).

These types of programs are paid for by the state and are very attractive to many families who did not find traditional HS to be for them. Especially since the state pays. The schools provide computers, fax machines, curriculum, etc. The state does not help pay for traditional HS at all. :(

I really feel, at least here in PA, that HS is protected by many families who have a voice. There are several advocacy groups, including The Christian Homeschool Association of Pennsylvania, that are always on the watch for legislation that might be detrimental to our HS cause. HS is an issue that people are willing to fight for and we are passionate people who are willing to fight!

Our laws are pretty stringent in this state. For example, we have to register with the school district, be evaluated, and submit a porfolio to the school district every year. We also have to test every so often. But I can tell you that before the laws came about, HS was hard. You were at the mercy of the school district.

I know I will continue to fight for HS in anyway I can.

I am interested in hearing what people in other states think.

Adrianne

[Linda in NE]

A state senator just proposed mandatory testing and, if the student does not perform up to a certain standard, the student would be compelled to enroll in public school the following year. Testing would be at the parents' cost. The bill provides an alternative to testing, but it is very onerous (i.e., including detailed lesson plans for each subject, completed work, and a bunch of other stuff, all provided for review by a person selected by the State Department of Education).

So, to answer your question, I believe there will be continuing efforts by the NEA and others to undermine the right to homeschool in all of the individual states. Regulation is just the first step. I'm not trying to be an alarmist here, just stating the facts as I see them.

[GothicGyrl]

Funny thing about Huckabee is that he was once against us and worked to highly regulate it.

As for the others, there is no mention of it because 1) we aren't that big of a deal (or threat) to them or anyone else and 2) do you realize how long that list would be if every Prez. Hopeful listed every single item people wanted them to stand for/against?

homeschooling is just not that important to anyone to care. And honestly, who might make it in to office has absolutely nothing to do with it. Huckabee can just as easily turn against us (as he turned for us when he started this), as the rest can turn for us without us even knowing.

So my vote is "stop worrying about". If Hslda (pft!) is going to do something about that Parental Act Thingy, fine. Otherwise, it won't ever pass anyway, no matter who is in office, so I wouldn't worry about it.

[Deece in MN]

Well, none of the 3 who are garnering so many delegates (Clinton, Obama & McCain) even mention homeschooling on their sites. Huckabee is the only one left who actually has a chance of getting a nomination who mentions that he supports it. But, you know, it's never about one issue, is it?



I just read this today about McCain's stance on education.:

Charters, homeschooling, & vouchers are key to success
Q: How can we improve the quality of public schools in this country?
A: Choice and competition is the key to success in education in America. That means charter schools, that means home schooling, it means vouchers, it means rewarding good teachers and finding bad teachers another line of work. It means rewarding good performing schools, and it really means in some cases putting bad performing schools out of business. I want every American parent to have a choice, a choice as to how they want their child educated, and I guarantee you the competition will dramatically increase the level of education in America. And I applaud our former Governor [Jeb] Bush for the great job he's done on education in Florida and America.

Source: 2007 Republican primary debate on Univision Dec 9, 2007

To me this is stating that he sees homeschooling as an educational option, so I wouldn't think he would be for putting restrictions on it.

[Dot]

I don't think any candidate for President considers changing anything towards homeschooling. I think it would be near impossible.But I know a mom who disliked Bush, but actually voted for him because she heard rumors that Al Gore "was going to take away homeschooing!" And she never, apparently, knew enough to research it herself...

[jail warden]

Hopefully it will never be a big concern.

[Deece in MN]

we are seeing a trend toward all different types of alternative schooling. Parents are just not happy with the public school system. B/C of this, you are seeing a rise in cyber schools, charter school etc. These are not traditional HS, but parents still oversee the child's work from home. (yet they are held accountable by the cyber school).

These types of programs are paid for by the state and are very attractive to many families who did not find traditional HS to be for them. Especially since the state pays. The schools provide computers, fax machines, curriculum, etc. The state does not help pay for traditional HS at all. :(

I really feel, at least here in PA, that HS is protected by many families who have a voice. There are several advocacy groups, including The Christian Homeschool Association of Pennsylvania, that are always on the watch for legislation that might be detrimental to our HS cause. HS is an issue that people are willing to fight for and we are passionate people who are willing to fight!

Our laws are pretty stringent in this state. For example, we have to register with the school district, be evaluated, and submit a porfolio to the school district every year. We also have to test every so often. But I can tell you that before the laws came about, HS was hard. You were at the mercy of the school district.

I know I will continue to fight for HS in anyway I can.

I am interested in hearing what people in other states think.

Adrianne

MN has a number of virtual school options as well. It seems like there are more all the time, though no one in the hs circles I am in ever discuss these options. Some don't even know about them.

We do get to deduct hs expenses on our state taxes which is nice.

Because I feel strongly about hs'ing, I will also continue to fight for the freedom to continue hs'ing.

To me it seems that hs'ing, on the federal level, gets lumped into the right of parents to have educational choice. With that in mind, I try to support those who take this stance as opposed to a focus mainly on the public school system.

Anyway, I am trying to make dinner and read and post so I hope my thoughts are coherent. :)

[HeatherH]

My take? FWIW -

I think that, as hschooling gets easier (in some ways, KWIM? We've come a long way from ABeka or BJones - which is easier AND more challenging all at the same time), and more "acceptable", more parents will "sample" it. Flavor of the month, you know?

Like many movements, its success can also spell its doom. My mom is an elementary principal - she sees WAAAAAY too many parents who pull kids out because the teacher "doesn't like them" or they "don't want to wake up so early", then dump them back in school 4 months later when it gets too much. In this case, hschooling is merely a cover up for bad parenting.

That's what I see, and that's what I'm concerned about. That the "flavor of the month" folks will begin to create problems with the school administrators - and then, when everyone is comfortable and lax, the Heavy Hand of Regulation will fall.

I'm an optimist, at heart :) But this is just an anecdotal analysis. . . . .

[AmyinPA]

We have to jump through so many hoops in this state to homeschool legally. Considering that in TX, one has to do nothing, I feel like all states kind of balance each other out. Can't imagine that this is of concern to any candidate unless it's a pet project hidden in someone's agenda.

[dirty ethel rackham]

Some states have advocacy groups who work very hard at monitoring legislation and garnering grassroots activism when necessary. We have had several issues in IL where some legislators want to impose restrictions (IL is a very unrestricted state - no registering, no reporting). When these come up, it is up to individuals to enter the process by meeting with their legislators to educate them on the issues, to attend hearings at the state capital and make their voice heard. When we have relied on grassroots involvement, we have had great success at preserving our rights. When HSLDA has gotten involved at a state level, we have had to work hard to undo the damage.

I also believe it is the responsibility of every homeschooler to know the law and to stand up for their rights. That means submitting only required paperwork (which would only be applicable for parents "transferring" children out of p.s. to their homeschool.) That means responding in an appropriate way to inquiries that overstep the bounds. There have been issues with local superintendents overstepping their authority and have harrassed homeschoolers. While HSLDA did help some of these families, others did fine standing up for their own rights.

Sorry, I didn't mean this to be so long.

[mcconnellboys]

I don't know all of them who might support it, but the female attorney who was supporting it while she was in the Senate would be a start....

Regena

[MJN]

attorney senator from NY winning and from what I've read she'll work to see that our rights are taken away. That's a scary thought, but she supports what the UN supports.

[Karin]

Okay, I didn't follow the debates, so this is interesting. I did check candidates' web sites because I like to see their platforms, etc, in more than one party.

[Karin]

I also believe it is the responsibility of every homeschooler to know the law and to stand up for their rights. That means submitting only required paperwork (which would only be applicable for parents "transferring" children out of p.s. to their homeschool.) That means responding in an appropriate way to inquiries that overstep the bounds. There have been issues with local superintendents overstepping their authority and have harrassed homeschoolers. While HSLDA did help some of these families, others did fine standing up for their own rights.

Sorry, I didn't mean this to be so long.

I agree with this part. Where I am not so sure yet is with this rights of a child amendment some would like. Some say it would supercede the rights of a parent, and that wouldn't surprise me. However, I can't say I know enough about this yet, but if this is the case, and this were passed, it could override state law if a court rules homeschooling isn't "in the best interest" of a particular child. It's a compelling, but emotional, argument, and I'd like to see both sides of it first.

[ELaurie]

Haven't read all of the replies below, but I have read / heard the Clinton is an advocate for the International Rights of the Child legislation.

[Volty]

Haven't read all of the replies below, but I have read / heard the Clinton is an advocate for the International Rights of the Child legislation.

Can you give more details of what this mean as regards to HSing? Thanks.

Really, I think this is a state-level fight, I'm not sure much can or would be done at the national level regarding HSing.

[mcconnellboys]

I don't know, I would think that if rights of the child gets passed then it would mean changes on a national level, wouldn't it? Maybe not at first, but anytime something got challenged up through the state supreme courts and then went federal, chances are that judges would uphold the claims based on whatever language gets included in rights of the child.... Even the state supremes might cite it as precedence....

Regena

[Michelle T]

and then more secular, complete homeschool curriculums, not just using PS textbooks to make due.

As for government involvement, I don't worry about that. I doubt there are any changes coming from the federal government, regardless of who wins election. Homeschooling is just not that important in a countrywide scheme of things.
Michelle T

[Volty]

and then more secular, complete homeschool curriculums, not just using PS textbooks to make due.

As for government involvement, I don't worry about that. I doubt there are any changes coming from the federal government, regardless of who wins election. Homeschooling is just not that important in a countrywide scheme of things.
Michelle T

We have a good supply of quality secular HS material to use and using PS textbooks is hardly a bad option IMO. I do wish more secular folks would HS too. I think folks usually associate it with the religious community; I know I did. Financial resources are tight though, lots of families are barely getting by on two incomes, we're all -mostly- trying to make ends meet on one.

[angela in ohio]

My take? FWIW -

I think that, as hschooling gets easier (in some ways, KWIM? We've come a long way from ABeka or BJones - which is easier AND more challenging all at the same time), and more "acceptable", more parents will "sample" it. Flavor of the month, you know?

Like many movements, its success can also spell its doom. My mom is an elementary principal - she sees WAAAAAY too many parents who pull kids out because the teacher "doesn't like them" or they "don't want to wake up so early", then dump them back in school 4 months later when it gets too much. In this case, hschooling is merely a cover up for bad parenting.

That's what I see, and that's what I'm concerned about. That the "flavor of the month" folks will begin to create problems with the school administrators - and then, when everyone is comfortable and lax, the Heavy Hand of Regulation will fall.

I'm an optimist, at heart :) But this is just an anecdotal analysis. . . . .

This is pretty much my take, too.

[Closeacademy]

On the local level I am seeing a trend of more secular homeschoolers and people checking out homeschooling when their children are very young (2 and 3 years old).

Also, homeschooling through high school rather than putting the children in school in 7th or 9th grade seems to be happening more and more. When I first started locally there were between 2 and 4 homeschool graduates a year. Next year there will be I believe 20.

Dual-enrollment is something we are hearing a lot about and some of the community colleges are hosting homeschooling events and coaching us on transcripts and such because they want our students.

I worry about regulation because of all the people flooding into the homeschooling landscape but I don't know enough about it to have an opinion right now.

Personally, I am seeing homeschooling becoming more of a mainstream option.