Thanks to the tip from Scott at Somerschool, we now learn the consequences of defying the government-fed Public Education Industry. John Stossel reported on the failure of government education in his January 13th report "Stupid In America." I took some elements of his report and blogged about what homeschoolers could do with $10,000 per student.

Now it appears that Stossel will be picketed by angry teachers unions. Notice I didn't say teachers. This is an organized protest by a union that sees vouchers as enough of a threat to their monopoly of popular education to cancel their March meeting to make sure they have a good showing.

Why all this fuss over a single report? Who is this teachers union trying to reach? They are gunning for ABC's leadership. They want to flex their muscle and silence Stossel and anyone else that would dare to question their education of America's youth. It's perhaps ironic, and perhaps a good illustration of how power corrupts, that a collection of those charged with disseminating knowledge are intent instead on quashing it.

Why should homeschoolers care about how a reporter is treated? They should care for two reasons:

1. Stossel, regardless of his abilities or record, has hit a nerve with his report. He has re-awakened the debate on vouchers and the inefficiencies found in government-run education. This is a debate in which homeschoolers can and should participate by calling attention to the superior performance of homeschooling students. For example, homeschoolers averaged between the 80^th and 87^th percentile on the national average in areas like language, social studies, math, and reading.[1] By taking the offensive and getting involved in the national debate, homeschoolers will seize momentum and make some headway in expanding the homeschooling movement. This expansion will benefit our nation’s future for generations.
   
2. Homeschoolers simply perform better, and teachers unions know it. If they do not consider us a threat to their power, they’re not paying attention in class. The NEA is paying attention however. While they don’t take an official position…

Continuing to call attention to the teachers unions and their growing animosity toward a system that is actually working is an excellent move to combat this tactic. It highlights their hypocrisy and fear of losing power they have spent years consolidating. Additionally, if we can point to the excellence of our students and making the homeschooling product better, we will help bring more and more students out of the darkened halls of America’s institutionalized ignorance and into a true learning experience.

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Read more regarding this:

• Previous blog entry - The Bright Hope of Our Nation
  
• Charleston Post and Courier Editorial - ABC's 'Stupid in America' pinpoints state's school problems (2006)
• Human Events - School Choice Is A Fact Of Life
  
• Eagle Forum - NEA Fights to Maintain School Monopoly (2000)
  

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