Spunky Homeschool

Who is a homeschooler?

Feb. 16, 2006 at 3:31 PM

Homeschooling

There is a growing trend in education; the formulation of partnerships between the public school and the parent.
Parent partnerships are alternative programs that identify the parent as the child's primary teacher. Students are considered public school students, however, and use the school's materials and teachers.
There are some attractive advantages,

Parents who choose these programs say they like the return on their tax money, as well as accessing expertise in subjects they find difficult to teach on their own.

Home-schooled students registered with the state also can access public school services part time.

Many of these partnerships use online courses and virtual academies. This is an attractive option for the state as well. Many of these parents would opt out of the system completely if this were not offered. They retain their funding as long as the child is enrolled. The question is, should they be considered homeschoolers? Or should there be a distinction between "homeschooling" and "school at home".

Personally, I think HOW someone educates in their home is their business. However, WHAT we call what takes place in the home matters to society and legally.

Terminology is important.

Moreover, it is important that the definition be determined by who the student is ultimately accountable. If the parent holds the authority they are homeschooling...if another entity holds the authority they are not. Keep in mind; I am not saying the parent has lost their complete authority in the home. They have just decided to allow another entity to hold the authority for the education of their children. In parent partnerships the school determines curriculum, grading, etc. The parent is a facilitator who follows the state guidelines, curriculum, and tests. This is attractive to many for a lot of reasons but it isn't homeschooling.

A distinction is necessary to ensure that the freedom to homeschool is not lost through increased regulation. If we combine the two groups then when the state seeks to increase regulation or make changes to the "schooling at home" crowd the "homeschooling" crowd could be affected by the changes and potentially lose some of the authority to direct the education of their children.

Here's an article that sums it up pretty well.
The foundation of the original fight for homeschooling was freedom. Many virtual academies and cyber charter schools begin with leniency, but over the years,rules creep in, subtle new policies begin to crop up, and gradual restrictions choke out your choices at home like crab grass run amok. This sets a precedent to increase regulations on other students who are educated at home, whether they're enrolled in a virtual academy or not.
A distinction is important, not to cast judgement, but for clarity in who is affected by increased regulation. That's a distinction all should welcome. If the parent ever decides to dissolve the partnership, or abandon the cyber charter school for another way, they will have the freedom to do so without having to prove anything to the state.

Tim Haas had a post a last year that explains the long term effects of this trend.

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5 Comments and Trackbacks

posted by creativehsmom on Feb. 16, 2006 at 4:18 PM

You are exactly right Spunky and more people need to understand "why" a clarification or distinction has to be made. The state can add more regulations to a "cyberschool" but not to a "homeschool" and I know most all homeschoolers would like to keep it that way. Cyberschooling is not homeschooling and we have to keep a close eye on mandates.
Cathy

posted by gottsegnet on Feb. 17, 2006 at 12:01 AM

I agree with you wholeheartedly. One question on the issue of authority in your definition...what to do with the curriculum (Abeka I believe has a similar option?) which are set up much the same way? Children learn through internet, dvd's and texts and return their work to the curriculum company for grading. The parents really serve only as monitors. Are they then private school students?

posted by spunkyhomeschool on Feb. 17, 2006 at 6:13 AM

In some sense I guess they are a private school. I'm not sure how they would be looked at legally though. That might depend on each state. That's interesting for another reason, the UC -v- Calvary Christian Case. University of Cal. rejected some Bob Jones and A Beka curriculum. If that case holds and UC is allowed to discriminate A Beka would be affected not just from private schools but homeschoolers as well.

posted by homeskoolmom on Feb. 17, 2006 at 9:07 AM

LOL. My 2nd generation husband posted similarly yesterday afternoon. I guess great minds think alike. :) People like my in-laws FOUGHT for their right to homeschool. There is a different mindset in many today. The Word says you cannot serve God and money. Very similarly, you cannot have one foot in Public school and one foot homeschooling-- they are like oil and water. I fear that if we're not careful, my children will be fighting the same fight my in-laws fought 20+ years ago. Only then it will be much harder.
God bless,
Christine

posted by gottsegnet on Feb. 17, 2006 at 4:02 PM

If a university is private, I support its decision to exclude anyone on any grounds. If it is public, it should fall under all those laws we have about not discriminting for gender, religion, etc. Why it is that all of these can somehow be twisted to work against Christians, I do not know.

Goodness...even our private universities fall under these laws so long as they accept students who have government scholarships.

The government has disturbing history of controlling all it aids. If you receive any federal funding, the central government thinks it has a right to dictate what you can and cannot do. Touching on your NCLB post, so long as colleges are receiving public monies, the government exerts quite a bit of control over them...in curriculum and what students they can admit. I fear the time will come that in the interest of separation of church and state, the governbment will realize that it cannot recognize these curriculum, or fund any scholarships for students educated with them.

That is the root of my issue with Bush's Faith Initiatives. I like the idea...but as soon as churches start receiving government monies, control and regulation is inevitable. And once the churches are addicted to that money, I fear many will start thinking of how to "walk the line" between man and God...all for the sake of funding.

State funding killed the church in Germany. To the poiint that Germany's recognized churches publicly denounce homeschooling. Only those disturbing, cults support it (like the Southern Baptists).

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