NEA and Homeschooling
Every year the NEA passes a set of resolutions. I’d like to say that I am not one of those “well if the NEA says it, it must be so”, guys. They did help me with some legal issues that arose while I was teaching, so I believe they can be a great help to educators, but I am not a blind follower. I do, however like to read the resolutions to see what the climate of the NEA is from year to year.
So in the LEARNING ISSUES NOT RELATED TO SPECIFIC DISCIPLINES section of this year’s resolution, right after the B-74. Classroom Use of Animals is the section on home schooling.
B-75. Home Schooling
The National Education Association believes that home schooling programs based on parental choice
cannot provide the student with a comprehensive education experience. When home schooling occurs,
students enrolled must meet all state curricular requirements, including the taking and passing of
assessments to ensure adequate academic progress. Home schooling should be limited to the children of
the immediate family, with all expenses being borne by the parents/guardians. Instruction should be by
persons who are licensed by the appropriate state education licensure agency, and a curriculum approved
by the state department of education should be used.
The Association also believes that home-schooled students should not participate in any
extracurricular activities in the public schools.
The Association further believes that local public school systems should have the authority to
determine grade placement and/or credits earned toward graduation for students entering or re-entering
the public school setting from a home school setting. (1988, 2006)
I am putting no opinion here, I just want to get your thoughts and feed back. I’m still getting hits on the home school conversation from old, so I wanted to show a little of the research I’ve been doing.
And, fyi, I’ve been quoted once again on Summer’s site. I never intended to become the bad guy or the focal point for the home school nations ire, but, so be it.
November 6th, 2007 at 2:49 pm
Or in other words “If you won’t us your kids to teach as we want then we will mandate you have to teach them as we want anyway.” State licencing and approved curriculum? Might as well just send them to school which is exactly what they want.
“The National Education Association believes that home schooling programs based on parental choice cannot provide the student with a comprehensive education experience.”
Well they can believe that the sky is green and the grass is blue, does that alone make it so? The facts are that parents can, and do, provide their children educations of the same, or better, levels as what ones find in public school.
November 6th, 2007 at 5:03 pm
State licensing and approved curriculum are meant to be baselines. Basic standards. Feel like going above and beyond? Go right ahead, but make sure your kids will be held to (at least) the standard of their publicly schooled peers. That’s all that’s being stated there.
November 7th, 2007 at 7:46 am
as far as being the bad guy on summer’s site, that is the one thing i hate about the internet, you can never tell a person’s tone of voice.
i never thought you were the bad guy. i thought you brought up a very good misconception that so many can gather from the posts like this.
please do not think i was “dissin” you.