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News & Comment June 15, 2004
In this issue:
Homeschooled Students Make the News
More Graduation Stories
Parent-Partnered Programs - Alaska Rules Tighten
It's About the Money in E. Ohio
It's About the Money in Rural Wisconsin
Georgia Passes HB 1428
News Stories About Homeschoolers
Homeschooling - A Journalistic Buzz Word
Homeschooling and Politics
Why We Homeschool
Update on Charter Schools in Washington State
Harcourt Acquires Saxon
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Homeschooled Students Make the News
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Ann: Congratulations to these talented homeschoolers!
headline: Home-schooled Boy With Form of Autism Wins National Award
Akron Beacon-Journal, Ohio, AP, June 12
http://www.ohio.com
OAKWOOD, Ohio - "[Aaron Broadstreet, a] 14-year-old with a knack for playing the piano, raising butterflies and growing strawberries has won...the Temple Grandin Award for achievement with a disorder known as Asperger syndrome, or high-functioning autism....Aaron plays the piano at nursing homes and raises butterflies, chickens, peacocks, strawberries and more on his family's 12-acre farm in Oakwood in suburban Cleveland."
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headline: Teens Direct, Star in Movie Playing at Film Festival
King Country Journal, Seattle, Washington, By Mary Swift mary.swift@kingcountyjournal.com, June 12
http://www.kingcountyjournal.com
Andy Maier "...stars in 'Max Rules,' a full-length feature film directed by Bellevue's Rob Burke. The film is one of 224 feature films and 84 short films from 58 countries accepted for [30th Annual Seattle International Film Festival.].... Andy, who is homeschooled but takes graphics art and video production classes at Renton High School, says friends now ask him if he's famous."
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headline: Weare Student Wins State Writing Award from New Hampshire Center for the Book
New Hampshire State Library Press Release, March 31
http://www.nh.gov
"Helen H. Aki, an eighth grader from Weare, has taken top honors in the first New Hampshire Letters About Literature writing contest. Judges selected Ms. Aki's letter to Tamora Pierce, author of the Protector of the Small series, as the first place winner in Level II competition for students in grades 7 and 8. Ms. Aki's winning essay will now advance for national competition." Read Helen's letter here:
http://www.nh.gov
Ann: Helen Aki's parents have written to tell me that Helen is homeschooled, a fact omitted from the press release.
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headline: Homeschooled Student Heading to Japan
The Star Press, East Central Indiana, By Ric Routledge ricroutledge@hotmail.com
http://www.thestarpress.com
MONTPELIER - "Ross Downhour will trade his homeschool classroom for a Japanese classroom via a Blackford High School classroom this summer. The 17-year-old earned a scholarship that will allow him to stay with a host family in Japan for six weeks. He will attend academic classes as a 'typical Japanese teenager.' The scholarship is part of the Japan-U.S. Senate Exchange program administered through Youth For Understanding USA. One student from each state was chosen to participate."
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More Graduation Stories
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headline: Home-Schooled Girl Banned From High School Graduation
WMUR Channel.com, Manchester, New Hampshire, June 11
http://www.thewmurchannel.com
"Nashua High School will not allow Vicky Ducharme to take part in graduation ceremonies. But Ducharme said the policy is not fair because even though she wasn't a student at the school, she was involved in some of the school's extracurricular activities....[Principal Pat Corbin] said Ducharme didn't fulfill the requirements to graduate from the school."
Ann: I hate to see kids get their hopes dashed, but the principal probably made a fair call based on the rules. On the other hand, would it hurt anyone for Ducharme to participate in the pomp and circumstance with her friends and get either a blank or a certification of appreciation instead of a diploma?
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headline: Home-school Graduates Put Personal Stamp on Graduation Ceremonies
NewsDay.com, By Noreen Gillespie, Associated Press, June 10
http://www.newsday.com
BLOOMFIELD, Conn. -- "The celebration of Karen Greenwood's high school graduation will be just like her education: crafted by her family. Greenwood, a home-schooled student, will not have a large, pomp-and-circumstance-filled ceremony with hundreds of students in caps and gowns. Educated her entire life inside a cozy split-level ranch, she is a class of one....Some state home school organizations or church groups sponsor voluntary ceremonies. Some families opt for a quiet ceremony at home with a homemade diploma. However the accomplishment is recognized, it is usually filled with personal touches, unique to each child's education and personality."
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headline: Erie Islands Home School Students Prepare for Saturday Graduation
Port Clinton News-Herald, Ohio, June 09
http://www.portclintonnewsherald.com
FREMONT -- "The Erie Islands Home School Association has announced the graduation of several area home school students."
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Parent-Partnered Programs - Alaska Rules Tighten
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headline: Panel OKs Revised Home-School Regulations
The Daily News-Miner, Fairbanks, Alaska, By Dan Rice, drice@newsminer.com, June 12
http://www.news-miner.com
"Parents who home school their children through correspondence schools will face more rules on how they spend state money and greater oversight of their children's learning plans under a scaled-down version of new regulations passed Friday by the state Board of Education and Early Development. The regulations require a certified teacher to work with parents to 'jointly develop' a learning plan for home-schooled students, rather than the current requirement of only having a certified teacher sign off on the plan. In addition, parents will have more regulations on how they spend money received through a correspondence program, with a requirement that most expenses be approved through the student's learning plan."
Ann: From the taxpayer viewpoint, accountability will be improved. From the homeschooler viewpoint, this sounds like public school in the home.
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It's About the Money in E. Ohio
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headline: East Palestine Lays Off One Worker as School District Straddles Fiscal Fence
Morning Journal, East Palestine, Ohio, By Deanne Hoover dhoover@mojonews.com, June 8
http://www.morningjournalnews.com
"While the school district looks at lean years ahead, [Superintendent Jeff Richardson] gave board members a proposal to try to eliminate loosing [sic] money to other schools, especially electronic and home schools. Richardson said the district loses $96,000 annually to electronic schools, where students attend classes and complete assignments over the Internet. He continued the district also loses $95,000 annually to home schooled students. Richardson said the district is looking at becoming a part of the Virtual Learning Academy."
Ann: Read the article - it's not about the students. It is about the money. I wonder if creating virtual and charter schools will become a trend in smaller school districts that have lost students to the large charter programs and virtual schools. Moving on to Wisconsin...
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It's About the Money in Rural Wisconsin
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headline: Time Has Come to Review Funding of Rural Education
Oshkosh Northwestern, Wisconsin, Editorial, June 10
http://www.wisinfo.com
"...Now is the time to start the discussion about better ways to fund rural education in Wisconsin.... Options for education also should include emphasis on home schooling or long-distance Internet education....A joint approach of working with rural school districts will help determine which ones merge, which ones expand, which ones turn to home schooling and which ones turn to charter schools."
Ann: It's about the money and enormous confusion about homeschooling. Just what is meant by turning to "homeschooling and charter schools" as solutions to rural education funding?
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Georgia Relaxes Qualifications
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headline: HB 1428 - Home Study Programs; Qualifications of Tutors
http://www.legis.state.ga.us
"Code Section 20-2-690 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to requirements for private schools and home study programs, is amended... to read as follows: (language in parentheses has been deleted) "(3) Parents or guardians may teach only their own children in the home study program, provided the teaching parent or guardian possesses at least a high school diploma or a general educational development [GED] diploma, but the parents or guardians may employ a tutor who holds (at least a baccalaureate college degree) a high school diploma or a general educational development diploma to teach such children."
From HEIR (Home Education Information Resource) of Georgia
http://www.heir.org
Cathy Carter of HEIR writes that the bill adds a small measure of freedom to Georgia homeschooling law by allowing parents to hire tutors with less than a baccalaureate degree. It came up at the request of MaryJo Patterson of GHEA. It was passed into law without fanfare or question, unlike a similar bill in Virginia, which was vetoed by the Governor and opposed by at least The homeschooling groups Virginia Home Education Association.
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News Stories About Homeschoolers
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headline: Florida Sees Jump in Home-Schooled Children
Daytona Beach News-Journal, Florida, By Linda Trimble, linda.trimble@news-jrnl.com, June 13
http://www.news-journalonline.com
"The number of home-schooled children in Florida has grown from 1,292 since a state law requiring their parents to register with their local school districts went on the books in 1985 to 45,333 in 2002-03, the last year for which statewide figures are available....Sarah Brunnig still believes after 15 years that learning at home was the best choice for her family...'Home schooling is a lifestyle where you like and want your children around you,' she said. 'You want to be their main influence.'"
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headline: 'Facts of Life' Star Shares Tips on Home-Schooling
Macon Telegraph, Georgia, By Karen Shugart kshugart@macontel.com, June 12
http://www.macon.com
"Since 1999, the number of home-schooled Georgia students has grown 33 percent, while the number of public-school students has grown 7 percent, according to state Department of Education data. During the 2003-2004 school year, 34,363 students were taught at a home....Dozens of parents peppered ['The Facts of Life' star Lisa Whelchel] with questions about home-schooling and Hollywood at an afternoon workshop....At a time when the number of home-schooled students continues to rise, hundreds of families converged Friday at a curriculum fair and book sale..."
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headline: Home-School Rules
Star-Telegram, Fort Worth, Texas, By Cynthia L. Garza cgarza@star-telegram.com, June 12
http://www.dfw.com
"Families differ in their approach to summer schedules. Tim Lambert, president of the Texas Home School Coalition, the state's largest nonprofit home-school group, said there really is no norm for what home-schoolers do during the summer. Some of the estimated 100,000 Texas home-school families are nontraditional, he said. But a lot of families pursue a schedule similar to that of public schools, Lambert said. It can be hard not to."
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headline: Closeup: A Dream Come True
Savannah Morning News, Georgia, By Kathy Bohannon kathybohan@yahoo.com, June 9
http://www.savannahnow.com
"Rebecca Lanier Rose had a dream while growing up on her father's farm in Guyton. She wanted to have her own bluegrass band and host festivals at her own bluegrass park. Just a few years ago, Rebecca's dreams came true....The Lonesome Whistle Band features Rose's 13 year-old son, Evan [who] plays mandolin.... Rebecca and Russell homeschool their children and usually hit the road on Thursdays for weekend performances. The kids ride along and do their lessons from the tour bus."
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Homeschooling - A Journalistic Buzz Word
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Ann: I've caught several writers using the term "homeschool" in unusual ways. For instance, sports writers or copy editors may write "homeschooled" when a team has a home court advantage - shorthand, I suppose, for "The home team taught their opponents a thing or two by trouncing them."
Here are other buzz word usages I've seen recently.
headline: Home School
Chicago Sun-Times, Illinois, By Larry Finley lfinley@suntimes.com, June 13
http://www.suntimes.com
First-time home buyers aren't the only ones who need some extra guidance finding just the right home."
Ann: Ok-a-a-y - lessons and tips on how to buy a home.
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headline: Home Schooling Good For What Ails Elders
http://www.wwseniors.com
"Home-schooling isn't just for kids. Not any more. Seems like learning in the comfort of your home can do wonders, especially for ailing elders.... Yes, older adults with chronic illnesses are benefiting from 'home schooling.'"
Ann: Older adults benefit from learning at home rather than being sent to classes. No big surprise there.
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Ann: And then there is the euphemistic use of "home" to mean "institution" - this usage has been around for generations.
headline: Optimism Surrounds Home School Graduation
Minnesota Sun, By Joe Kieser, June 10
http://www.mnsun.com
"Graduates of the Hennepin County Home School in Minnetonka may have reached a turning point in their lives before graduation day....It's the county's state-licensed residential correctional treatment center for juveniles."
Ann: Is it any wonder that the public is confused about homeschooling?
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Homeschooling and Politics
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headline: Cain Receives Georgia Right to Life Endorsement
The Weekly, Gwinnett County, Georgia, June 7
http://www.theweekly.com
"In recognition of Cain's [Herman Cain, a conservative Republican candidate from McDonough, Ga.] pro-life views and conservative message, he has received the endorsement of many other pro-life organizations, including: Republican National Committee for Life, Eagle Forum, The Madison Project and Home School Legal Defense Association."
Ann: What? HSLDA used to be a homeschooling organization - did they change their focus? The folks in Gwinnett County will think so when they read this article.
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headline: God Wants Us Home Schooled
Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Opinion By T.C. Pinckney, June 11
http://www.ajc.com
(T.C. Pinckney is co-sponsor of a resolution calling for members of the Southern Baptist Convention to remove their children from public schools. T.C. Pinckney of Alexandria, Va., is a retired Air Force general and editor of the Baptist Banner journal.)
"The most common objections to Christians withdrawing their children from government schools is that they then will not have the opportunity to evangelize unsaved classmates. Acknowledging that some exceptional children may effectively evangelize, the fact is that they are just that, exceptions. In the great majority of cases, the successful evangelization is by their unbelieving classmates converting children from Christian homes to a materialistic view of life..."
Ann: Headlines like this have additional impact - they alarm the public education establishment. How are public school advocates likely to respond to a potential mass exodus from public schools? They are likely to fight hard, state by state, to tighten controls and standards on homeschoolers.
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Why We Homeschool
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headline: What's Wrong with Teaching to the Test?
Phi Delta Kappan, By Dave Posner pdk@daveposner.com, May 25
http://www.pdkintl.org
"Mr. Posner speculates on the evolution of a species that has been educated only to succeed on standardized tests.... 'We are in effect putting our kids (and their teachers!) on an isolated atoll under the evolutionary force of a strange selection process based on standardized tests. The inevitable product of this process is a species that is as custom-engineered as any carbon-based life form can be to solve trivial problems. Like most exotic species, this one is unlikely to be able to adapt to and compete in the larger world. The irony is that it is unlikely to prevail even in its chosen niche, where the fittest survivors will most likely be made of silicon.'"
Ann: Posner's smart article voices the concerns of many parents and teachers being ignored these days - those who want children to know how to solve problems outside of the test bubble.
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headline: Home Learning for Kids Too Scared for School
The Sunday Mail, Queensland, Australia, By Mark Alexander, June 13
http://www.thesundaymail.news.com.au
"Estimates show there are as many as 11,000 Queensland kids being taught at home and educators suggest that figure could double within five years. Religious, academic and philosophical reasons have in the past been the main factors behind parents' decision to teach their children at home but safety and security are fast becoming the primary reason."
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headline: School-required Medications
Christian Science Monitor, By Kelly Hearn, June 14
http://www.csmonitor.com
"As parents seek more legal protection, controversy over drugs' impact deepens....Finally, says [Patricia Weathers], 'I saw that the medicines were making [son] Michael psychotic, so I stopped giving them to him.' When she stopped the medicine, the school reported her to state child protective services for child abuse.' Though charges were dropped, the Weathers case has become a symbol of the simmering controversy surrounding attention deficit disorder/ADHD, treatment for it, and the subjective diagnostic tests some critics say has led to an overuse of stimulants in schools."
Ann: Schools want to have more say in the medication of a child than the parents? Big, big problem.
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Update on Charter Schools in Washington State
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headline: Charter Schools Are Put on Hold
Seattle Times, Washington, By Linda Shaw, June 11
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com
" Supporters of charter schools likely will have to shift gears this week from helping such schools get started, to running an election campaign to keep the idea alive. A coalition of groups that oppose charter schools, led by the state's largest teachers union, said yesterday it expects to submit enough signatures by today's deadline to place a referendum on the November ballot that will ask voters to repeal a charter-school bill passed in March."
Ann: Last week I noted an effort to launch a charter school in Port Townsend. We can put that thought on the back burner for now.
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Harcourt Acquires Saxon
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headline: Harcourt Achieve Announces Acquisition of Saxon Publishers, Inc.
Press Release, June 01
http://biz.yahoo.com
AUSTIN, Texas, June 1 /PRNewswire/ -- "Harcourt Achieve, a unit of global education provider Harcourt, announced today that it has agreed to acquire Saxon Publishers, Inc., a leading publisher of skills-based instructional materials for grades pre-K through 12 in mathematics, phonics, and early childhood. Harcourt, a Reed Elsevier Group plc company, said it expected to complete the purchase immediately following receipt of necessary regulatory approvals."
Ann: While homeschoolers either love or hate Saxon math, we do agree on one thing - we love having Saxon math as an option. I hope new management doesn't mess with it.
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Final Words
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E-mail addresses of reporters or their editors are now included with their stories when available. Please send feedback to reporters who make you think, who tell a great story, or who have wrong information. A pat on the back or a respectful correction is usually appreciated. As always, keep me in mind as you find and make the news. Please include a link if possible and a sentence or two of your own that summarizes the homeschooling aspect of the story. Thanks to all who contributed to this and past issues.
Ann Lahrson Fisher
News and Commentary Email
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