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Newscomm October 28, 2003
In this Issue:
Homeschooling as Scapegoat
The "Dark Side" Part One
The "Dark Side" Part Two
The Light Side of the Dark Side
Homeschoolers in the News
Homeschooling Around the Nation
Homeschooling Around the World
It's About Testing
See You in the Funny Papers
Updates
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Homeschooling as Scapegoat
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Ann: Reaction to CBS's Oct. 13 and 14 "Dark Side of Homeschooling" report has been huge. A reader sums up one point that many have made. Christine Myer writes, "I am particularly troubled by the undercurrent of these two reports suggesting that The functions of public schools is for government to keep a watchful eye on our children. And that somehow if the government regulates homeschooling, it will prevent the reported types of tragedies from happening.... Are we next going to have social services visit every home on a regular basis to ensure that the government is keeping a watchful eye on every child? Maybe we can start regulating who has children in the first place....application, background checks..."
Ann: Maybe we'll have to install miniature webcams in everyone's forehead at birth? Just kidding!! You make an important point, Christine. I think we must fight tooth and nail to combat the kind of lazy thinking that desires a scapegoat-o'-the-day for society's ills.
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The "Dark Side" Part One
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Ann: Here is a sampling of responses to the CBS report.
headline: CBS Needs Education on Homeschooling, Say Advocates
CNSNews.com, By Marc Morano, October 16
http://www.cnsnews.com
"The series concluded by noting that no states require "criminal background checks" of the parents who homeschool their children. But homeschooling advocates like Young are crying foul."
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headline: CBS Attacks Home Schools
Family News in Focus, by Steve Jordahl, October 16
http://www.family.org
"'(CBS is) blaming home schooling for abuse, neglect and even murder,' Jeub said. 'It's like blaming the public schools for any crime that's ever been committed by a public school student.'"
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headline: At CBS: A Case Study of Bias
BPNews, By Kelly Boggs, October 17
http://www.sbcbaptistpress.org
"If viewers were not already leaning toward the conclusion that homeschooling is rife with child abusers and murderers, CBS helped them by providing a firm shove."
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headline: A Defense of Home Schooling
IntellectualConservative.com, by Hans Zieger, October 20
http://www.intellectualconservative.com
"Dan Rather, Vince Gonzales, and CBS News owe an apology to America's growing home schooling movement. They misrepresented the facts, and the continuing success of home schoolers will be ample repudiation of CBS's radical agenda."
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headline: Sponsor Pulls Ad from CBS News After Homeschoolers' Complaints
CNSNews.com, By Marc Morano, October 21
http://www.cnsnews.com
"'We apologize that you were displeased with our advertising placement for Claritin allergy products during the CBS nightly news,' said the Claritin e-mail response to complaints about the ads it ran.... We pulled our advertising spots from the second portion of the news story and those did not run on the evening of October 14th,' the e-mail explained."
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headline: CBS News vs. Home-schooling
North Carolina News Observer, Opinion By Paul Chesser, October 24
http://newsobserver.com
Chesser closes his ironic skewering of CBS's piece: "So these parents don't know what they're doing, and too many of them beat their kids. Widely reported academic success by home-schooled children be damned! Education can only be safe and successful with government oversight. Just ask the parents of Columbine High School students."
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headline: CBS Report Blasted
The Arizona Republic, by Billy House, October 26
http://www.azcentral.com
"Freshman Arizona GOP Rep. Trent Franks was one of 33 House members who signed a letter last week saying they were 'deeply offended' ...'The tenuous connection between this 2-year-old tragedy involving a single family, which happened to home-school, and millions of law-abiding mothers and fathers who successfully and safety educate their children at home is absurd,' the letter states."
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The "Dark Side" Part Two
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Ann: Here is yet another example of homeschooling being blamed for gruesome child abuse and the failure of a state agency to prevent it. At least in this case, the media are taking different stances. The Times focuses on the failure of the state agency, noting only that, "he had not been to school..." The Courier Post, on the other hand, calls it a homeschooling case, focusing on the fact that there is no registry of homeschoolers in New Jersey, barely nodding to other facts in the case. Is the Courier-Post aping CBS by gunning for homeschooling controls? Or are they trying to detract attention from the gross negligence by New Jersey's child protection services?
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headline: Child Agency Tries to Grasp How Case Got Away
New York Times, By Leslie Kaufman and Richard Lezin Jones, October 28
http://www.nytimes.com
"It was only this weekend, when family-services officials were interviewing Bruce in the hospital, that they learned that he had been frequently punished by being told to sit for hours in front of a TV that was not on. He said that he had not been to school or a doctor or even a restaurant since being adopted in 1996."
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headline: NJ Homeschooling Policy Re-Examined
http://kyw.com
KYW-TV, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, October 28
"'When a child is in public or private school, there are more people seeing the child, which may allow us to see abuse or neglect earlier rather than later,' said Joe Delmar, a spokesman for the Division of Youth and Family Services."
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headline: Home-schooled Boys Fell Through Cracks
Cherry Hill Courier Post, New Jersey, By Barbara S. Rothschild, October 28
http://www.courierpostonline.com
COLLINGSWOOD - "Four malnourished boys who were being home-schooled escaped the notice of the educational system because no mechanism is in place to ensure these children are monitored, officials said."
Ann: And all this time I thought the educational system was supposed to educate, not monitor!
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The Light Side of the Dark Side
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Ann: Paul Nowak's sharply worded cartoon and Karen Rice's delightful parody both lampoon CBS, lightening the reading load for many.
headline: A Cartoon by Paul Nowak
http://www.cnsnews.com
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headline: Homeschool Spin: The Dark Side
http://www.design-a-website.com/dark.htm
"These children are being forced to read and learn. Their home is cluttered with books and so-called educational objects. Okay, that's fine, but where are the video games that children need to develop good fine-motor and social skills?"
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Homeschoolers in the News
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headline: Home School Spirit
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Georgia, By Michelle Hiskey, October 17
http://www.ajc.com
"But the Lions are far from typical. They are 27 boys from six northside Atlanta counties -- the first home schooled football team in Georgia."
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headline: The World's Most Talented Kids
The Oprah Winfrey Show, October 21
http://www.oprah.com
"Nine-year-old tarantula expert Elizabeth Mule certainly has an unusual passion. Instead of toys, she likes to play with The most feared creatures on earth!"
Elizabeth's mom writes, "There [were] some other great kids on, but I think Elizabeth is the only one who is homeschooled."
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headline: Local Youth Wins Bible Competition
Roanoke Rapids Daily Herald, North Carolina, By Jennifer Reed, October 27
http://www.rrdailyherald.com
"Randall Martin of Conway Baptist Church in Conway won first place this summer in the Southern Baptist Convention's first national youth Bible drill in Atlanta, GA... Martin studies the Bible as part of his home-schooling."
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Homeschooling Around the Nation
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headline: Stay-At-Home Students Enjoy Pace And Lifestyle
Georgetown Record, Massachusetts, By Jesse Greenspan, October 15
http://www.townonline.com
"'The general conception of what a homeschooled child looks like is a kid in a cabin in Montana who wins the National Spelling Bee,' Shawn said. 'That really isn't the case.'"
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headline: For Home-schoolers, Admissions Hurdles
The Dartmouth Online, New Hampshire, By Licyau Wong, October 20
http://www.thedartmouth.com
"With statistics indicating that the home-schooling movement is on the rise -- the number of home-schoolers in the United States has tripled over the last decade, according to the U.S. Department of Education -- the Dartmouth admissions office has come to pride itself on its ability to accommodate formerly home-schooled students."
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headline: John Borling, GOP candidate for U.S. Senate
The Illinois Leader, By Fran Eaton, October 22
http://www.illinoisleader.com
" Borling discusses his ideas on issues of importance to conservative voters... IL: What do you think about parents teaching their own children, as in home schooling? BORLING: I love home schooling. Home schooling is great. Home school and charter schools... IL: Home schoolers don,t want anything from the government..."
Ann: An odd little sound bite, but it grabbed my attention. Too bad the rest of the interview didn't make these comments any clearer.
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headline: Scholarship Rule Questioned by Lawmaker
The Tennessean, By Duren Cheek, October 23
http://www.tennessean.com
"The state's top lawyer was asked yesterday whether Tennessee's lottery-funded scholarship program is unconstitutional because it requires home-schooled students to meet higher standards than others entering college." This story is getting a good deal of press throughout Tennessee.
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headline: Home for School
The Chillicothe Gazette, Ohio, By Claire Cahoon, October 23
http://www.chillicothegazette.com
"'(At public school) you go around with kids your own age. That teaches horizontal socialization," [McCorkle] said. "Our kids are socialized vertically, with all ages. The older ones learn to care for the younger ones. It builds up their relationships.'"
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headline: Home-school Debate Halted
The Craig Daily Press, Colorado, By Christina M. Currie, October 25
http://www.craigdailypress.com
"...in the interest of preserving the relationship the school district has with parents who choose to home school their children and because the potential revenue was minimal, board members decided Thursday night to leave the policy alone. Members decided to allow home schooled students to enroll in as many or as few high school classes as they choose."
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headline: Overworked Baby Boomers Learn to Make Time for Leisure
The Salt Lake Tribune, Utah, By Eileen Alt Powell, October 27
http://www.sltrib.com
NEW YORK - "Don Silver... and his wife, Susan, a 52-year-old management consultant, now work from home so they can concentrate on projects they enjoy, set their own hours and home-school their son Charlie."
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Homeschooling Around the World
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headline: Take Action -- Help Home-education in Holland
http://www.thuisonderwijs.net
"We, a group of home-educating parents in the Netherlands, want home-education to become a legal option, its effectivity recognised by the authorities, and most of all we want parents to exercise a free choice for and with their children without unnecessary state interference.
That is why we ask for your input. We know some members of parliament sympathise with us, after having sent them tens of pages of arguments against the minister's view, but all this input has come from a small group of activists so far." Visit the website to find out how you can help.
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headline: Home Educators Failing Children
The Scottsman, U. K., By Seanag MacKinnon, October 15
http://www.thescotsman.co.uk
In responding to harsh attacks by both the teachers union (NASUWT) and Scottish Parent Teacher Council, "Alison Sauer, of the home schooling group Education Otherwise, rejected the criticism. She said: 'If you are a professional teacher you don,t know what you are talking about when it comes to home education. We don,t do any teaching. Our philosophy is self-directed learning. They can say what they like until they are blue in the face but the evidence shows that home education is the most brilliant thing.'"
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headline: Best of Both Worlds
Donnybrook-Bridgetown Mail, Western Australia, October 28
http://donnybrook.yourguide.com.au
"While home schooling can prevent students from acquiring valuable social skills and make friends their own age, this group of local children have overcome this drawback.... Each Wednesday a group of home schooled children living in the region gather together for a morning of hands-on work."
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Private and Public Home Study Programs
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headline: NTI Home School Program Expands
The Morning News/NWAonline.net, Arkansas, By Denise Malan, October 25
http://www.nwaonline.net
SPRINGDALE -- "A program at Northwest Technical Institute for home-schooled children will expand this month because of high demand for classes.... Organizers survey mothers each semester and add classes based on their needs, said Marcy Ruede, a teacher who runs the program. The classes offer subjects most students can't learn at home."
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headline: Opportunities Abound for Home-schooled Students
The Island Packet, Bluffton, South Carolina, By Diane Knich, October 26
http://www.islandpacket.com
"The educational framework extends beyond the home, and students make use of area facilities for workshops, gatherings and sports. Home-schoolers say they have a biology lab, lots of field trips, a drama club, field day events and their own yearbook....Home-schoolers also hold a number of programs at public libraries, which they have used to hold sign language groups and writing workshops, said Jean Morgan, youth services manager at the Hilton Head public library."
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headline: Turning to Tutors, Instead of Schools
By Brigid McMenamin, October 26
http://www.nytimes.com
Parents who want to educate their children at home, but lack the time, skill or inclination to do it themselves, are increasingly replacing school with tutors. While most tutors work on their own, a few small companies are getting into the act as middlemen or to provide tutors directly."
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headline: Homeschoolers at School
Tri-City Herald, Washington, By Kristina Lord, October 28
http://www.tri-cityherald.com
"Parents like Forrest's who homeschool their children are taking advantage of public school dollars. Through the Kennewick School District's new Mid-Columbia Parent Partnership program, students can take once-a-week classes and get a $400 allotment to put toward their home-based curriculum."
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It's About Testing
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Ann: Although standardized testing is not strictly a homeschooling issue, it is definitely an issue that stands to affect us. Here is a bit of the latest debate.
headline: Inside the New SAT
Time Magazine, By John Cloud, October 19
http://www.time.com/
From the closing paragraph: "Today Atkinson and Caperton have launched another great social experiment with the SAT.... Now it's the mission of the College Board that every school should teach to the SAT. "I would say that the most important aspect of this test is sending a real message back to kids on how to prepare for college," says Atkinson. It's not clear what happens to students in schools that won't hear, or can't afford to heed, his message."
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headline: Review of Inside the new SAT, by John Cloud, Time magazine, October 19, 2003
Education News, a review by Elizabeth Carson, New York City HOLD, October 28
http://www.educationnews.org
"The final paragraph of the article frames the changes in the design and agenda of the SAT as "another great social experiment" (which to my mind bears an underlying ironic tone and subtly suggests an end no better) and finishes with ruminations of concerns (once more) for equity. The bias in this report is profound. I definitely won't need any more coffee today."
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headline: Children Left Behind Despite Bush Education Act
Townhall.com, By Phyllis Schlafly, October 27
http://www.townhall.com/
"Not only are students judged by test scores, so are the schools. The act requires schools to score higher on standardized tests each year and it requires every racial and demographic group to show improvement."
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headline: Test-Bashers Oppress Students, And Leave the Truth Behind
A Different Drummer, By Nicholas Stix, October 28
http://www.geocities.com
"While the NCLB does require testing, it has nothing to say about the development of curricula, or about how a teacher should run his classroom."
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See You in the Funny Papers
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headline: Sunday Cartoon
By Johnny Hart, October 26
http://www.creators.com
Ann: Hart pokes fun at homeschoolers - and now I'm looking for clever comebacks.
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Updates
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Ann: Seems I was not the only one to get my dander up over the harshly anti-homeschooling opinion piece in the Osceola News Gazette, Florida, Editorial, October 09. Here is a bit from one letter to the editor.
http://www.oscnewsgazette.com
Paul Schwarz of Florida Parent-Educators Association writes, "... I,m responding to your Oct. 9 editorial characterizing home schooling as 'risky' and 'questionable.' You base your conclusion on the same faulty reasoning long used by home schooling skeptics and cite no sources to back up your claims."
HEM's HR 2732/ SB 1562 Issue Sheet
The publishers of Home Education Magazine are concerned about HR 2732 and SB 1562. These two bills represent the continuation of a dangerous political strategy which abandons the first and best line of defense for homeschooling - the free exercise of rights and responsibilities - in favor of government intervention. This political strategy has unpredictable short term outcomes and fundamental long term consequences. To read more about HR 2732/ SB 1562 see: http://www.homeedmag.com
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Final Words
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Always keep me in mind as you find and make the news. Thanks to all who contributed to this and past issues.
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HEM News & Commentary is a weekly report on what's happening in the world of homeschooling. Gleanings from the news media, accolades and pans, hot discussions, legal and legislative successes and problems - all are fair game, and gathered in one column for your convenience.
And just in case you don't have the time to read every word in print, we will summarize and discuss key news and trends that we think are the most provocative or that may have the greatest impact on the future of homeschooling.
This service is available free. Archives can be accessed at
http://www.homeedmag.com/nc/newscommentary.html
The weekly updates will be announced on HEM's discussion lists. You'll find a print version - the highlights of these reports - in a column by the same name in Home Education Magazine.
Your opinions and feedback are always welcome. Contact me.
Ann Lahrson-Fisher
HEM News & Commentary
News and Commentary Email
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