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Newscomm November 04, 2003
In this issue:
New Jersey Abuse Update: Did the Jacksons CHOOSE Homeschooling?
Sparkle and Shine!
Family Business and Homeschooling
Islamic Homeschooling in the News
Aerospace Education Conference Will Cater to Homeschoolers
California Curfew
Public Home Study Programs
Auto-didacticism: "A Diploma on One's Back"
School Models Itself on Homeschooling
Why Some People Homeschool
Update: Poor Journalism and CBS
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New Jersey Abuse Update: Did the Jacksons CHOOSE Homeschooling?
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Ann: Or were they public school push outs? I don't know. Public schools pushing difficult kids out and pushing their families to homeschool is a dirty little secret that few talk about. The fact is, however, that asking a child to leave public school instead of offering him an appropriate public education is a clear violation of federal law.
In the coming days, there will be plenty of blame to go around, and some blame may be due the school systems. Even if the Jacksons did CHOOSE homeschooling freely, public schools appear to have failed at least These children before that choice was made.
headline: NJ's Starving Kids Horror Story
CBS Evening News, October 28
http://www.cbsnews.com
"New Jersey's division of youth and family services investigated allegations of abuse in 1995 when a school nurse found bruises on Bruce's body. The case was dropped and the Jacksons soon began home-schooling all their children."
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headline: Pastor: Parents Said Boys Ate Every Day
Star-Ledger, New Jersey, By Ana M. Alaya, Judith Lucas and John P. Martin, November 03
http://www.nj.com
"'He was not allowed to stay in school because no one could cope with his behavior,' Vanessa Jackson said, according to Thomas. 'At Central School he was stealing lunches and eating them and then throwing up in the kid's lunch bag. At the Roosevelt School he was there one day and then asked to leave because the teacher couldn't handle him.'"
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Ann: There are many news stories about this case, some of which judge the family on the basis of hearsay and a handful of facts, while others grasp for a simple black and white scapegoat -- they blame homeschooling.
headline: Case Draws House Investigation
Courier-Post, New Jersey, November 03
http://www.courierpostonline.com
"A congressional committee will join the investigation....
Meanwhile, the pastor at the church Raymond and Vanessa Jackson attend has set up a Web site, www.savethejacksons.org , in support of the accused couple."
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headline: N.J. Abuse Case Points to Lack of School Oversight
Philadelphia Inquirer, By Kristen A. Graham, October 29
"If they had lived in Pennsylvania, it might have turned out differently. There, homeschooled children are subject to some of the strictest scrutiny in the nation... Assemblywoman Mary T. Previte (D., Camden) said yesterday that she had ordered two bills be drafted to address problems exposed in the Collingswood case...Previte, chair of the Family, Women and Children's Services Committee, said one bill would add oversight of homeschooled children."
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headline: Inside the Foster Kids' Nightmare World of Filth and Starvation
The New York Post, By Susan Edelman and Leonard Greene, November 02
http://www.nypost.com
"Collingswood residents said the Jacksons, who home-schooled the kids, were not involved in Little League or other youth or community activities."
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headline: Conflicting Portraits of Couple Emerge
Courier-Post, New Jersey, By Jason Laughlin, November 02
http://www.southjerseynews.com
COLLINGSWOOD "The children were home-schooled, though investigators have said there was no sign of educational books in the home."
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headline: Amid Images of Love and Starvation, a More Nuanced Picture
By Leslie Kaufman and Richard Lezin Jones, November 02
http://www.nytimes.com
"'If someone wants to home-school a child, they can just home-school them,' said Richard Vespucci, a spokesman for the New Jersey Department of Education. 'Education is the one universal system that could have been a check on these kids.'"
Ann: Vespucci, try to remember that the education system failed this family first.
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headline: Pastor Bails Out Parents Accused of Starving Four Boys
Cybercast News Service, By Jeff McKay, November 04
http://www.cnsnews.com
"The New Jersey parents at the center of a highly publicized child abuse case, unable to post bail on their own, were released from jail after their church pastor arranged to post the $100,000 bail for them."
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headline: Couple Tell Congregation They Did Not Starve Children
NBC10.com, November 03
http://www.nbc10.com
"Also, New Jersey social workers -- who were responsible for supervising the care of the boys -- were loudly protesting what they called a "rush to judgment" that led to the firing of nine of their own."
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Sparkle and Shine!
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Ann: Let's remember that most of the news about homeschoolers is good news, the news of ordinary families. Here are a few homeschooled students in the news.
headline: MVP Profile Central's Warren Looks for Happy Ending at States
Hernando Today, Florida, By Chris Bernhardt Jr., October 29
http://www.hernandotoday.com
"When the 17-year-old Brooksville [Mark Warren] finishes his swims today, he will end a very a successful prep career.... Warren doesn't actually attend Central, he's home schooled.... Ultimately he'd like to make the 2008 Olympics..."
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headline: Pupils Prevail in Pumpkin Plummet
Post-Gazette, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, By Joe Smydo, November 01
http://www.post-gazette.com
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. -- "...first place in the College of Engineering and Mineral Resources' 16th annual Pumpkin Drop went to a group of fifth-graders from the Morgantown area. The 10-year-olds called their entry the "H-Bomb" and, to be sure, it blew away the competition, not only surviving an 11-story fall from the roof of the Engineering Sciences Building but coming closest to the target on the ground....The fifth-graders, who entered as Cheat Lake Home School, landed their padded plastic barrel 1 foot 9 inches from the target, about twice as close as the second-place finishers, a team from Magnolia High School in New Martinsville, W.Va."
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headline: Shark Maims Surf Star
Honolulu Star Bulletin, Hawaii, By Brandon Lee, November 01
http://starbulletin.com
"Bethany Hamilton, 13, The nationÍs top-ranked amateurs, loses her left arm in an attack off KauaiÍs North Shore.... Noah Hamilton said a future in pro surfing has faded some in his sister's mind but that she is already composed enough to declare that she now wants to pursue becoming a professional photographer, just as he is doing. Bethany had, up to this point, been home-schooled so she could surf regularly."
Ann: Our prayers and loving wishes go out to Bethany and her family.
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headline: Tennis: Rising Stars Headline USTA Event
Post-Gazette, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, By Maria Sciullo, November 02
http://www.post-gazette.com
" The fourth PNC International Tennis Classic began with qualifying rounds yesterday and runs through next Sunday at the Oxford Athletic Club in Wexford.... It also carries points toward WTA rankings and a wild card into a qualifying tournament for the Australian Open.... Wild cards of interest [include] Elyse Steiner, a 16-year-old home-schooled player from Allison Park..."
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headline: Adena Graduate Finds Key to Helping Others is in Locks
Chillicothe Gazette, Ohio, By Claire Cahoon, November 03
http://www.chillicothegazette.com
"[Formerly homeschooled] Maggie Carter donated 12 inches of her hair to the Locks of Love program, an organization that turns donated hair into wigs for children who have lost their own hair because of medical problems. The non-profit organization based out of Lake Worth, Fla., has helped more than 1,000 children since it began in 1997."
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Family Business and Homeschooling
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Ann: Homeschooling and home businesses often thrive side by side.
headline: Herbal Products Being Made in Jefferson City
Jefferson City News Tribune, Missouri, By Don Norfleet, November 01
http://newstribune.com
"Simply Herbal is a family business in every sense of the words. The new business is owned and operated by James and Penny Fallon.... 'We came to Jefferson City from Little Falls in upstate New York. My daughter was looking for a state that is friendly to home schoolers and decided to come to Missouri,' [Mrs. Fallon's mother] said. The Fallons have three children."
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headline: Demand for Robotics Really Moving
Houston Chronicle, Texas, By David Kaplan, November 01
http://www.chron.com
"Children at the American Robotics Academy work with gears, motors, wheels, axles, pulleys, microcomputers and pneumatics. ...owner Dan Taglia said: "It's getting kids excited and motivated about a hands-on learning experience." ....Taglia also teaches robotics to home-schooled children in the day as well as after-school classes at his headquarters in a west Houston-area shopping center."
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headline: Organic Gains Ground
Des Moines Register, Iowa, By Anne Fitzgerald, November 02
http://www.dmregister.com
Odebolt, Ia. - "Roger Lansink...and his wife, Amy, farm 480 acres in northwestern Iowa, with help from the oldest of their four home-schooled children, 15-year-old Derek. By today's standards, that is not a lot of land, but the Lansinks run a diversified operation. To trim costs and to increase that diversity, they converted the farm to organic crop production eight years ago."
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Islamic Homeschooling in the News
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headline: Muslims Reach Beyond Religion With a Belief in Home Schooling
Washington Post, By Phuong Ly, November 02
http://www.washingtonpost.com
"The increase in Muslim home-schoolers can be measured in the Muslim-specific home-school networks, clubs and resources that have developed in the past few years. The Muslim Home Educators Network, an e-mail list, started in 1999 in San Antonio with 25 families and has grown to 2,000 families nationwide, with subgroups in Maryland and Virginia."
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Aerospace Education Conference Will Cater to Homeschoolers
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headline: Civil Air Patrol's 2003 National Congress on Aviation and Space Education
http://www.cap.gov
"Attention Homeschool Parents!! For the first time at National Congress, Hands-on activities will be available for K-6 grade students accompanied by an adult to enjoy during concurrent sessions. For further information, contact Kathy Baucum at (334) 953-4213 or email kbaucum@cap.gov . March 24-27, 2004"
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California Curfew
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headline: Curfew Praised by City
Grass Valley's anti-truancy rule has tagged 132
The Union, Western Nevada County, California, by Millete Birhanemaskel, October 31
http://www.theunion.com
"Police Chief John Foster credits the success of the ordinance to how it has been applied and used with discretion. He said the ordinance, which doesn't apply to home-schooled children, is just one more utility in the tool box to help kids stay in school."
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Public Home Study Programs
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headline: 'Virtual School' Battle Sparks Minn. Lawsuit
Education Week, By Andrew Trotter, October 29
http://www.edweek.org
"The largest teachers' union in Minnesota is challenging the legality of the state's funding of an online-learning program offered statewide by a small, rural district. The union's lawsuit has ignited a debate about the proper roles of teachers and parents in publicly financed "virtual" schools. [..] For McLean, Va.-based K12, the suit is a legal test of its business strategy of starting "virtual academies" in partnership with public schools and receiving state funding under charter or online education laws. The company enrolls about 2,000 home schoolers directly, and is operating "virtual academies" in 11 states, according to company spokesman Bryan Flood."
Ann: A debate about the proper roles of teachers and parents? What's to debate?
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headline: State-funded Home-schooling Becomes Reality - Carroll County Students Enroll in 'Virtual Education'
Star-Tribune, Greater Carroll County, Arkansas, By Anna Mathews, October 30
http://www.berryvillestarprogress.com
"Virtual education is coming to Carroll County. Soon, all students can receive a top-notch education from the comfort of their home free of charge.... The Arkansas Virtual School opened last year with a $2.3 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education's Voluntary Public School Choice Program.... Now, after receiving permission from the Arkansas Board of Education to open as a charter school next fall, students will enroll directly in the new, approved Virtual Academy charter school, which will receive the per-pupil state funds, which is about $5,000 per student."
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Auto-didacticism: "A Diploma on One's Back"
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Ann: Lartigue invites parents to look at "education in the 21st century through the 19th century, yet timeless, eyes of Frederick Douglass." Then Reed takes a swing at the university system, arguing that learning and a degree are hardly equivalent. Both articles point out ways that modern institutionalized educational practice doesn't work.
headline: Parents: Save Yourselves and Your Children
Cato Institute, by Casey Lartigue, October 28
http://www.cato.org
"Douglass learned to read in the 1830s. He never attended formal school. He never attended a public school. Some people think that is right-wing propaganda, but it is true. He was, it was said at the time by one of his friends, "a graduate of slavery, with his diploma on his back. He was home-schooled for a time by his master's wife and street-schooled by his white friends. He would challenge the white children to academic competitions by saying that he could write or spell better than they could. He was looking to take advantage of every opportunity."
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headline: Universities And Athlete's Foot
MensNewsDaily.com, opinion by by Fred Reed, November 03
http://mensnewsdaily.com
"Today weÍll destroy the universities and drive professors into the streets to starve, perhaps pulling themselves by their fingernails and feeding on remnants of discarded hamburgers.... The trick is to separate education, and measures thereof, from the possession of a diploma. You ask: How? Curiously, I have the answer: By the equivalent of home-schooling at the college level."
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School Models Itself on Homeschooling
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headline: Dance Academy Debuts
Framingham Metro West Daily News, Massachusetts, By Theresa Edo, November 03
http://www.metrowestdailynews.com
"Often students from different grades work on group projects and have discussions together, said Edison. The Dancing Arts Academy combines the best of Montessori and home schooling styles of education, she said."
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Why Some People Homeschool
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Ann: In addition to the usual high-minded reasons most families cite for homeschooling, sometimes families choose homeschooling because of outrageous public school practice.
headline: Union Teacher Remains Suspended
Peoria Journal Star, Illinois, By Carol Clark, October 31
http://www.pjstar.com
BIGGSVILLE - "A fifth- and sixth-grade social studies teacher at Union Elementary School remains on suspension after an incident last week in which an 11-year-old boy stripped down to his underwear during class....Superintendent Dean Irlbeck said the parents have decided not to send their son back to school. He will be home-schooled with the parents picking up homework assignments and the school providing a 'reasonable amount of tutoring.'"
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headline: Deciding to Homeschool
Herald and News, Klamath Falls, Oregon, By Marcia McGonigle, November 02
http://www.heraldandnews.com
"Gayle and Dennis Drake didn't like how grade school affected their two oldest children.
'They absolutely hated it,' Gayle said of Ryan, now 29, and Crystalyn, now 27. 'When they got home, we spent the rest of the day getting over what happened at school.' The kids were teased, belittled by teachers and given inappropriate reading material by a librarian, Gayle said. She started exploring homeschooling."
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headline: Rise in At-home Teaching
Stuff.co.nz, New Zealand, By Lois Watson, November 03
http://www.stuff.co.nz
"...as of July, 2003, 6076 children from 3437 families were being home-schooled - double that of 10 years ago.... 'There is a lot of discontent among parents and a lot of irritation, boredom, and rebelliousness against institutional schools amongst children,' Ms Aumonier said. For many, home-schooling was being seen as a better alternative."
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Update: Poor Journalism and CBS
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headline: CBS: Stumbling Through the Dark Side in Home-schooling Report
The Cato Institute, by Neal McCluskey, October 29
http://www.cato.org
"We expect a more considered reaction, though, from journalists, who are supposed to make objectivity paramount and put facts ahead of feelings. It is a standard that the CBS reporter failed to uphold; he chose instead to exploit the emotions of the story, seizing on the first sign that inadequate government controls might be to blame for the abuse of home-schooled children. It is not a conclusion based on readily accessible facts -- facts that should at least have received some mention in CBS's report. [..] In addition to failing to acknowledge that government oversight hardly guarantees children's safety, CBS ignored the great success of home schooling."
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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
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