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Newscomm December 02, 2003
In this Issue:
More Federal Legislation on the Docket
Headlines Exploit a Sad Event
Keeping Homeschoolers Out
Winning Homeschoolers Back - The Carrot
Dragging Homeschoolers Back - The Stick
The Voice of Reason
Homeschoolers in the Media
A Homeschool Parent-Training Program
Homeschooling and Special Needs
Homeschooling as The Hook
Homeschooling as The Insult
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More Federal Legislation on the Docket
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Ann: While scanning the site below for information about H.R. 2732/S.B.1562, I was surprised to discover that the "HoNDA" legislation is not the only legislation before Congress that mentions homeschooling. It looks like we've got our hands full, folks.
headline: National Home Education Legal Defense (NHELD)
Attorney Deborah G. Stevenson, Executive Director
http://www.nheld.com/federallegislation.htm
"Bills that contain reference to homeschooling currently before the House and Senate are:
HR 12 HEA changes
HR 282 IRS Code changes to include homeschool as an eligible school - Education Freedom Act
HR 516 FERPA amendment - definition of student
HR 612 Federal Education Freedom Act - defines home school as a qualified educational institution
HR 615 HOPE Scholarship credit - includes homeschoolers
S 1793 regarding college - federal control of homeschool prohibited"
Ann: Tracking these bills and trying a hand at lobbying is an interesting project in which you can include young people who are studying government. Start here:
http://www.nheld.com/keepyourfreedom.htm
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Headlines Exploit a Sad Event
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Ann: A tragic case of child abuse and neglect has surfaced in Arkansas, a case in which a young girl who had not attended school in three years died in a fire while chained to her bed. In reading these stories, I was struck by the many headlines that focused on reviewing homeschooling laws (see below), even though homeschooling is a minor issue in this sad story. I found nine stories, eight of them sidestepping the facts of the case and instead exploiting little Molly's death to launch an attack on homeschooling.
headline: Johnson County Girl's Death Prompts Look at Home Schooling Policy
KPOM-TV, Arkansas, November 19
http://www.arkansasnbc.com
"Rep. John Lewellen, D-Little Rock, who sponsored legislation this year to give the state Education Board authority to make rules that would ensure home school students get a quality education, says he plans to revive the bill in the regular session. While Molly's death is linked only indirectly to his home schooling concerns, he says, 'if there is the slightest possibility that could occur, then it would merit some degree of consideration.'"
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headline: Parents Formally Charged in Girl's Death
KATV News, Arkansas, November 20
http://www.katv.com
"32-year-old Lloyd Holt and 31-year-old Teresa Dick are each charged with manslaughter and first-degree false imprisonment."
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headline: Home Schooling Laws Under Review After Girl's Death
KATV News, Arkansas, by Christina McLarty, November 20
http://www.katv.com
" Clarksville - Educators and legislators are looking into home schooling laws after the death of a Clarksville girl. Molly Holt was reportedly home schooled and died in a fire while chained to her bed. But for three years Molly Holt was neither home schooled nor enrolled in a school."
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headline: Home School Regulations Revisited
http://kark.com
"The issue has resurfaced with the death of a 10 year old Clarksville girl found chained to bed after she perished in a fire. The girl was home schooled, and reportedly could not read or write."
Still more headlines:
headline: State home schooling law troubles some in wake of girl's death
http://www.helena-arkansas.com/
headline: Home-Schooling Law Debated In Wake Of Girl's Death
http://www.thehometownchannel.com
headline: Home Schooling Law Troubles Some in Wake of Girl's Death
http://www.katv.com
headline: Clarksville case prompts look at home schooling
http://www.couriernews.com
headline: Legislators Looking at Homeschooling Guidelines
http://kthv.com
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Keeping Homeschoolers Out
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headline: Separate, Unequal Students?
New London Day, Connecticut, Editorial, December 01
http://www.theday.com/
"There's no state law saying that school districts need to welcome home-schooled students into their extracurricular activities or classes. But some do. Most, however, resemble Waterford, which recently reiterated its policy of not including home-schooled pupils until such time as they enroll in the public schools....There's not much support for [including homeschoolers] among home-schooling families... [who] think once a home-schooled family partakes of public school offerings, the state will have its tentacles ready to wrest educational freedom away."
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Winning Homeschoolers Back - The Carrot
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headline: More Parents Turning Abodes into Classrooms
Times Record News, Wichita Falls, Texas, By Daniel Bartel, November 25
http://www.timesrecordnews.com
"But this home-style learning doesn't sit well with some Texas State Board of Education members. Public schools receive funding for student enrollment, and fewer students seated at public school desks means less money.....Free online learning tools are one thing. But using tax dollars to purchase additional online resources for home-schoolers has become a touchy subject. A proposed online charter school, created by educators at the University of North Texas in Denton, gives tax dollars to enhance distance learning."
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headline: Can Janesville School District Lure Home-schoolers?
Janesville Gazette, Wisconsin, By Frank Schultz, November 26
http://www.janesvillegazette.com
"Home-schooled children could be a new source of revenue for the Janesville School District, two school board members suggested Tuesday. More than 200 children who live in the district are home schooled. If all of those students attended public school, the district would realize about $1.5 million in increased funding through the state school funding formula, Wolfe said."
Ann: Must bureaucrats always ignore the fact that by homeschooling, these 200 plus non-attending children in Janesville actually save $1.5 million in tax dollars through DECREASED state school funding? Will alert taxpayers blow the whistle on the school board's scheme?
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headline: Waco Charter School's Virtual Education Plans Irritate Other School Districts
Waco Tribune-Herald, Texas, By Dan Genz, December 01
http://www.wacotrib.com
"The leaders of a Waco charter school are asking for permission from the state to offer a computer-based curriculum to students who learn at home. The plan, which has aims to earn the school's managing company a 5 percent profit through public funds, has a cadre of local and statewide opponents bristling...."
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Dragging Homeschoolers Back - The Stick
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headline: MH superintendent: Home-schooling System is Lacking in Accountability
Baxter Bulletin, Arkansas, By Maggie Rotermund, December 02
http://www.baxterbulletin.com
"Home schooling in the state of Arkansas is in disarray, and Mountain Home School Superintendent Steve Singleton wants to see something done about it.... The national No Child Left Behind legislation mandates continued improvement in education -- a charge that may be difficult to keep with vague records, Singleton said. 'The state is no less responsible for these students than for any others,' said Singleton..."
Ann: Superintendent Singleton is confused - NCLB does not apply to homeschoolers.
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The Voice of Reason
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headline: Homeschooling Works Some, But Not for All
Evansville Courier & Press, Indiana, By Roberta Heiman, December 01
http://www.courierpress.com
"...[Greg Marchant, professor of education psychology at Ball State University in Muncie] would not propose tight state regulation of homeschooling.
'I wouldn't want to take the opportunity away from any parent,' Marchant said. 'There's no evidence that homeschooling does any substantial harm. I don't think homeschooling is the answer to any problem in public education,' he added, 'but it's an interesting answer for some parents and some kids.'"
Ann: Professor Marchant's comments are a breath of fresh air from academia.
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Homeschoolers in the Media
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headline: Author Wants Children to 'Just Have Fun' Writing -
Enumclaw woman helps home-schooled children put ideas into words
King County Journal, Seattle, Washington, by Mary Swift, November 15
http://www.kingcountyjournal.com
"These days, besides her own writing, [Carla Williams] focuses her efforts on teaching writing to home-schooled children in once-a-week classes at the Saltshaker Christian Book Store in Enumclaw."
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headline: 29,000 N.C. Families Home-school Children
News 14, Greenville, North Carolina, Associated Press, November 17
http://rdu.news14.com
"The Division of Non-Public Education says that in the past seven years, the number of students who are home-schooled in the state has increased by more than 18,000.... Home-school advocates and parents say that's due to growing dissatisfaction with public education."
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headline: A Different Kind of Gym
Northwest Herald, Illinois, By David Schwartz, November 20
http://ww2.nwherald.com
Steve Sobey, Woodstock's freshman boys soccer coach and a father of five home-schooled children... formed a physical education program for home-schooled children at Regional Sports Center in Crystal Lake....Now in its fourth week, the nine-week program handles between 50 and 70 kindergarten-through-high school-aged children a week."
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headline: Home Is Where the Classroom Is
Milford Daily News, Massachusetts, By Peter Reuell, November 23
http://www.milforddailynews.com
"'It's not my style,' [Celia Mojica] said, after folding herself into a chair in her mother's Framingham living room. 'Going to school at 7:30, and going from class to class...it wasn't how I learn.' Mojica is far from alone in making that statement. Though the most recent national figures are nearly a decade old, advocates and home-schooling families say the practice is on the rise across the country."
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headline: Running For Her Life
The Boston Globe, Massachusetts, By Robert Preer, November 30
http://www.boston.com
"Once famed as the top US female distance runner, Patti Catalano Dillon [is] back -- hopeful and ready to compete again....About 30 youngsters, ranging in age from 6 to 15, hover around "Coach Patti" at the start of a recent weekly practice of the Connecticut Home School Harriers. The running club...is made up entirely of home-schooled children from the area."
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headline: 4-H Not Just for Farm Kids
Bozeman Daily Chronicle, Montana, By Erin Nicholes, November 30
http://www.bozemandailychronicle.com
"For kids who are homeschooled, 4-H offers the additional advantage of socialization. Elisabeth DeVries, 10, and her sister Stephanie DeVries, 7, recently moved to Manhattan from Michigan, and are homeschooled. 'I wanted to meet lots of friends,' Stephanie said of why she joined 4-H, a smudge of flour on her cheek."
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headline: Homeschool Kids Well-rounded
Evansville Courier & Press, Indiana, By Roberta Heiman, December 01
http://www.courierpress.com
"The U.S. Census Bureau calls it 'an important national phenomenon.' In Evansville and across the country, the number of children being homeschooled is increasing by an estimated 15 percent to 20 percent a year. 'More and more normal people are seeing homeschooling as a viable option,'....'A library card and Internet access are vital. And if you don't have Internet access at home, the library does.'"
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A Homeschool Parent-Training Program
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headline: GTCC Adds Home-school Program
Greensboro News Record, North Carolina, By Bruce Buchanan, November 30
http://www.news-record.com
"The community college will begin a series of courses designed for home-school parents in January. The first-in-the-state program will give parents skills they need to help their children learn, said program coordinator Cindy Kane.... The program will offer five initial courses: teaching strategies for kindergarten through fifth grade; reading for grades three through eight; history for grades three through eight; college planning and preparation, which will be aimed at middle and high school parents; and children's literature for kindergarten through fifth grade."
Ann: Why not stick with the tried and true, good old-fashioned on-the-job-training?
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Homeschooling and Special Needs
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Ann: While this long and fascinating read is not strictly a homeschooling story, I include it because the challenges of autism are often best met by homeschooling.
headline: A Tough, Costly Approach They Hope Helps the Boys
Cleveland Plain Dealer, Ohio, Harlan Spector, December 01
http://www.cleveland.com
"Sophia ran the home school like a business... Tutors came and went from Sophia and Marc's home from 9 to 6 every weekday, and parts of Saturday and Sunday. Twelve of them now worked for Sophia and Marc. They conducted one-on-one sessions with the boys in almost every room of the house."
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headline: A Call for Pushout Anecdotes
The Special Education Muckraker
http://www.specialeducationmuckraker.com
Dee Alpert, publisher, writes: "If you know of a kid w/a disability anywhere in the USA who was encouraged or just told not to come to school anymore - maybe just told to hit the road, or told to go get a GED instead - let me know about it. If I collect enough anecdotal evidence, I'll consider doing an entire newsletter on it and maybe stimulate some official studies or audits which can investigate and find out how widespread this illegal pattern really is." Write to: editor@specialeducationmuckraker.com
Ann: Parents who feel they have been pushed by school officials into homeschooling their special education child may wish to respond to Alpert's call. If you who wonder why homeschoolers should pay any attention to abuses and neglect in public school, consider the following argument.
headline: Why It's Important to Document Abuses In Public Education
By Margaret Zen
http://www.writerspost.com
In her interview with Zen, homeschooling writer/advocate LauraMaery Gold responds in part: "Do public educators abuse their charges? Yes. And it's not a rare occurrence. Why should homeschoolers care? Because there is growing pressure from organizations of public educators to get your children back into public schools. And these educators use as their argument spurious accusations against homeschoolers. These assertions are made without research, without statistics, without any basis in scholarship."
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Homeschooling as The Hook
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headline: Rebels Ready for the Road After Some Home-schooling
Las Vegas Sun, Nevada, by Rob Miech, December 01
http://www.lasvegassun.com
Ann: Theses days, newspaper reading often means just browsing the headlines. Editors seek provocative headlines to draw readers into the story. In this sports piece, the term "homeschooling" is the provocative hook --but there is nothing even remotely related to homeschooling in the story.
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Homeschooling as The Insult
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headline: And You Thought It Couldn't Get Worse
Chicago Tribune, Illinois, By Steve Johnson, Television Critic, October 20
http://metromix.chicagotribune.com
In his pathetic attempt to pan a television show, Johnson tries for the really big insult: "..there will be a third "Joe Millionaire," but because it's getting harder to find truly ignorant people, it will be forced to limit its pool of dupes to gay men from repressive regimes or the home-schooled."
Ann: Inquiring minds want to know - from which pool of "truly ignorant" dupes did the Chicago Tribune dredge up television critic Steve Johnson? (If you care to write, send e-mail to ctc-TribLetter@Tribune.com )
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