Iowa Homeschoolers Win

Iowa Republican‘a Kevin Hall reports:

Iowa Legislature Passes Education Reform

An education reform package passed 91-0 in the Iowa House and 40-10 in the senate. It included a handful of reforms that provide more freedom for homeschool educators. That includes eliminating annual reporting to the state, eliminating requirements for homeschooling educators to assessment reforms to their local school district and allowing parent-taught drivers education.

More particulars were provided in Caffeinated Thoughts - by Shane Vander Hart Read more…

Former Public School Customers Could Offer Improvements

The Athens Banner-Herald posted an opinion piece by Judy Johnston - Ask former ‘customers’ how to improve public schools.  The commentary Much cringing can be done reading comments, but they can be enlightening when you see a general theme.  From the article:

The recent Athens Banner-Herald story headlined “A Day in the Life of a Homeschooler” prompts me to call for those who wish to improve education in our public schools to take heed of the concepts emphasized in that story.

Reading the online comments on the article, the most popular comment included the following thoughts:  “As a former home-school parent, I can tell you that it’s an oddly mixed bag: the people I encountered in that context tended to … be either what we call liberals or highly religious conservatives. … Overall, I have more concern about the effects of outside-the-home schooling on families that use it to replace real responsibility for, and involvement in, their children’s education, both official and personal.”

A former math teacher, Ms. Johnston suggested the schools offer exit interviews for former customers.

One of the most successful entrepreneurs for whom I had the privilege of working taught me to beware of the silent business killer. “The customers you have to worry about,” he said, “are the ones who stop coming in and never tell you why they left.”
In any service-oriented business, some customers will return time after time because their needs and wants are met. However, if customers quietly leave one by one, the reasons for their departure often go unnoticed.
Public education is everyone’s business, so I would invite those who have chosen to make themselves its most vocal supporters to reach out to the families they’ve lost.

Insightful points were made throughout the article.

South Carolina Homeschoolers Don’t Get Tax Breaks

South Carolina’s The State reports School choice fails in SC Senate

COLUMBIA — A proposal that would give tax breaks to parents of home-schooled and private-school students was defeated in the Senate Wednesday.

The Senate debated the proposal, offered by Sen. Larry Grooms, R-Berkeley, as an amendment to the state budget starting July 1.

The article said the state would lose $39.1 million in tax revenues, but I think that’s consideration relative to whether it stays in the taxpayers/users’ pocket directly or not.

The proposal would give tax deductions of $4,000 for private-school students, $2,000 for home-schooled children, and $1,000 for students attending a school in another district.

States Hoping for Common Core Exit Strategy

Education Week posted several states’ legislative maneuvers trying to get out from under federal Common Core State Standards demands.  Many homeschoolers are concerned with the children and parents’ data collection, for one.

Check out EdWeek‘s article – Exit Strategy: State Lawmakers Consider Dropping Common Core  Read more…

Texas Tim Tebow and Parental Rights Bills “On Life Support”

The Lubbock Avalanche-Journal reports on a Tim Tebow bill and another bill the Texas Home School Coalition (THSC) also proposed calling for restricting a current law allowing grandparents to sue parents for access to or custody of school-age children.  

Home-school legislation seems to be dead this session
Key legislation a coalition supported appears to be dead in the current session that ends May 27  Read more…

In the Land of Virginia Homeschoolers

These are homeschooling articles I enjoy reading.  Virginia Commonwealth University‘s  Capitol News Service posted a lengthy article: Home Schooling on the Rise in Virginia by Allison Landry and Amber Shiflett.  Homeschoolers were the homeschooling experts in this article, rather than people who like to study homeschoolers. Read more…

Romeike Family Denied Asylum – Appeal Continues

“There is a difference between the persecution of a discrete group and the prosecution of those who violate a generally applicable law. As the Board of Immigration Appeals permissibly found, the German authorities have not singled out the Romeikes in particular or homeschoolers in general for persecution. As a result, we must deny the Romeikes’ petition for review and, with it, their applications for asylum.”

The Romeike family counsel made a promise to appeal the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals decision.  Two opinions were presented.  One represented the entire three-judge panel’s opinion, while Judge Rogers offered a separate, concurring opinion.  President Bush nominated two judges – Rogers and Sutton – to the appeals court. President Clinton nominated Judge Gilman in 1997. Read more…

Iowa Home Education Freedoms Entwined in Public Education Reform Battle

Photo credit to Bryon Houlgrave/The Des Moines Register

The Des Moines Register posted bill progress on a move to free up Iowa home educators from bureaucratic busy-ness. The homeschoolers’ freedom hinges on an education reform package agreement between the two major political parties.

Home schooling tripping up education reform 
Efforts to improve public education face a move to also alter parent-led instruction

Read more…