The purpose of this article certainly doesn’t seem to be the hearty, “Well done! Keep up the good work!” that the title suggests, but rather a jerking-on-the-suit-sleeve hint to the Indiana legislature to clamp down on homeschoolers before the situation worsens.
Home-schoolers are producing educated students, 15 August 2008, News Sentinel, Fort Wayne, Indiana
There are very few rules here, and the ones we have aren’t exactly monitored closely. Home-schooling parents are supposed to give their children the “equivalent” of a public education, but “equivalence” isn’t defined. There are no program or curriculum requirements, and students aren’t required to take any standardized tests. Attendance is supposed to be taken to ensure 180 days of education a year, but that’s only for parents who bother to register with the state. Not all do.
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By any measure available, most of the thousands of home-schooled children in Indiana are being taught very well. And why not? They have the one thing most school systems can only dream of having: dedicated parents with a passionate interest in their children’s education.
So, would the state’s 30% failure rate be an acceptable level of success?
It’s a good thing that homeschooling parents are motivated to do well for the sakes of their children because merely producing those “educated students” doesn’t satisfy some people.
In any case, the writers-of-rules don’t say, “we want your children under our control.” The writers-of-rules say, …
If California has been among the states that have tried the hardest to regulate home schooling, it’s fair to say Indiana has been among the most lax.
gottsegnet said on August 22, 2008
Maybe we just need to lower our standards so that there is more “equivalency.”
I’m tired of people wanting policy built on the fear of what could possibly happen rather than any actual, identified problem.