Scientific American is calling for federal regulation of homeschooling families

Screenshot — Homeschooled students work on projects in the LBJ Library. Photo credit: LBJ Library.

A leading science journalism magazine says American homeschoolers are being left behind and that their parents should be investigated and pass background checks to be allowed to homeschool their own children.

American scientistthe May issue said: “Because few states monitor who is homeschooled and what they learn, countless numbers of American children are at risk of poor education and even violence.”

The magazine is concerned that parents are increasingly withdrawing their children from government schools. He says that in 2019, almost 3% of American children – 1.5 million – were homeschooled.

“Nobody knows by how much, and that’s part of the problem. In the United States, homeschooling is barely monitored and regulated. But children deserve a safe and sound education, whether they attend a traditional school or learn from home,” the magazine argues.

“This figure, calculated from a nationwide survey, is certainly an underestimate because it is very difficult to survey the homeschooling population and more children are being homeschooled since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic. Eleven states do not require parents to tell anyone that their child is homeschooled, and in most of the country, no one checks on whether a child is learning at all after a child leaves the traditional school environment.” American scientist says.

Alaska has the highest percentage of homeschoolers in the nation, with over 15.4% of families homeschooling their children. Alaska is followed by Idaho at 8.9%, Tennessee at 8.5% and Oklahoma at 8.3%.

The magazine demands government oversight of homeschooling families in case children are exploited. However, the magazine provides no evidence to support such undue influence on the lives of families by the federal government. The magazine also does not address the question of the constitutionality of such an action; The Department of Education is a relatively new federal agency, created during the Carter administration, and a growing number of conservatives believe the department should be disbanded because of the declining quality of public education since its creation and because it is a money grabber. could be used in schools.

Scientific American argues that homeschool students are not required to take the exams that government school students take.

“This makes sense because the personalized learning environment provided to homeschooled students allows for more flexible and varied ways of assessment. While standardized tests may be the most effective way for teachers to measure content knowledge in a classroom of 25 students, a written analysis based on a recent museum visit may be a more meaningful demonstration of knowledge for a homeschooled student, says the director of the Mackinac Public Policy Center Institute.

You can see Alaska homeschooling proficiency data here.

“What makes no sense, however, is the editors’ argument that the practice of exempting homeschool students from taking the same types of assessments as their classroom peers ‘enables educational neglect that can have long-lasting consequences for a child’s development.’ This is an unscientific logical fallacy that has harmful consequences, including misleading the public about the realities of homeschooling. While neglecting a child’s education will certainly have a negative impact on his or her development, exempting a homeschooled child from taking standardized assessments is not a form of educational neglect,” the policy group writes in its article sharp criticism of the magazine.

American scientist she also slandered Christians in her opinion column, saying that “some Christian homeschool programs teach Young Earth Creationism instead of evolution. “Other curricula describe slavery as ‘black immigration’ or extol the virtues of Nazism.”

While it is true that homeschooling can be adapted and individualized to reflect a family’s deeply rooted values, one of the main reasons why more and more families are choosing this as an option for their children is that during the Covid-19 pandemic, as students were homeschooled, parents became concerned about the concepts being taught to their children, especially when they conflicted with family values such as unscientific gender identity ideology and anti-Christian dogma.

A scientific journal published for 178 years recommends federal intervention and monitoring homeschooling families:

“It is clear that in most states in homeschooling there will still be no accountability for results or even basic safety. However, federal reporting and evaluation mandates to protect children do not have to be burdensome. For example, homeschool parents may be required to pass an initial background check, as each state requires for all K-12 teachers. Homeschool instructors may be required to file paperwork annually with their local school district or state agency to demonstrating that their children are learning.”