Home
Scientific American: Homeschooling Parents Need to Undergo Background Checks
June 24, 2024
There’s a growing list of states adopting universal school choice, and Louisiana is the most recent addition.
“The LA Gator Program puts parents in the driver’s seat and gives every child the opportunity for a great education,” said Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry, a Republican. “When parents are committed to the value of their child’s education, government should never get in the way.”
And it seems many of these parents are moving to homeschooling to ensure their children are getting a well-rounded, trustworthy education. This, however, has received pushback.
The editors of Scientific American magazine published an article last month claiming “children deserve uniform standards in homeschooling.” And what does this look like? The idea the editors had in mind is that “homeschool parents could be required to pass an initial background check, as every state requires for all K-12 teachers.”
Scientific American is concerned that the growth of homeschooling is a “problem” since it’s hard to keep track of how many children are being homeschooled these days. “Some children may not be receiving any instruction at all,” the editors wrote. “In the worst cases, homeschooling hides abuse.”
But for education experts like Molly Macek of the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, the article is a false alarm. The “venerable magazine’s call for restrictions isn’t based on science,” she wrote. Macek continued, “Most would find it hard to argue with the editors’ opening argument that ‘children deserve a safe and robust education.’ But they go on to use this as the reason that homeschooling should be tracked and regulated in the U.S. This conclusion just doesn’t hold water based on the evidence from studies they cite.”
Family Research Council President Tony Perkins considered Scientific American’s push against homeschooling on Thursday’s episode of “Washington Watch” with Mike Farris, founder of the Home School Legal Defense Association.
Perkins asked, “[W]hy is the Left so threatened by parents leading their children’s education?” And more specifically, how should we respond to it all? Farris replied, the “editors of the Scientific American need a basic course in constitutional law.”
He continued, “The federal government has no jurisdiction to implement the kind of plan that they are calling for,” which happens to be “a very draconian plan.” Ultimately, it seems “their motive and their operational plan … would be just, on its face, unconstitutional.”
Farris pointed out that one of the reasons for their argument is that parents who choose to homeschool often “teach their kids about creation as opposed to evolution,” which “is something, clearly, that people have the right to do.” And so, he added, for the editors of Scientific American to have a problem with that says a lot about their motivations.
“It’s almost laughable,” Perkins noted. He recalled the editors’ call for parents to undergo background checks. “[A] background check?” he hooted, “to teach your own children?”
Farris concurred, stating it’s “amazing” how parents can be with their children all day, “but if you want to teach them about math and reading and science in the Bible, then you have to have a background check. It just doesn’t make any sense.”
Farris also drew attention to the concern Scientific American highlighted about children being abused. As he explained, there are unfortunate cases of homeschool children who are being “seriously abused.” However, “The reality is, in the vast majority of cases like this … the government officials knew about the problems with the family long before there was ever any claim to be a homeschooling family.”
And so, when a homeschooling family gets caught up in abuse accusations, it’s often the case that “the officials use that as a cover-up for the fact that they failed to do any reasonable inquiry into the family when they first found out about the problems.”
Farris went on to explain the harsh reality of how “the number of cases of sexual abuse of children by public school teachers dwarfs the number of any claim relative to homeschooling, just in sheer volume of numbers. … It’s just far, far greater.”
They also claim, Perkins added, that homeschool “kids are being educationally deprived.” But if you look at the statistics and “the test scores from the public schools in the last few years,” the scores are the lowest they’ve been in decades in both math and reading.
“The reality is,” Farris urged, “homeschooling works very, very well.” He went on, “[P]eople say that the test scores are not conclusive. [But] they’re conclusive of this: that homeschooling performs adequately. That’s absolutely conclusive. I think that the test scores also show that homeschooling is the best form of education.”
And while he acknowledged there’s “more debate that could be made about that” final claim, he reasoned that homeschooling parents “don’t have to prove that we’re the best. We just have to prove that we’re at least as good as the public schools.”
Perkins also emphasized that, “given the woke ideology that’s invaded schools,” it’s becoming less and less difficult to prove that point. “But at the bottom line of this … is [that] it’s a clash of worldviews.” And more specifically, it’s a “hatred for a biblical worldview.”
Farris agreed, noting a common reason opponents give is “they want all children in America to be indoctrinated in their worldview, not the parents’ worldview.”
Perkins raised the question: When “parents make that type of investment in their education by homeschooling them,” what are the practical benefits? According to Farris, the reason most parents choose to homeschool is because “children get their values from whoever they spend the majority of their time with.” As such, parents want their children to embrace their values.
As Farris detailed, “[O]ur kids are not cookie cutters of either [my wife] or I in any respect, but they share all of our core values about God … the Bible … America … freedom … [and] the principles of protecting human life. We’ve effectively transmitted our values to our kids, and they’ve turned out just fine academically.”
Not to mention, he added, “We have a very close family. We have consistent values. We have high academic achievement. I can’t ask for anything better. And it’s just the best thing we ever did for our family.”
Perkins emphasized, “Homeschool families are close, and when we talk about close,” it’s because “they stick together. … [T]here’s a bond that takes place through that process of learning about life together.”
Given this reality, Perkins clarified that an attack such as what’s coming from Scientific American isn’t new. But “what do we need to do to make sure we don’t lose this God-given right to teach our own children?” For Farris, it’s about staying “nimble and organized.”
He discussed how a lot of people reasonably worry about their children’s schooling, which gives homeschooling families an opportunity to show how great of a practice it is.
Homeschooling brings a “kind of assurance and affinity,” he concluded. “I think we’re in a really strong position. We just got to keep putting the pedal to the metal and not letting any lackadaisical spirit come in. We got to defend our liberty day in, day out.”
Originally published by The Washington Stand
https://www.dailysignal.com/2024/06/24/scientific-american-homeschooling-parents-need-to-undergo-background-checks/?utm_source=TDS_Email&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=CapitolBell&mkt_tok=ODI0LU1IVC0zMDQAAAGT8B-IdMrViSRNb0U9GYQgTSB1EspdzSwJE8hjAfy6nZ5kqk56jWGAjd1gLdu5AkcRg9C3yTaAFS_alnTO59nwAQd-hvWgJHIOAHdyzeA4KaHxM5faGQ
June 24, 2024
There’s a growing list of states adopting universal school choice, and Louisiana is the most recent addition.
“The LA Gator Program puts parents in the driver’s seat and gives every child the opportunity for a great education,” said Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry, a Republican. “When parents are committed to the value of their child’s education, government should never get in the way.”
And it seems many of these parents are moving to homeschooling to ensure their children are getting a well-rounded, trustworthy education. This, however, has received pushback.
The editors of Scientific American magazine published an article last month claiming “children deserve uniform standards in homeschooling.” And what does this look like? The idea the editors had in mind is that “homeschool parents could be required to pass an initial background check, as every state requires for all K-12 teachers.”
Scientific American is concerned that the growth of homeschooling is a “problem” since it’s hard to keep track of how many children are being homeschooled these days. “Some children may not be receiving any instruction at all,” the editors wrote. “In the worst cases, homeschooling hides abuse.”
But for education experts like Molly Macek of the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, the article is a false alarm. The “venerable magazine’s call for restrictions isn’t based on science,” she wrote. Macek continued, “Most would find it hard to argue with the editors’ opening argument that ‘children deserve a safe and robust education.’ But they go on to use this as the reason that homeschooling should be tracked and regulated in the U.S. This conclusion just doesn’t hold water based on the evidence from studies they cite.”
Family Research Council President Tony Perkins considered Scientific American’s push against homeschooling on Thursday’s episode of “Washington Watch” with Mike Farris, founder of the Home School Legal Defense Association.
Perkins asked, “[W]hy is the Left so threatened by parents leading their children’s education?” And more specifically, how should we respond to it all? Farris replied, the “editors of the Scientific American need a basic course in constitutional law.”
He continued, “The federal government has no jurisdiction to implement the kind of plan that they are calling for,” which happens to be “a very draconian plan.” Ultimately, it seems “their motive and their operational plan … would be just, on its face, unconstitutional.”
Farris pointed out that one of the reasons for their argument is that parents who choose to homeschool often “teach their kids about creation as opposed to evolution,” which “is something, clearly, that people have the right to do.” And so, he added, for the editors of Scientific American to have a problem with that says a lot about their motivations.
“It’s almost laughable,” Perkins noted. He recalled the editors’ call for parents to undergo background checks. “[A] background check?” he hooted, “to teach your own children?”
Farris concurred, stating it’s “amazing” how parents can be with their children all day, “but if you want to teach them about math and reading and science in the Bible, then you have to have a background check. It just doesn’t make any sense.”
Farris also drew attention to the concern Scientific American highlighted about children being abused. As he explained, there are unfortunate cases of homeschool children who are being “seriously abused.” However, “The reality is, in the vast majority of cases like this … the government officials knew about the problems with the family long before there was ever any claim to be a homeschooling family.”
And so, when a homeschooling family gets caught up in abuse accusations, it’s often the case that “the officials use that as a cover-up for the fact that they failed to do any reasonable inquiry into the family when they first found out about the problems.”
Farris went on to explain the harsh reality of how “the number of cases of sexual abuse of children by public school teachers dwarfs the number of any claim relative to homeschooling, just in sheer volume of numbers. … It’s just far, far greater.”
They also claim, Perkins added, that homeschool “kids are being educationally deprived.” But if you look at the statistics and “the test scores from the public schools in the last few years,” the scores are the lowest they’ve been in decades in both math and reading.
“The reality is,” Farris urged, “homeschooling works very, very well.” He went on, “[P]eople say that the test scores are not conclusive. [But] they’re conclusive of this: that homeschooling performs adequately. That’s absolutely conclusive. I think that the test scores also show that homeschooling is the best form of education.”
And while he acknowledged there’s “more debate that could be made about that” final claim, he reasoned that homeschooling parents “don’t have to prove that we’re the best. We just have to prove that we’re at least as good as the public schools.”
Perkins also emphasized that, “given the woke ideology that’s invaded schools,” it’s becoming less and less difficult to prove that point. “But at the bottom line of this … is [that] it’s a clash of worldviews.” And more specifically, it’s a “hatred for a biblical worldview.”
Farris agreed, noting a common reason opponents give is “they want all children in America to be indoctrinated in their worldview, not the parents’ worldview.”
Perkins raised the question: When “parents make that type of investment in their education by homeschooling them,” what are the practical benefits? According to Farris, the reason most parents choose to homeschool is because “children get their values from whoever they spend the majority of their time with.” As such, parents want their children to embrace their values.
As Farris detailed, “[O]ur kids are not cookie cutters of either [my wife] or I in any respect, but they share all of our core values about God … the Bible … America … freedom … [and] the principles of protecting human life. We’ve effectively transmitted our values to our kids, and they’ve turned out just fine academically.”
Not to mention, he added, “We have a very close family. We have consistent values. We have high academic achievement. I can’t ask for anything better. And it’s just the best thing we ever did for our family.”
Perkins emphasized, “Homeschool families are close, and when we talk about close,” it’s because “they stick together. … [T]here’s a bond that takes place through that process of learning about life together.”
Given this reality, Perkins clarified that an attack such as what’s coming from Scientific American isn’t new. But “what do we need to do to make sure we don’t lose this God-given right to teach our own children?” For Farris, it’s about staying “nimble and organized.”
He discussed how a lot of people reasonably worry about their children’s schooling, which gives homeschooling families an opportunity to show how great of a practice it is.
Homeschooling brings a “kind of assurance and affinity,” he concluded. “I think we’re in a really strong position. We just got to keep putting the pedal to the metal and not letting any lackadaisical spirit come in. We got to defend our liberty day in, day out.”
Originally published by The Washington Stand
https://www.dailysignal.com/2024/06/24/scientific-american-homeschooling-parents-need-to-undergo-background-checks/?utm_source=TDS_Email&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=CapitolBell&mkt_tok=ODI0LU1IVC0zMDQAAAGT8B-IdMrViSRNb0U9GYQgTSB1EspdzSwJE8hjAfy6nZ5kqk56jWGAjd1gLdu5AkcRg9C3yTaAFS_alnTO59nwAQd-hvWgJHIOAHdyzeA4KaHxM5faGQ
» Will the state adopt the provision of sovereign guarantees to finance private industrial projects?
» Why did Bitcoin start a new downward path?
» MM&C Central Bank: Cancellation of Paragraph (5/d) of the instructions and standards for circulation
» Austria supports deportation of immigrants, including Iraqis, to their country
» Parliamentary Oil Committee comments on the failure of producing provinces to receive petrodollar du
» Al-Badri: The Aqaba pipeline represents a reward for American companies
» Al-Lami: Parliament is dying because of the Sunni parties
» The second within a week.. The Council of Ministers issues decisions related to investment, heritage
» Integrity monitors waste by building residential homes in a company affiliated with the Ministry of
» Al-Awadi: The Council of Ministers approves contracts with private sector companies to supply energy
» As a result of the security prosecution...a parliamentary committee indicates a decrease in oil smug
» Iraq announces the inclusion of 3,500 workers in optional social security during 2024
» Al-Sudani's advisor gives good news to young people: Many job opportunities await you
» The President of the Republic approves the 2024 Budget Law schedules
» After resolving the salary dilemma, a new popular crisis is haunting the Kurdistan government
» Integrity: Monitoring waste in building floors for a public company in Muthanna
» The Council of Ministers comes out with a package of decisions
» Despite integrity efforts...a parliamentary committee reveals the reasons for continuing corruption
» MP Thaer Al-Jubouri confirmed, on Thursday, that agricultural investment increased by 10% during the
» Complete decisions of the Council of Ministers session
» She confirmed the continuation of negotiations with the European Aviation Agency to obtain TCO certi
» Head of the Kurdistan Regional Government Representation Visits the Host of the Bani Hassan Emirate
» The government's silence on the foreign presence is an open trade in the country's security
» Iraqi Finance Ministry distances itself from salary delays: “Long” Eid holiday delayed funding
» Foreign army.. Controls in Amadiyah and military convoys penetrate the Kurdistan region
» Maysan Oil produces the first shipment of “liquid gas”
» Judicial directive regarding leaking and selling ministerial questions
» Integrity overthrows an employee at the Zurbatieh port customs center
» Al-Muthanna: Financial corruption detected in the General Company for the Implementation of Transpor
» Health announces a plan to establish 16 new hospitals
» Minister of Justice announces the imminent granting of electronic bonds to citizens in real estate d
» What is the truth about the mass resignations of advisors in the Presidency of the Republic?
» The President of the Republic ratifies the law to combat homosexuality
» The government activates the memorandums of understanding signed between Iraq and Turkey
» Government measures to deter generator owners.. What does the Supreme Judicial Council have to do wi
» Interior Ministry reveals details about border cameras: 90% coverage
» Abdul Wahid: Construction and Housing is the most corrupt ministry and its minister is a friend of t
» Voting begins in the Iranian presidential elections... and 14 centers in Iraq open their doors
» Ankara on its security operation in northern Iraq: We are working to develop control in the region
» “A non-deterrent punishment and the spread of hundreds of fake companies.” Fraud enters travel and t
» 2023.. The happiest year for Iraqis in the past decade
» The Iranian community votes in Iraq (photos)
» “National Bank violations” place the governor of the Central Bank before parliamentary accountabilit
» President approves laws including budget schedules, combating prostitution and homosexuality
» utube 6/25/24 MM&C Iraq Dinar - Iraq to Rejoin WTO - Cetral Bank Pressing Banks & Money Exhangers
» Judge Haider Hanoun: Imam Ali was the first to lay the foundations for the fight against corruption
» A Sunni agreement with the framework forces to elect Al-Halbousi's replacement
» Al-Atwani calls for reforming the tax system in Iraq
» Parliamentary Finance discusses strengthening financial management with the German Agency for Intern
» The Financial Supervision Bureau to Nina: A systematic plan to complete the state’s final accounts..
» The Minister of Transport and his Jordanian counterpart chair the general assembly meeting of the Ir
» The judiciary directs severe legal measures against those who leaked ministerial questions
» The file of tax deposits and compensation for victims of terrorism.. Slow procedures hinder retribut
» Arak Business: Türkiye is exploiting the Iraqi pipeline to export its oil
» Al-Muthanna Investment: The governorate is witnessing a qualitative boom in the size of projects
» Legal: Amending the constitution depends on political consensus
» Parliamentary Security: Sabotage operations in the electrical system during 2024 will be the lowest
» The popular movement explains the purpose of extending the Aqaba pipeline
» A Ukrainian company directly develops the Okaz gas field
» The Council of Ministers holds a make-up session for Eid
» The Central Bank of Iraq sells $275 million at auction today
» American monitoring reveals a Turkish military incursion into the Kurdistan Region and identifies it
» Iraq's oil exports exceeded 100 million barrels in May
» Allawi: Iraq is living in an undeclared civil war, and we must correct it before we lose it
» Is Iraq among them?.. Kuwait’s most prominent challenges towards the “Belt and Road” project
» The President of the Republic stresses the necessity of protecting water bodies, including lakes and
» Parliament moves to amend the Medical Graduation Law and directs a request to the government regardi
» A new decline in the dollar against the Iraqi dinar in Baghdad
» Qatar joins Iraq and Saudi Arabia in sending crude supplies to the UAE
» Directly rehabilitating 62 localities in Baghdad
» https://alsabaah.iq/98640-.htmlAl-Sudani: Iraq is a safe and attractive environment for capital
» Hundreds of low-voltage transformers installed in Baghdad
» Haider Makiya: Iraq is an “important destination” and we are witnessing an improvement in the invest
» Parliament: The cosmetic market is thriving and the government stops “intruders”
» 3000 projects compete to win the {national competition}
» Sulaymaniyah hosts the “Made in Iraq” exhibition
» Anbar opens a line to produce organic fertilizers using solar energy
» Transport is intensifying its efforts to lift the European ban on the green bird
» Parliament: Amending the investment law will reflect positively on the future
» No meters or pricing...Governmental decisions are “broken” on the rock of generator owners
» The Minister of Labor calls for intensifying inspection tours of work sites to follow up on safety p
» Parliamentary law challenges the “2024 budget tables” and the federal government is waiting for an a
» A foreign army... takes control in Amadiyah and military convoys penetrate the Kurdistan region
» The new “Arab-Kurdish” disintegration... Alekti reveals the common denominator between the “anti-Kur
» The Commission extends the registration period for candidates for the Kurdistan Parliament elections
» Diyala Council is “stuck in a black legal hole”... It cannot be held or dissolved - urgent
» He discussed with the American Ambassador the end of the mission of the international coalition... T
» He discussed with the American Ambassador the end of the mission of the international coalition... T
» Civil Defense puts the blame on the citizen for the high rates of fires, and an economist shows: Res
» Planning publishes experimental population census data
» Al-Sudani confirms the progress of completing the automation system for customs
» Al-Sudani chairs the 8th meeting of the Reconstruction and Investment Committee
» Transportation: Postponing the opening of Baghdad Airport to citizens
» Telecommunications signs a contract for the submarine cable project with Saudi Arabia
» A positive signal from the European Union regarding international investment in Iraq
» Al-Sudani renews his support for holding Kurdistan parliament elections
» UNAMI welcomes setting a date for Kurdistan elections
» A parliamentary directive to amend the medical progression law