Nomad
Posts: 165
Joined: July 2007
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More about my relatives that homeschool. Out of a group of 10-15, the group that the youngest graduated among, one has gone on to a real college. The others were going military, community college, or elsewhere. The one that went to a real college was finding that he was lacking in subjects that many colleges expected him to have, I believe math was one of them.
I think it's clear that these particular people are NOT doing a better job at a fraction of the cost of the public school system. They are turning out children that are unprepared or completely unable to proceed to higher education. In particular they are fundamentally hampering them by twisting their understanding of the world of science.
I'm certain that not all homeschoolers are doing this, I do understand that there are other motivations to school a child at home. I'm certain that home schooling can be done well and could result in a superior education. But whereas the public schools are under scrutiny and attempts are being made to force them to perform up to a minimum standard (whether the attempts are succeeding is another issue) home schooling appears to be a sort of anything goes zone.
The fact that we have a public school system shows that we at least feel that basic education is a fundamental civil right. I think it's undeniable that at least SOME home schooled children are having that right infringed upon. It is also understood that children are not able to defend their own rights, that is why we have child protection laws.
As such it's only appropriate to take steps to ensure that home schooled children receive adequate education, and to require them to be moved into public schools if they're not getting it. I see no reason that this has to interfere with the "better and for less money" approach so long as it is truly better.
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