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Over the course of 2004, the Akron Beacon Journal conducted research on the
"phenomenon" of the homeschool movement, culminating in a week-long
series of newspaper articles.
The journalists obtained their research information through a series of
forums and interviews with participants ranging from homeschool parents to
social workers and health care professionals. These forums were designed to
elicit as much understanding and information on the "Hows" and
"Whys" of homeschooling. I was fortunate to be invited to participate
in one of the discussion forums. I say "fortunate" because I am able
to comment on first-hand experience as to the nature of these discussions.
Granted, the journalists conducted many additional group forums, but I can at
least comment on my own experience. You may draw whatever conclusion you wish.
I was invited to the discussion forum for homeschool mothers; I was one of
only two mothers to show up.
Almost immediately, it became abundantly clear what the researchers were
"digging" for...any available "dirt" on the homeschool
movement. In a nutshell, here are my observations:
 | The researcher seemed only interested in responses
to questions which showed homeschoolers in a negative light. Anecdotes
which pointed to possible truancy or academic underachievement underwent
heavy follow-up, while examples of good citizenship and overachievement were
glossed over (no matter how often it was brought to the moderator's
attention). |
| The moderator asked leading questions and
kept the discussion on the negative side of homeschooling. "Do you know
of anyone who says they are homeschooling, but isn't?" "Do you
know of any homeschool children who are falling behind academically?" |
| The interviewer was not interested in facts and
research supporting homeschooling. I came prepared with
well-researched statistics about homeschooling, showing both academic and
social benefits. The researcher was not interested in looking at any of the
material. It was only after the fact, when I contacted the journalist once
again that he agreed to look at the material (I mailed it to him). Many of
the statistics I obtained directly contradicted many of their assumptions.
However, they were uninterested in the statistics. |
| The main crux of the interview focused on topics
such as truancy, child abuse and neglect, isolationism and academic failure,
while barely touching on academic/social success stories. The
interviewer stopped just shy of accusing homeschoolers of covering up
illicit activities at home, behind closed doors and out of the view of
authorities. The public school model was praised while homeschoolers were
viewed with mistrust. |
| It is my opinion there was an unfair bias going into
this series from the beginning. My main point during the interview
was to ask that the journalists be fair in their comparision of
homeschooling to public schooling. For example, when looking at instances of
abuse taking place under the guise of homeschooling, I simply asked that the
journalist make a similar and fair comparison to public school abuse cases. The
example I gave was Mary Kay Letourneau. Are we to judge all public school
teachers by Letourneau's actions? If not, we need to be fair about how
we present fringe-minority homeschoolers such as Andrea Yates (one of their
favorite examples of homeschooling gone bad), and not make innuendos as to
the frequency of such actions. |
| When the final series appeared in the newspaper, all
references to academic achievement and social success were eliminated from
my portion of the interview, while references to potential problem areas
mentioned by the another homeschool parent were highlighted and expanded
upon. |
As you will notice in reading the Akron Beacon
Journal's homeschooling series,
references were made to academic success. However, the vast majority of articles
put homeschooling in a negative light. A few of the points I attempted to make
during the interview which never made it into the final draft:
| As I stated previously, if you are going to pursue
homeschooling cases such as Andrea Yates, you must look at the percentage of
homeschool families actually engaged in this type of behavior versus the
percentage of public school families engaging in violent behavior. Instead,
the Akron Beacon Journal (ABJ) chose to highlight the few cases of
homeschooling abuse as if this is standard practice among homeschool
families, while virtually ignoring the multitude of cases of public school
abuse. |
| The ABJ asks why homeschool families do not have
their academics regulated and tracked by the government via academic
monitors and proficiency tests. Answer: "It is our fundamental
freedom as Americans to raise our children in the manner we see fit...not as
the government chooses. Furthermore, the public school model (for the most
part) is failing our nation's children. Why should homeschoolers be forced
to base their education methods on a failing model?" |
| The ABJ asks why homeschool families aren't under
the same academic demands as public school children. Again, my answer: "Why
would we be placed under a system that is already failing our nation's
children? Statistics nationwide consistently show homeschoolers score higher
in testing situations than their public school counterparts." |
| The ABJ suggests that for accountability purposes, homeschool parents be
certified to teach their own children. Answer: "Wasn't it the NEA
that objected to its own teachers being tested in the very subjects they
were instructing??? Homeschool parents have their children's best interests
at heart and are in a better position to understand and deliver independent
learning needs to their children, whether it be through individual
instruction or through learning aids (dvds, vhs, on-line courses, etc.)." |
| The ABJ asks what protects children from abuse in a
homeschool environment? Public school children are in a system that protects
them. Teachers are required to report instances of suspected abuse, and
homeschoolers operate beneath this radar. Answer: "Did this
"system" protect 14 year-old Vili Fualaau from Mary Kay Letourneau
(there have been numerous additional cases of teacher/student relationships in the
news recently, as well)? Did this system protect the many children abused or
harmed in public school settings? What about the many public school children
who are abused at home outside of school hours that do not get reported. I
believe that statistically these children are still at greater risk than
homeschool children even though they are "protected" by being in a
public school environment where they can be "properly monitored."
I do not expect public school to be perfect, but we cannot expect to hold
homeschoolers to a higher standard than their public school counterparts. " |
| The ABJ was concerned about homeschool children's
lack of social skills, because they are raised outside the public school
venue. Answer: "Forget the fact that public schooling is a
relatively new forum for schooling. In actuality, public schooling is the artificial
social environment. Where else in life are adults going to be segregated
according to age? Certainly not in the real-world environment of employment.
Homeschoolers are generally raised in environments of children of all ages,
backgrounds, economics, races, etc. Now which gives children a truer sense
of the world?" |
| The ABJ suggested that children learn from their
peers, and homeschoolers miss out on this opportunity. Answer: "I would rather my child learn to handle situations
from the experience and perspective possessed by a mature adult. How can
children in a public school setting expect to learn how to handle a
situation properly from other children with the same, limited life
experiences?" |
I could continue, but I think you get the idea. My
biggest concern about this series of articles are the potential readers who are
genuinely interested in the homeschooling "phenomenon" and will look
to this series as their only frame of reference. I have no problem with public schoolers. I
have no problem with private schoolers. I have no problem with homeschoolers.
But let's put forth honest information and let the reader form their own
opinion.
Home School Legal Defense Association has also printed
a rebuttal
to many of the arguments outlined in the Akron Beacon Journal's series.
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