alabama-unschoolers

Using an article from the Washington County News, Lisa Dyess of Millry, in a recent Letter to the Editor to The South Alabmaian, quoted David Davis, Washington County Board of Education Truancy Officer: "The main problem we face comes with parents telling us their children are being homeschooled and yet they are not in school receiving an education. These cases have been neglected in the past and I am going to make sure that they start receiving attention."

Dyess made the point (accurately) that Alabama has two ways parents can legally homeschool: tutoring by a certified teacher or parent(s) teaching under the umbrella of a church related school.

Davis’ quote is ambiguous in that it is not clear whether he meant that the homeschooling parents are not following through, or homeschool is inferior to public school? Dr. Lawrence M. Ruder, with the College of Library and Information Services, University of Maryland did exhaustive research in 1998 comparing public schools, private schools and homeschool students. Dr. Ruder is a former director of the ERIC Clearinghouse on Assessment and Evaluation and he has been in quantitative analysis for over 30 years. His two children attend public schools.

Everything that follows is taken from Rudner’s findings, published in 1999.

In the late 1960s and early 1970s, the modern home education movement was in its infancy. At that time, most Americans viewed home-styled education as a quaint tourist attraction or the lifestyle choice of those willing to endure more hardship than necessary.

What a difference a few decades makes.

Homeschooling has undergone an extreme makeover. From maverick to mainstream, the movement has acquired a glamorous, populist sheen.

Flip through a few issues of Sports Illustrated, circa 2007, and there’s no shortage of news about photogenic homeschoolers who make the athletic cut. Like Jessica Long who was born in Russia, resides in Baltimore, and is an accomplished swimmer. At 15, Jessica became the first paralympian to win the prestigious Sullivan Award, which honors the country’s top amateur athlete. Then there’s the dashing Joey Logano who, at 17, has already won a NASCAR race.

Even presidential hopefuls and their spouses have jumped on the school-thine-own bandwagon. Congressman Ron Paul (R-Texas) has offered enthusiastic support for homeschooling families, and Elizabeth Edwards, wife of Senator John Edwards (D-North Carolina) told the Wall Street Journal that this fall she plans to home educate the couple’s two youngest children "with the help of a tutor."

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