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WISCONSIN

Journal: "Regulate homeschooling"

Recently, the Wisconsin State Journal published a scathing editorial recommending that homeschoolers be heavily regulated. "Home schooling in Wisconsin is a pathetic national joke," wrote author David Searles. He demanded certification of home teachers, mandatory courses, mid-semester and end-of-semester exams, and a prohibition on any religion or religious curriculum.

Searles reasoned that no person is qualified to teach a child all of his courses. Therefore, homeschoolers should be certified or draw from a pool of certified teachers. Contrary to Searles' opinion, however, the facts from national studies show that children of homeschool parents with just a high school diploma score an average of 19–35 percentile points higher than the average public school student.

All homeschool courses, Searles proposed, should achieve a balanced education, and all courses and textbooks should meet the approval of the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. But how can a state agency limited by red tape, federal mandates, and politically correct reading lists come up with better course plans and broader curriculum than parents who know their student intimately, have a wealth of curricula and textbook choices available, and are strongly motivated to tailor the curriculum to meet their child's educational needs?

Searles demanded that mid-semester and end-of-semester exams be administered to homeschool students. Aside from ignoring other forms of evaluation (such as portfolios) that may be more appropriate for some children, the "solution" of testing is an outdated regulatory technique. Many homeschool parents already voluntarily test their own children, studies have shown that homeschoolers consistently perform above average on standardized tests, and many states have abandoned homeschool testing requirements as a waste of time and money.

"Any religion or religious activities and curriculum must not be included in the home schooling program," added Searles. "If compliance is not abided by then the student or students will be found truant." This viewpoint directly contradicts the United States Constitution and the U.S. Supreme Court's opinion in Pierce v. Society of Sisters, which recognized the right of parents to direct the religious upbringing of their children and to control the process of their education.

Home School Legal Defense Association Director of Media Relations Ian Slatter wrote a response to Searles' article, and many homeschoolers' letters were published in the Wisconsin State Journal.

HSLDA believes that public calls for regulation, no matter how baseless, can raise unfounded suspicions in the minds of legislators unfamiliar with homeschooling and real homeschooling families. We will continue to closely monitor the Wisconsin legislature, prepared to block any attempt to increase regulations.

— by Christopher J. Klicka