| From the HSLDA E-lert Service: |
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| Date: From: Subject: | 2/15/2008 5:05:52 PM Home School Legal Defense Association Michigan: Help Needed to Stop Expansion of State Control Over Children |
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====================================================================== From the HSLDA E-lert Service... ====================================================================== Michigan: Help Needed to Stop Expansion of State Control Over Children Dear HSLDA Members and Friends: Thank you for all of your calls and emails to stop expansion of the compulsory school attendance age. We asked for your help to fight H.B. 4042, which would raise the age of compulsory attendance from age 16 to 18, and you answered! Another bill to expand compulsory attendance, H.B. 4662, is now on the move, which would lower the age of compulsory attendance from age 6 to only 5 years old. If H.B. 4662 becomes law, homeschoolers will be under the authority of the school district for an additional year. Call now to prevent government control of our children. The House Education Committee is scheduled to hear the bill on Tuesday, February 19. Please call and email the members of the committee before that time. We are working closely with INCH and legislative staff. REQUESTED ACTION Please call immediately as many members of the House Education Committee as possible. You can give them this message: "Please vote against H.B. 4662, which lowers the compulsory attendance age to age 5 and mandates kindergarten. This bill is unnecessary, restricts parental choice and wastes taxpayers' money since there is no study showing any long-term positive benefits from children attending school early." Do not identify yourself as a homeschooler. Also please send a short email opposing H.B. 4042 and forward to ALL the committee members AND a blind copy to elert@inch.org , so we can keep track of the number of responses for lobbying purposes. HOUSE EDUCATION MEMBERS: If your last name begins with A-I, please call the following members: Minority Vice Chair John Moolenaar (R), 517-373-1791, johnmoolenaar@house.mi.gov Marc R. Corriveau (D), 517-373-3816, marccorriveau@house.mi.gov Andy Meisner (D), 517-373-0478, andymeisner@house.mi.gov Robert Dean (D), 517-373-2668, robertdean@house.mi.gov Judy Emmons (R), 517-373-0834, judyemmons@house.mi.gov Dave Hildenbrand (R), 517-373-0846, rephildenbrand@house.mi.gov Tonya Schuitmaker (R), 517-373-0839, tonyaschuitmaker@house.mi.gov Paul E. Opsommer (R), 517-373-1778, paulopsommer@house.mi.gov If your last name begins with letters J-R, please call these members: Marty Knollenberg (R), 517-373-1783, martyknollenberg@house.mi.gov Chair Tim Melton (D), 517-373-0475, timmelton@house.mi.gov Kathy Angerer (D), 517-373-1792, kathyangerer@house.mi.gov Terry L. Brown (D), 517-373-0476, terrybrown@house.mi.gov Barb Byrum (D), 517-373-0587, barbbyrum@house.mi.gov Brenda Clack (D), 517-373-8808, brendaclack@house.mi.gov Jacob Hoogendyk (R), 517-373-1774, jackhoogendyk@house.mi.gov Glenn Steil, Jr. (R), 517-373-0840, glennsteil@house.mi.gov If your last name begins with letters S-Z, please call these members: Vice-Chair Mary Valentine (D), 517-373-3436, maryvalentine@house.mi.gov Hoon-Yung Hopgood (D), 517-373-0852, hoon-yunghopgood@house.mi.gov Steven Lindberg (D), 517-373-0498, stevenlindberg@house.mi.gov Fred Miller (D), 517-373-0159, fredmiller@house.mi.gov Tom Pearce (R), 517-373-0218, tompearce@house.mi.gov Gino Polidori (D), 517-373-0847, ginopolidori@house.mi.gov Bettie Cook Scott (D), 517-373-1776, bettiecookscott@house.mi.gov BACKGROUND > According to the 2005 NAEP test scores, children from states that have low compulsory attendance ages (5-6) did not score any higher than children from the other states, and in some subjects their average was actually lower. > Many education experts have concluded that beginning a child's formal education too early may actually result in burnout and poor scholastic performance later. > A report published February 6, 2007 by the Goldwater Institute examines Stanford 9 test scores and finds Arizona kindergarten programs initially improve learning but have no measurable impact on reading, math, or language arts test scores by fifth grade. The data show that students in schools with all-day kindergarten programs have statistically significant higher 3rd-grade test scores, but there is no impact on fifth-grade scores. This finding is consistent with previous research. Forcing children into school early delivers short-term benefits at best. > Another significant impact of expanding the mandatory schooling is the inevitable tax increase to pay for more classroom space and teachers to accommodate the additional students compelled to attend public schools. When California raised the upper age limit of compulsory attendance, unwilling students were so disruptive that new schools had to be built just to handle them and their behavior problems, all at the expense of the taxpayer. For more information on compulsory attendance, please see our memorandum at http://www.hslda.org/docs/nche/Issues/E/Early_Education.asp Thank you for standing with us in this fight for freedom. Sincerely, Christopher J. Klicka HSLDA Senior Counsel ---------------------------------------------------------------------- -> Can you look at the clouds and tell the direction of the wind? An interesting phenomenon of wind is that it can blow in multiple directions at the same time, at different heights from the ground. But usually there is a prevailing wind. HSLDA watches the gusts and monitors the prevailing trends of change in the legal climate of home education. So no matter which way the wind is blowing, we're there to protect your family. More reasons to join HSLDA... http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=1938 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ====================================================================== The HSLDA E-lert Service is a service of: Home School Legal Defense Association P.O. 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Thank you for your cooperation. ====================================================================== | |
