Rachel Cohen writes that the pandemic is encouraging many parents to consider home schooling and to pressure Congress to pay them to do it.
I disagree.
Before the pandemic, about 2 million children were home schooled, mostly by parents who were either evangelical Christians or who worried about the diverse culture of the public schools or bullying or low standards.
But parents who work don’t want to home school. Most parents prefer that their children learn from knowledgeable teachers alongside others and engage in the academic, social, and cultural activities at school.
The vast majority of parents are eager for school to resume so they can return to work.
Of course, the anti-public school lobby will take advantage of the pandemic to try to divert funding from public schools to private bank accounts.
The home school organizations have long been wary of federal aid for fear that it will open the door to federal accountability, which they don’t want.
Although the national media occasionally finds a brilliant child who was home schooled, there are few families that can muster the knowledge and experience that are provided by experienced teachers of English, history, science, mathematics, foreign languages, and other studies.
If home schoolers get federal funding, they should be tested to determine if they are adequately prepared. Their children should take the same tests as others in the state. Their homes should be inspected to ensure that they are safe spaces. Where public money goes, accountability should follow. And that’s why most home schoolers don’t want public money.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
New York has accountability built in to home schooling. I can recall one home school family with two boys that attended our school in the mornings of the standardized testing. Here’s a list of some of NY’s requirements.
Requirements for Homeschooling in NYS
Although New York state law does not require teaching credentials for parents providing home instruction, the key requirements to follow include:
If you believe that schooling done recently at home has been a failure, home schooling is NOT the answer! There is no way our children will get the expertise that they need and deserve. This will only help people wanting to make money on the backs of our children.
See the very recent legislation intended to use the Covid-19 crisis as a reason for federal support of private schools and home schooling.
You are correct that homeschoolers have long resisted taking any federal or state funds because most are opposed to the public accountability that would be imposed on them.
That has become a non-issue because there is NO accountability attached to the federal “choice” legislation now in play.
https://www.the74million.org/the-school-choice-now-act-senators-alexander-and-scott-introduce-bill-to-fund-emergency-pandemic-scholarships-families-could-use-towards-school-tuition-or-homeschooling/
What the Ipsos/USA Today poll actually said, per Bloomberg’s own linked article: “If classrooms reopen this fall, parents by 59%-36% say they would be likely to pursue at-home options, such as online classes or home schooling [my emphasis].”
Guess that’s why we find this scare headline in Bloomberg News– not in, say, the NYT [which has a more balanced article not even quoting that poll]
With one out of every four children in the U.S. living in poverty, imagine the temptation for their parent/s, or guardian/s to keep them home and get paid to do it to ease the financial pressure a bit more. Keeping children home won’t be about home teaching them but will be about the paycheck to keep them home.
Is this another plot to remove as many children living in poverty out of the public schools as possible?
The longer schools rely on “remote-schooling,” the more exasperated parents will start to feel like they are already doing a form of home-schooling. It’s a short walk from there to thinking it would be very helpful if the government cut a check for families enduring this type of education.
Yes money and accountability should go together, but rest assured there is a more sizable group of homeschooling families than you think. They don’t fit into your categories as evidenced by the vast number of fb groups who have been sharing ideas, resources and prepandemic outings. Many of them are former teachers
Is anyone trying to minimize the number of homeschoolers? Various reliable sources have it at 2million, which is roughly 4% of the number of school-aged kids in US. That is not an insignificant group when you consider that charter-schoolers represent 6%.
The categories Diane listed were “mostly parents who were either evangelical Christians or who worried about the diverse culture of the public schools or bullying or low standards.” There’s always been a small but lively, robust homeschooling network in my neck of the woods (central NJ). They connect to share specialty teachers, sports, field trips, et al. These categories almost cover them, but there is something else– a concern about low standards is not quite it, as the pubschs around here are highly-rated. I’d say they’re looking for more hands-on & project-based learning, smaller class groups, & escape from regimentation, standardization, hot-house competition.
Thanks for the reality check.
The ed reform “discussion” on reopening public schools carefully and completely excludes anyone who works in, attends or supports public schools:
https://www.the74million.org/article/reality-check-what-will-it-take-to-reopen-schools-amid-the-pandemic-5-experts-weigh-in-on-accelerating-student-learning/
It’s the same 150 high profile ed reformers, in different combinations. None of them get anywhere near an actual public school, yet they’re setting policy for public schools.
There’s two completely different tracks- there’s “ed reform” and then there’s working public schools- the reality of what’s going on. They never intersect.
“Learning pods” is going to be the new hot topic and buzz term . . . . If they become common – and they will – then vouchers should pay for them and ALL learning pod service providers should be charging ONLY what the voucher pays and nothing more. It can also be regulated also to make sure that teachers get the same number of students and more teachers need to be hired (yes, we CAN afford it, for God’s sake!) to carry smaller groups. Teacher benefits should be paid by the school district, nonetheless. This is the only way for learning pods to avoid the crunch to generate SES differences and inequities.
Yes, use government to level the playing field. That’s why I pay my taxes and expect government to use its authority vested in it from We the People . . . .
“Big government” is the wrong term when it comes to recognizing the problem. Government is never, ever the problem.
Ineffective / corrupt government is the problem.
With regard to creating effective government: Where there’s a will, there’s a way, as my education-obsessed mother lovingly inculcated into me.
“ineffective / corrupt government is the problem.”
Do not forget to mention how corporate lobbyists bribe government officials one-way-or- another, and the problems almost all come from those corrupt corporations finding ways to buy government representatives and officials and profit from it.
That will not change without some very serious campaign finance reform.
Agree!
Hi Diane I listened to your conversation with Jane Caro where you said the same thing. I can’t believe how lucky we were in Australia to hear you in a forum with Jane, Pasi Sahlberg and Angelo Gavrielatos! I hope you can come and visit once the pandemic passes for more of the same sort of discussion.