this article on homeschool accountability was in my local paper this morning

[AimeeM]

Purposely withholding information (in this case access to education) with the intent of making another person dependent on someone IS abuse.

Not legally, to the best of my knowledge.

[Murphy101]

I homeschool for the same reasons as you.  Differently (classical hs'er here :) ) but for the same reason.

We home school for academic reasons, and other reasons, but the reason we pulled out kids was for academics.

 

the fact that the school wouldn't let him attend because his parents weren't ok with it seemed to be a point of contention for him.  Though I will be honest and say I do not think that the school should be able to let a kid go against their parents' wishes.... then again, I don't think parents should withhold education from their children (if that was, in fact, the case).  It's such a conundrum... take away rights from parents or education from the kids?

It does seem to be that way, which is odd bc he would also have needed at least tax info and signatures from his parents to go to college. You just can't without it. There's no way unless there's a big trust fund to tap or something. So obviously they didn't stand too much in the way. Less than my parents who said I was 18 and their income was none of my damn business and if I wanted to go to college to do it on my own. They didn't understand that you literally cannot complete the FAFSA without a parent. Personally, I think that should be illegal. At 18, you're an adult and it's ridiculous to need mommy to sign off. But at 17? I have no problem with it. Not an adult, not making primary decisions. For that matter, at that age, the parent is responsible for getting them to school and being involved in the school. If they don't want to do that, I don't think they should have to bc a minor child wants them to do it.

 

  

Exactly.

 

Many people have come from 3+ generations of having ingrained into us that the schools and teachers are "experts" and parents do not know anything and should trust the experts and allow them to do their job.

 

Where I used to live there were parents who didn't have a clue. One family really stands out in my memory. The mom was 100% against her son doing anything except following his older sisters into a prestigious 4 year university (trade school was beneath them). When they suddenly had a 16 year old who didn't know what a paragraph was, the parents filed multiple lawsuits against anyone and everyone involved in his education but never spent a cent on a tutor or even, *GASP* attempted to explain to him what a paragraph is. It never even occurred to the two highly educated people that maybe, just maybe, they should have been involved with their children's education from the start.

My parents were like that. The school was the expert and we were supposed to receive a FREE education there. So parent input and money should not be needed.

 

And really, there IS some truth to that. Why should they have paid for tutors and spent hours doing what the law says the school should have managed in the 6-8 hours their kid was there? And there is some logic to the fact that every time a parent steps in, the school gets credit for that, not the parent. Every time a kid succeeds, oh those wonderful teachers. Every time a kid fails, oh those useless parents.

 

Can we stop with the "we don't know the other side" nonsense? His parents had the opportunity to tell their side and chose not to do so. There is no reason to believe what this young man is saying is untrue, and his parents could have cleared up any misconceptions.

I don't think he is lying. I didn't say he was lying. I said I don't know the parents side and his argument doesn't seem particularly flattering to him or compelling to me. He may believe he would have been better off in school. He may believe some kind of regulation would have made his parents do better for him. He may feel educatationally neglected. That doesn't mean ANY of that is necessarily accurate. Kids often have a very different view of things growing up than their parents.

 

And I wouldn't speak to the media either. For lots of reasons.

 

1. They don't owe any of us an explanation. They don't have to defend their lives to us.

 

2. If my kid threw me under the bus with public criticism like that, I'd have a hard time talking to them, much less the media. ouch.

 

3. The media isn't all that great at accuracy.

 

4. Maybe they are working on changing things. Admitting wrong is difficult, but they don't owe anyone a public apology.

 

5. Maybe things are very different than he portrays, but they aren't as quick to throw him under the bus as he was towards them. I wouldn't. If for no other reason than it could further damage our strained relationship. He might not care about that, but as a parent, I would.

[NASDAQ]

For me, this entire debate raises a deeper philosophical question: to what extent do parents have the right to impose their ideas, views, lifestyle choices, etc on their children and limit their children's development in order to adhere to a specific agenda? Where do parental right  end and children's rights begin?

And I do not believe there is an easy answer.

Parents have the right to raise their kids in their own religion - but is it ethical to withhold education from girls because of their gender? Is it ethical to withhold medical treatment? To enforce a marriage? At what age would a child's wish have to be considered?

It is not even just restricted to religion: to what extent is it ethical that parents use their children as a means to further their own dreams?

 

Well it seems to shift a bit here. Parents have a greater right to impose their ideas and views than the state should. As to what's ethical . . . that's another discussion. But having a right doesn't mean it's ethical to exercise it. "Ethical" is a high bar.

[NASDAQ]

It's a weird article. I can't quite put my finger on it, but something seems off. IDK. Maybe that it sounds like the reporter had access to younger siblings and his father, who say only incriminating things about themselves? Weird voice somehow.

 

Anyway, I don't think regulation can get at the heart of the problem here. Every person who is capable of pursuing a rigorous college-prep education should have the opportunity to do so. He is, and he wasn't, and that is a terrible failing on the pat of his parents. But regulation to make sure that students learn algebra sounds like a nightmare -- it's a subject that not all people are capable of pursuing, and that not all high schoolers capable of pursuing are sufficiently motivated to do so. And how would you legislate that a parent must give a child the _opportunity_ to do something?

 

That said, there's a lot in the article that exists, and I wish that at least as a home school community we could say, you know, this happens and it isn't okay. To wit:  a high school education that doesn't include essays and higher math is not worthy of the name "high school." An awful lot of home schoolers fall down on math, and it's a big problem. And (I've seen this in the blogosphere) the growing of a large family can cause the schooling to sink to unacceptable levels.

 

[Matryoshka]

My take from the article was that the boy wanted his siblings and others the right to go to school even if parents refused. Maybe at the age kids go to high school? I guess if he could dual enroll at 15 he could have "save" a few years of school time and some money.

http://www.k12.wa.us/SecondaryEducation/CareerCollegeReadiness/DualCredit/CollegeEnrollment.aspx

 

Since kids are allowed to legally drop out of school at 16 - even if their parents don't approve - I'd think that would be a good place to put the line.  At 16, if a kid's desire to drop out is respected in his own right, why not his desire to attend?  Kids can also be legally emancipated around that age.  At 16, I do think a kid's goals and desires have to be at least taken into account, and no longer be treated completely as a minor.  People don't magically grow up and become full-fledged adults on their 18th birthdays. 

 

Most kids at 16 are probably completely happy with the status quo.  But for those who aren't forcing them isn't productive.  It's one reason kids are allowed to drop out at that age.  Not because anyone thinks it's a "good idea".  I do wish instead there were more apprenticeships or other alternative skill-building opportunities for kids who don't see school as useful.  But it's equally nuts to tell an academically minded kid that they can't get academic training till they're 18 and no longer under their parents' control.

 

And that's not hsing regulation, it's just balancing parents' vs. kids' education rights a bit as of age 16.  If they have a right to say no, they should have a right to say yes.

 

[Matryoshka]

Truth of the matter is we do not know. The parents decided not to talk. Not everyone wants to talk to the press about what goes on in their lives.

 

:confused1:   The father was interviewed and had quite a lot of quotes in the article, and his wife designated him her spokesperson.  There are also some quotes from siblings.

 

[Mrs Mungo]

There seem to be a multitude of issues at play here. 

 

I do think people owe it to their kids to help them get the best education they can and to get the most out of that education, no matter where it takes place. 

 

But, I don't necessarily think government regulation is the way to go to ensure that. They can't even ensure that of kids who attend government run schools. If they find an ideal set of solutions and start cranking out perfectly educated kids, then I might change my mind. 

 

 

It does seem to be that way, which is odd bc he would also have needed at least tax info and signatures from his parents to go to college. You just can't without it. There's no way unless there's a big trust fund to tap or something. So obviously they didn't stand too much in the way. Less than my parents who said I was 18 and their income was none of my damn business and if I wanted to go to college to do it on my own. They didn't understand that you literally cannot complete the FAFSA without a parent. Personally, I think that should be illegal. At 18, you're an adult and it's ridiculous to need mommy to sign off. But at 17? I have no problem with it. Not an adult, not making primary decisions. For that matter, at that age, the parent is responsible for getting them to school and being involved in the school. If they don't want to do that, I don't think they should have to bc a minor child wants them to do it.

 

This is not necessarily true. I started college when I was 17. My parents refused to fill out the FAFSA or hand over tax information. My first two semesters I paid for school from the money I received through my tribe (payment from the federal government for monies owed to the tribe that my grandmother sued for as chief of our tribe). My parents then co-signed for a *personal* loan that I had to work two jobs to pay off before the next semester. 

[Mrs Mungo]

And really, there IS some truth to that. Why should they have paid for tutors and spent hours doing what the law says the school should have managed in the 6-8 hours their kid was there? And there is some logic to the fact that every time a parent steps in, the school gets credit for that, not the parent. Every time a kid succeeds, oh those wonderful teachers. Every time a kid fails, oh those useless parents.

 

 

I don't think he is lying. I didn't say he was lying. I said I don't know the parents side and his argument doesn't seem particularly flattering to him or compelling to me. He may believe he would have been better off in school. He may believe some kind of regulation would have made his parents do better for him. He may feel educatationally neglected. That doesn't mean ANY of that is necessarily accurate. Kids often have a very different view of things growing up than their parents.

 

And I wouldn't speak to the media either. For lots of reasons.

 

1. They don't owe any of us an explanation. They don't have to defend their lives to us.

 

2. If my kid threw me under the bus with public criticism like that, I'd have a hard time talking to them, much less the media. ouch.

 

3. The media isn't all that great at accuracy.

 

4. Maybe they are working on changing things. Admitting wrong is difficult, but they don't owe anyone a public apology.

 

5. Maybe things are very different than he portrays, but they aren't as quick to throw him under the bus as he was towards them. I wouldn't. If for no other reason than it could further damage our strained relationship. He might not care about that, but as a parent, I would.

 

I do happen to agree with a lot of this. Teenagers and young adults often perceive things in an interesting way. I've personally experienced teens completely mischaracterize something I saw happening with my own eyes. I wouldn't say they are lying. I would say they are young and don't have lots of life experience to filter what happened. I certainly wouldn't talk to the media about something like this. 

[Alice]

I read the article in the paper yesterday and also thought it was odd. For one, it didn’t seem newsworthy enough to me to take up a good portion of the front page and the entire back page of the front section. I can’t put my finger on it but it seemed “offâ€. I don’t think the guy is lying but I do think Martha’s thoughts are very good on reasons why the parents may have elected not to give the whole story. It was a very one-sided slanted article. I  typically like the Post and have read at least one other pro-homeschooling article in it but this one was just odd. 

 

One thing that caught my eye that I haven’t seen discussed here a lot was his 20 year old sister who is going to UVA as a transfer student. UVA is not an easy school to get into ,even as a transfer student. There is a guaranteed admission agreement with Virginia Community Colleges but the requirements are not super easy and I’d think if she used that she’d have to have had more than a remedial education to get in. I know she mentions taking remedial math but as as the article said, a large number of public school students have to do the same thing. (Not that that makes it a good thing but it just makes it less about this one family.) You can also see that to satisfy the requirement for transfer you have to have higher math. 

 

The requirements for transfer to UVA are below. You have to have a full course load (45 credits within a 2 year period, you can not use credits from dual enrollment classes for this transfer and you cannot take more than 2 years to do the credits). 

 

 

To qualify for guaranteed admission, students must complete an associate degree at a Virginia community college within a two-year period preceding application to the University while maintaining a cumulative grade point average of 3.4 or better and a grade of C or better in every VCCS course except for a B in introductory English courses. Students must have a minimum of at least 54 transferable credit hours, 45 or more of which are from a VCCS college.

In addition, students must satisfactorily complete a specific number of credits in various competency and area requirements of the College of Arts and Sciences, including English composition, foreign language, social sciences, humanities, historical studies, non-Western perspective, and natural science and mathematics.

 

• English Composition (6)
• Foreign Languages - Demonstrated proficiency equal to the intermediate level of college instruction
• Natural Sciences and Mathematics (12) - Courses in at least two of the disciplines: astronomy, biology, chemistry, environmental sciences, physics, and mathematics. Math courses must include statistics, finite math calculus, or higher level-courses; pre-calculus will apply towards a degree but will not satisfy the requirement.
• Social Sciences (6) - One course in two of the following subjects: anthropology, economics, government, linguistics, psychology, or sociology.
• Humanities (6) - One course in two of the following three groups: literature (classics, comparative literature, English, foreign literature): fine arts (art, drama, music); moral, philosophical, and religious thought (political theory, philosophy, religion).
• Historical Studies (3) - One course that is substantially historical, whether taught in a history department or in some other discipline.
• Non-Western Perspective (3) - One course from any department that deals substantially with a cultural heritage other than that of the West
• Important: Candidates with an associate's degree or two years of college coursework are preferred. Students transferring after one year of college should have completed at least 30 semester-hours; students transferring after two years should have completed at least 60 semester-hours. The College of Arts and Sciences will not grant credit for more than 60 semester-hours completed elsewhere. 

 

 

• I cut and pasted the above and now I can’t make the bullets go away...I don’t know if the family happens to have two motivated students who very much self-taught and go themselves into very good colleges despite their parents or if there is perhaps more to the story. I also thought it was interesting that his sister (the 20 year old) was pro-homeschooling. And that despite the discussion here about patriarchal religious families that dont’ allow the girls to go to school, this doesn’t necessarily seem to be one of those families. 

[ChocolateReignRemix]

I do happen to agree with a lot of this. Teenagers and young adults often perceive things in an interesting way. I've personally experienced teens completely mischaracterize something I saw happening with my own eyes. I wouldn't say they are lying. I would say they are young and don't have lots of life experience to filter what happened. I certainly wouldn't talk to the media about something like this.

To filter what happened? I don't believe the young man needs to filter that his parents refused to educate him adequately or that he has a sibling who is middle school aged but cannot read.

[Laura Corin]

Since kids are allowed to legally drop out of school at 16 - even if their parents don't approve - I'd think that would be a good place to put the line.  At 16, if a kid's desire to drop out is respected in his own right, why not his desire to attend?  Kids can also be legally emancipated around that age.  At 16, I do think a kid's goals and desires have to be at least taken into account, and no longer be treated completely as a minor.  People don't magically grow up and become full-fledged adults on their 18th birthdays. 

 

 

The problem comes with matching that with the US high school system.  It's often been mentioned on these boards that local school systems will only provide a transcript if all the high school years are in school.  Where does that leave a child who 'drops in' to school at sixteen?

 

It would work better in the UK, because there is a natural educational break at sixteen and many children change school at that point.

 

L

[Jean in Newcastle]

The problem comes with matching that with the US high school system.  It's often been mentioned on these boards that local school systems will only provide a transcript if all the high school years are in school.  Where does that leave a child who 'drops in' to school at sixteen?

 

 

You know, that is a very good point.  As I recently found out, not only does our school district refuse to accept any homeschool high school credits even though we offered to back them up with testing, but our state virtual academy (which yes, I realize is the public school) refuses to accept them as well.  I was told that I would have to enter my 16 year old as a freshman.  I don't know what Virginia's policy is (is that where they are?) but the parents might not have wanted to put him into high school partly because the p.s. system might not have accepted him.  

[LisaKinVA]

You know, that is a very good point.  As I recently found out, not only does our school district refuse to accept any homeschool high school credits even though we offered to back them up with testing, but our state virtual academy (which yes, I realize is the public school) refuses to accept them as well.  I was told that I would have to enter my 16 year old as a freshman.  I don't know what Virginia's policy is (is that where they are?) but the parents might not have wanted to put him into high school partly because the p.s. system might not have accepted him.  

 

There is no standard policy in VA for high school...My local school said that my son's high school level work could be accepted IF he passed the state's SOL tests for those courses, so it's definitely possible they would have. 

[Matryoshka]

The problem comes with matching that with the US high school system.  It's often been mentioned on these boards that local school systems will only provide a transcript if all the high school years are in school.  Where does that leave a child who 'drops in' to school at sixteen?

 

I think that does vary from state to state and even town to town.  I know a local city here won a lawsuit to have high school credits approved.  This is a benefit of being an "approval" state - the argument was that since they had signed of on the ed plans and progress reports, they then had signed off on their being high-school credit-worthy and had to accept them and not restart kids mid-way as freshmen.

 

HOWEVER... that doesn't even fix the problem in my state; everything here is town-by-town, and I'm about 95% sure that my town would not accept previous credits.  I've heard a rumor that the way they handle it is to let the kids in to the appropriate level classes but deny them a diploma?  I'm sure that could be fought based on the case law precedent set in the nearby city, but who wants to go through that hassle?

 

There also seems to be a wide variance from state to state on whether kids are allowed in mid-way.

 

A law giving kids a right to have a say in their own educations as of 16 (to drop-in as well as drop-out) could include a method for assigning previous credit - placement tests/portfolio/transcript, etc. - similar to a transfer from another school.  Having a standard like that could be a big benefit to the homeschooling community.

[Matryoshka]

Although I don't know of anywhere where kids are legally allowed to drop out of school at 16 without parental permission.  Where do they allow that? 

 

Granted, if a 16 year old is hell bent on not putting anything into school there isn't a lot that can be done really. 

 

I'm not sure of the exact legalities, but I'm pretty sure that in the end it comes down to the bolded.  The kids who are just going truant all the time and hell-bent on not being in school.  It seems like everyone just throws up their hands at that point.  There was some documentary a while back about a drop-out prevention program in TX I think, where the school followed these kids, had alternative programs, called them to wake them up or if they didn't show, sometimes gave them rides to school, one guidance counselor even had a kid come live with her.  Most still dropped out - whether they have their parents "permission" is kind of moot at some point.

 

It doesn't seem out of place to let the kids hell-bent on going to school some options (and if there were a path in place for at least some self-determination at 16, it would help those who planned to homeschool for high school but for whatever reason - finances, changing goals, moving, a kid changing their mind about hsing halfway through high school - did want to use ps even with the parents' blessing).

[Murphy101]

Although I don't know of anywhere where kids are legally allowed to drop out of school at 16 without parental permission.  Where do they allow that? 

 

Granted, if a 16 year old is hell bent on not putting anything into school there isn't a lot that can be done really.

 

It's not 16 in every state either. Some don't allow legal drop out until 17 or 18.

 

I wouldn't have an issue with 16 being the age as long as *I* am no longer legally responsible for them at 16. I have a problem with giving freedoms without consequences. Or more accurately, giving freedoms to kids that create consequences for only the parents to deal with.

 

I think a school refusing to issue a diploma because not all credit were taken there is ridiculous. Test for placement if necessary, but otherwise, I think that should be illegal.

[FaithManor]

The problem comes with matching that with the US high school system.  It's often been mentioned on these boards that local school systems will only provide a transcript if all the high school years are in school.  Where does that leave a child who 'drops in' to school at sixteen?

 

It would work better in the UK, because there is a natural educational break at sixteen and many children change school at that point.

 

L

Local school districts to not accept homeschool transcripts. So, the 16 year old who might want to enroll and has say had good high school level history and english, but not math or science instruction is sunk because NOTHING will be considered credit worthy. He or she begins as a freshman no matter what the test scores are. So, I tell parents that 8th grade or 13-14 years of age is the point of no return. You are either committing to four years of high school and graduate the child from home, or you enroll them in high school at the standard age of entry. There isn't any other option for most. The schools absolutely will not accept anything. Shoot my kid that is 14, has completed algebra 1, geometry, and algebra 2 and has started pre-calc, scoring a 32 in the math section of the ACT would not receive credit for any of that math, and would be, you guessed it, lucky to get into algebra 1 if I sent him to PS!!! I'm not kidding, they have a tendancy to automatically assume homeschooled kids are functioning far below their PS counterparts and automatially require remdial high school mathematics before being allowed into algebra 1, his ACT score would not count.

 

So, the rubber meets the road here at 8th grade unless you can afford a private school, and the one closest by this district is absolutely pathetic, not worth one dime. The good one is a two hour daily commute. It's an all or nothing proposition for high school which is why we see a good number of homeschooled kids enrolled for 9th grade. The parents don't want to take the risk that they can't handle it, or have trouble teaching the upper level coursework, or might not be able to find tutors or whatever, and enroll them hoping their kids will do well. Unfortunately, our local high schools are pretty awful so it's a real game of chance.

[Reflections]

There is no standard policy in VA for high school...My local school said that my son's high school level work could be accepted IF he passed the state's SOL tests for those courses, so it's definitely possible they would have. 

 

And in my part of VA none of the schools will accept any kind of homeschool credit or tests including SOLs.  All homeschoolers entering high school start at the ninth grade level no matter what.

[mommymilkies]

There seem to be a multitude of issues at play here. 

 

I do think people owe it to their kids to help them get the best education they can and to get the most out of that education, no matter where it takes place. 

 

But, I don't necessarily think government regulation is the way to go to ensure that. They can't even ensure that of kids who attend government run schools. If they find an ideal set of solutions and start cranking out perfectly educated kids, then I might change my mind. 

 

 

 

This is not necessarily true. I started college when I was 17. My parents refused to fill out the FAFSA or hand over tax information. My first two semesters I paid for school from the money I received through my tribe (payment from the federal government for monies owed to the tribe that my grandmother sued for as chief of our tribe). My parents then co-signed for a *personal* loan that I had to work two jobs to pay off before the next semester. 

I agree.  And I went through the same thing with financial aid.  I already had kids, but some colleges still requested parental info.  I had to turn down Duke because they wouldn't take "I don't know my father and have no idea who he even is since he's not on my birth cert." as an answer.  The rest were ok with it provided I could accept loans or pay out of pocket.

 

And in my part of VA none of the schools will accept any kind of homeschool credit or tests including SOLs.  All homeschoolers entering high school start at the ninth grade level no matter what.

Really?  Yikes.  I don't know what the rules are here, but I don't think IL is like that.

[Reflections]

I agree.  And I went through the same thing with financial aid.  I already had kids, but some colleges still requested parental info.  I had to turn down Duke because they wouldn't take "I don't know my father and have no idea who he even is since he's not on my birth cert." as an answer.  The rest were ok with it provided I could accept loans or pay out of pocket.

 

Really?  Yikes.  I don't know what the rules are here, but I don't think IL is like that.

 

Ugh, you'd think that with today's blended families they be more open and have policies in place.

 

 

 

And yes, it's been a painful lesson for some.  I have heard that other states are more understanding.

[Joanne]

But was it truly "remediation"? I'm thinking this young man was very literate when he began taking classes at the community college. That he didn't do algebra at home is irrelevant. He was capable of researching his options, and has successfully made his own path as an adult. Algebra at home wouldn't have made him any more capable.

 

What about the public school students who spent 12 or 13 years in school who must be remediated because they were functionally illiterate when they graduated? Public schools do whatever the heck they want. They regularly come up with some new idea that will Fix Everything, and they continually fail. To whom are they accountable in any meaningful way?

 

Agree.

I taught these kids last year. None of them were homeschooled. One of my teaching peers was a homeschooling mom herself.

That said, I don't think the homeschooling community is accurately self-reflective. I think they are, as a group, resistant to the reality that homeschooling has, does, and continues to present with serious gaps from Junior High and above. I see it *daily* at the school were I work.

[Joanne]

The problem comes with matching that with the US high school system.  It's often been mentioned on these boards that local school systems will only provide a transcript if all the high school years are in school.  Where does that leave a child who 'drops in' to school at sixteen?

 

It would work better in the UK, because there is a natural educational break at sixteen and many children change school at that point.

 

L

 

That happened here, and it is one reason I am "stuck" working several jobs. My oldest had to go to public school per a mediation that ended the custody battle (I won, but he had to go to public school.) The local school district would not accept his 9th grade year (homeschooled) in spite of above average standardized tests in every subject. They bumped him back to 9th grade (which was eventually righted  when he joined my school but that is a divergent story).

 

I continue to have a paid for role at my kids' school because at this point, they are screwed if they leave.

[Rebecca VA]

The Washington Post is on a crusade.  They're not going to let this drop:

 

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/virginias-religious-exemption-for-school-attendance-is-too-broad/2013/08/04/f48dcde0-f8a1-11e2-b018-5b8251f0c56e_story.html?hpid=z8

[bettyandbob]

The Washington Post is on a crusade.  They're not going to let this drop:

 

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/virginias-religious-exemption-for-school-attendance-is-too-broad/2013/08/04/f48dcde0-f8a1-11e2-b018-5b8251f0c56e_story.html?hpid=z8

 

I don't see it as a crusade. The Post has previously had articles that presented homeschooling favorably. I can think of 2 articles mentioned in this thread, one featuring SWB and one featuring a regular poster here. 

 

I think the issue is the complete blank the religious exemption gives. You can claim the religious exemption and do absolutely nothing. Truly nothing. I got to meet quite homeschoolers who made homeschooling look bad when my kids were in early elementary. I think most of those people gave up. I know one who enrolled in school and needed to enroll 2 grades below where he would have been with normal promotions (he entered school as a sixth grader rather than an eighth grader). Since his mom considered watching one Magic School bus video a enough school for a day, I was not surprised. 

[TravelingChris]

While VA might be the only state where there is a religious exemption for not having to prove that kids are learning, there are plenty of states that have no oversight of homeschooling students including Texas, IL, CA, NJ, OK and many more.  WE had no oversight when we were stationed overseas.  We had no oversight in CA.  While we had to do testing in NM when we lived there for four years, the state has stopped requiring that.  The fact is that most homeschooling parents to a very good job of educating their children.  Furthermore, I think that if the student who is complaining actually had done a test each year, he would have passed the required level of competence.  I believe you can pass the tests and still need remediation in community college.  The standardized tests that are required and the scores required do not ensure that a student will place in a pre-calculus course which is often the level they have to place in colleges or universities in order not to need remedial math. 

 

Now in terms of what Joanne has said she has seen, the main lack I have noticed with homeschoolers is that some do not get enough math in high school.  Often this is because the parent teaching is not comfortable in teaching math and the math classes available to the student outside the home may be lacking or too expensive or the student may have the same math phobia that the parent has, whether through inheritance or through learning from the parent to fear math.  I am going to be tutoring one girl locally here who is going to be doing two math credits in her senior year because the mom thinks math is important but doesn't have the time to teach it nor does she feel she is good enough in it to teach (she works two full time jobs). 

[albeto.]

The Washington Post is on a crusade.  They're not going to let this drop:

 

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/virginias-religious-exemption-for-school-attendance-is-too-broad/2013/08/04/f48dcde0-f8a1-11e2-b018-5b8251f0c56e_story.html?hpid=z8

 

I'm glad to see this getting continued attention. Education is a right in this country, and neglect should be identified and addressed.