Homeschooling - it's not something that just "earth mothers in Oregon" are doing anymore:
Fed up with her son's performance in school, Kim Clayton pulled him out of third grade at Dasher Green Elementary in Columbia during spring break in 2002 and never took him back...Clayton, who lives in the top-rated school system in the state, started teaching her son year-round in the living room of her Howard County home. She's part of a 20-year trend that has seen a growing number of families - from a recently increasing variety of backgrounds - abandon public education for lessons led by parents...
Severe budget shortfalls, ethnic achievement gaps, failing test scores and shortages of qualified teachers are among the reasons parents list for choosing to instruct their children at home, where they can ensure small class sizes and individualized attention.
The article notes that the number of home-schooled children in Maryland has increased ninefold in the last 13 years, and that's not counting the parents who are more underground about their homeschooling. One enterprising parent has founded the Columbia Homeschool Community, which offers support parents and helps organize field trips and socialization activities. Although it was mainly Christian families who were homeschooling in the 1950's, the number of non-Christian families is increasing, as well as the number of non-white families.
Maryland, it seems, is not placing many of the more problematic hurdles in the way of homeschooling parents. On the other hand, you have California, which is aiming to require that parents become certified teachers in order to homeschool. That, to me, seems unworkable, and too high a hurdle.
Posted by kswygert at September 15, 2003 12:13 PM