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Christianity Today, October, 2008 |

Reading, Writing, and Rulings

Courts: Good news for homeschoolers, bad news for Christian schools.

Sarah Pulliam | posted 9/09/2008 10:48AM

Judges in California ruled on two cases related to Christian education in August, deciding against an association of Christian schools but ruling in favor of parents' right to homeschool without a teaching ...

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HW	Posted: September 11, 2008 11:22 AM

I am glad I live in the USA, where we have the God realized freedom to think, talk and educate! We have home-schooled 6 children. Our oldest, 2nd yr Christian university in the Midwest. Our 2nd is a Senior at a private Christian college prep HS. Both home-schooled through 8th grade and excelling!! Our last 4 are still being home-schooled and excelling!! (Ages 5,7,10,13) I agree that it is the parental involvement in any type of education that allows a child to excel or not, but it can also be the system they are involved in that is lacking. The NEA doesn't like home-schooling because we prove they are not educating as well as untrained parents can. The state "tests/exams" some want taken are so dumbed down it is ridiculous. Our government/public schools teach to pass the tests and don't. That is not real world educating. It is a special parent that is called and chooses to home-school and do it to the best of their ability. Especially if it is as unto GOD! LEAVE home-schooling ALONE!!!

homebuilding

Posted: September 10, 2008 4:00 PM

For those of you reporting statistics about the deficiencies of public schools, please note that public schools "take them all!" ....always have and always will. This means the fatherless, the motherless, the ones with imprisoned or drug addicted parents, severe emotional problems, the homeless, etc. (Don't leave out the severe premies that have severe cognitive deficits.) Is there any chance, whatsoever, that some of these "other children of God" will not pull down the test results of public schools--they surely won't be bringing the home school assessements down, because they rarely are selected for homeschooling. In general, keeping students with many special needs and problems out of school isn't called homeschooling--it's called NEGLECT

Chuck

Posted: September 10, 2008 3:13 PM

A secular institution has every right to set standards of admission, and no one should be shocked that they set secular standards. If Christian parents want to send their children to a secular university, they need to take that into consideration, at least before the child enters High School, and then plan accordingly. Shannon: You are entitled to your opinion, but that is a ridiculous argument against home schooling. State exams are designed to monitor state-run schools; and they don't even do a very good job of that. If the state is not educating a child, the state has no right to force that child to sit for a state exam. If parents want their children to take the state exam, that should be their prerogative.

Angie

Posted: September 10, 2008 2:24 PM

I would like to address this from a perspective of college. My father-in-law is a professor at a Christian College in the midwest. There has been an explosion of homeschooled students attending the college. What has been particularly frustrating for him, is that 9 times out of 10 they have argued about grades given on papers that weren't up to par. Often he is told "I've never received a grade under an A before" along with bursts of tears. He has had numerous phone calls from the parents DEMANDING that their child receive an A. Apparently, being graded your whole life by your mom, does always set you up for the "real world" where not everyone thinks that your urine smells like perfume.

Adam	Posted: September 10, 2008 1:30 PM

The issue is two sided when one truly steps back to examine this. One is that Christian education is to be first and foremost, Christian. Second it is to legitimately educate the child in its care. But the question here is what is that child being taught in the mind of a secular, evolutionary, pluralistic, agnostic society? To say that in the public realm God is eliminated and then try to force that opinion on those who do not wish to subsidize or submit to that is in many ways forcing their "religion" on us. The state has forced its religion of non-religion on society and called it public education. I call it public brainwashing. There is little education and more social instruction done in our schools today. For one we need to quit offering our children on the altar of the status quo and accepting the quagmire we call public education. Private, Christian, or even Homeschooling is managed by the invested parties and not some "know-it-all" sitting behind a desk in Washington.

James K.A. Smith

Posted: September 10, 2008 7:38 AM


This is not a ruling "against Christian schools;" it is a ruling against certain Christian school curricula, and in particular, against naive creationism. This hardly poses a threat to those Christian schools which responsibly teach evolution.

Jim	Posted: September 09, 2008 9:53 PM

Other studies find that Christian school kids are farther ahead in their education than their public school counterparts. As a teacher in a school for several years though I found that the parents of many home schoolers were lazy, a child who should be in 6th grade would have to be placed in 4th because of the parents inability to make sure the student did his work, or had evaluations for learning disabilities. To legislate a text book due to what it teaches about evolutionary thinking, that sounds more like a philosophical or political problem than an science issue, not even the scientist agree on many interpretations published. and the text books usually do not update disproved data.

Frank Wingard

Posted: September 09, 2008 7:36 PM


I think that childern up to high school junior year should either be in private school schools or home schools. The public school system under the domination of the NEA is a disgrace and a place of indoctrination in a secular world view

Nellie McConnell

Posted: September 09, 2008 7:06 PM


MY FRIENDS WHO ARE MISSIONARIES HOME SCHOOLED BOTH OF THEIR KIDS. WHEN ONE TOOK HER TEST FOR COLLEGE SHE PASSED WITH A 4.0 GA. CHRISTIAN SCHOOL WAS PERFECT FOR MY GRANDSON, WOULD NOT HAVE DONE WELL IN PUBLIC SCHOOL WITH 40 KIDS IN A CLASS. HIS CLASS WAS 8 KIDS. HE WENT TO PUBLIC SCHOOL FROM KINDERGARDNER TO 7TH GRADE. VERY GOOD SUDENT. TWO YEARS OF COLLEGE.

homebuilding

Posted: September 09, 2008 5:57 PM

Any child that does well has had homeschooling Any child that does poorly, probably has had very little homeschooling. Many children that are homeschooled would benefit from some public schooling Many children that have no home schooling to go along with public schooling may have some deficits. Parents that live with BOTH biological parents and have both homeschooling and public schooling have the most advantages of all. In the latter category, the chances are the best for academic mastery and the exposure and practice of ethics and morals, along with religious values (pick the religion you like the most).

Kathy

Posted: September 09, 2008 5:22 PM

"Distressingly unbelievable" was my reaction to two of the comments posted here. Home schooling has been conclusively proven to provide a "normal"--and often superior--education for children. Do your homework on this; don't just rely on your own faulty and biased notions! I speak from personal experience. My neighbor told me 20 years ago she was going to home school her kids, and I thought it was the most outrageous idea I'd ever heard of. I went to the public library and read everything I could find about home schooling, from Christian and secular sources. I was shocked to learn how much better home schooling can be for many children, and as a result, I decided to teach my own kids. They regularly passed state exams, which was great; but that was not my ultimate standard for success. Yet many public school-educated children do not do well on those exams! Should they not be allowed to continue in public school? Of course not. So why the insistence on this for home schoolers?

Rushmore

Posted: September 09, 2008 4:27 PM


It is distressingly unbelievaable to posit and support such a dangerous notion that children can obtain a normal level of education through home schooling.

Howard Pepper

Posted: September 09, 2008 3:18 PM


The courts got it right in both cases. As to pressure from the UC system toward a secular perspective, yes, that seems implied. But for those who resent that, there is a strong system of alternative private (Christian, mostly) colleges and universities.

Adam S

Posted: September 09, 2008 1:42 PM

There have been a number of studies that have said that there are a large group (NOT ALL) of Christians schools that are not doing a good job at teaching their students. This isn't about science education, but in general. It seems the more conservative the school the worse on average the education. Like virtually all areas of life, just because they are Christian doesn't mean they are good at what they do. Here is a summary of the results of one study. http://www.commondreams.org/headlines06/0715-01.htm

Shannon

Posted: September 09, 2008 12:56 PM


Homeschooling should not be permitted unless the children can pass state exams.

Jonathan

Posted: September 09, 2008 12:45 PM

As a private school educator, I do believe the bible based curriculum is vitally important. A private education is also more rigorous and demanding than most public education. However, I believe the private "christian" schools have also dropped the ball on our students. I do have students who have not had many classes accepted by a UC based on a lack of "adequate" information taught by the private school. Is it a sin to teach evolution? Is it wrong to teach evolution? By no means is it a sin or wrong. To teach only creationism and exclude evolution as whole leaves our students with an ignorance of the opposing view point. If we want our students to be able to think critically and rationally, to be "fully" educated, then we must educate them on all matters in a responsible manner. To force only creation is wrong, to force evolution is wrong. To teach and educate both, is both proper and wise. We must educate to the highest degree with out forcing any one belief.

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