So superficial home schooling vs ruined public schools.
What is more likely to be fixed especially when home schooling rates rise. So where should public attention be on?
What is more likely to be fixed especially when home schooling rates rise. So where should public attention be on?
The idea that parents would go out of their way to give a “superficial” education doesn’t make sense if you’ve ever been a parent. People care deeply about their children and their future.
I’d argue what is superficial is just going along with the easy default rather than examining what is best for your specific child.
(Also I hate that this article has just been censored on HN and most likely no one will read this reply).
But thanks to extreme lobbying by the HSLDA, we have no way of actually knowing that. We don’t know their test scores or even if they’re reading at their grade level.
And although Dave appears outwardly great, we don’t know if he neglects or beats his kids. Just no way to know that. Abusers don’t look or act outwardly like abusers, that’s how they get away with it.
Cmon man, think a little before sharing a personal anecdote that is just “my friend good guy”.
> We don’t know their test scores or even if they’re reading at their grade level.
We do know that only one in three students in (e.g.) Chicago Public Schools can read at grade level. Obviously reading at grade level isn't a very high priority.
https://chicago.suntimes.com/education/2022/12/25/23523556/r...
In any case: who is "we" here? They're not your children, dude.
Fortunately, Smart people have studied these issues and found that the usual culprits are poverty, homelessness, food insecurity, and family stress (divorce, parents unhappy, etc.). Kids do better when they get breakfast, lunch, and an afternoon snack/meal in school and have a safe place after school for studying and socializing. Teachers do better with enough money to eliminate their financial stresses and total funding for classroom basics such as properly maintained buildings, heating and cooling, and classroom supplies.
But instead of addressing these issues, some people shake their fingers at the teachers, proclaiming the teachers union is the problem.
Umm... that's highly questionable.
Besides, you are simply attempting to change the subject. The OP was (allegedly) concerned that home-schooled children wouldn't be "reading at grade level". In many areas, public school children aren't "reading at grade level" either.
If "reading at grade level" is the metric, then why would public school be preferred over the home school? No one has cited any evidence to the effect that 66% of home-schooled children fail to learn how to read.
Why they're not "reading at grade level" is irrelevant. Whether it's because of the reasons you claim, or other reasons, it is clear that the public schools a) cost billions of dollars and b) are ineffective at fixing the problem.
If a process or organization is ineffective at solving a problem, it's usually because it solves the wrong problem. Understanding why the problem occurs is part of finding the right solution.
You'd soon stop taking your car to that mechanic.
Blaming societal problems for failing to teach children to read is exactly analogous to the mechanic above.
Even if true, that just means they're taking money under false pretenses. Taking money from people when you know you won't/can't provide the services you are offering is generally known as "fraud".
Some research done in Australia found that homeschooled children performed above-average on standardised tests, including reading: https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/homeschooled-kids-perfor... ("NAPLAN" is Australia's nationwide standardised testing program for years 3 and 5; the "HSC" is the state of New South Wales' statewide year 12 exams, used for university entry)
If you assume all families are gentle and kind, you are condemning children to misery and death.
Lack of love is a problem. School is quite clearly not a solution to that.
I agree. And they are among the best of teachers. But the ability of such a person to meet the love needs of a wanting child in the setting of schooling is near zero.