Parents may home-school children without teaching credential, California court says

[johnnymk]

http://www.pewforum.org/news/display.php?NewsID=16240

Los Angeles Times

Parents may legally home-school their children in California even if they lack a teaching credential, a state appellate court ruled Friday. The decision is a reversal of the court's earlier position, which effectively prohibited most home schooling and sparked fear throughout the state's estimated 166,000 home-schoolers.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who had vowed to allow home schooling through legislation if the court did not act, praised the ruling.

"This is a victory for California's students, parents and education community. This decision confirms the right every California child has to a quality education and the right parents have to decide what is best for their children," he said. "I hope the ruling settles this matter for parents and home-schooled children once and for all in California, but assure them that we, as elected officials, will continue to defend parents' rights."

In February, the 2nd District Court of Appeal ruled in a child protection hearing that parents must have a teaching credential to home-school their children. The decision caused a nationwide uproar among home-schoolers, religious activists and others, and the court agreed to reconsider its decision, a move described as unusual but not unprecedented.

[cruelpupet]

Id say thats a good decision, i think parents are starting to lose too many parental rights.

I think it was England that was recently looking into taking kids away from parents if they are too fat.

[nate el bueno]

Id say thats a good decision, i think parents are starting to lose too many parental rights.

I think it was England that was recently looking into taking kids away from parents if they are too fat.

Extreme as that is, I find it pretty funny

[Cheesypuff]

i'm taking these statistics off of the doc jesus camp.

"75% of home schooled kids in the US are evangelical christians"

home school teacher - "did you get to the part on here where it says science really don't prove anything?"

most of those "teachers" are teaching creationism denying scientific facts. and denying science in general.

i suggest you watch jesus camp, and skip to the 15th minute of the doc.

[VTGreg]

i'm taking these statistics off of the doc jesus camp.

"75% of home schooled kids in the US are evangelical christians"

home school teacher - "did you get to the part on here where it says science really don't prove anything?"

most of those "teachers" are teaching creationism denying scientific facts. and denying science in general.

i suggest you watch jesus camp, and skip to the 15th minute of the doc.

Regardless of who provides the education, I do think there should be standards for the curriculum. I don't see why kids that are home schooled aren't subject to the same standardized testing.

I do think this was a good decision. A teaching credential isn't going to force a parent to teach specific subjects.

[WhiskeyPapa]

I don't see why kids that are home schooled aren't subject to the same standardized testing.

They are.

[ShawnLee]

So retarded that this was even an issue to begin with. The kids I know who are home-schooled are far better educated, far more intelligent, and far more sociable than most of the kids in regular public schools that I know.

[cheapie]

ditto

[VTGreg]

They are.

If they are subject to the same standardized testing then I don't see how this is an issue. If kids can't past the tests then they can't move on to the "next grade". That should be plenty to control the subjects that are being taught to home schooled children.

[WhiskeyPapa]

If kids can't past the tests then they can't move on to the "next grade".Unfortuantely, it doesn't even work like that in the public schools.

In homeschool, grades and report cards only exist because our state law requires us to submit them. When you think about it deeper, it doesn't make sense.

For example, the report cards are supposed to indicate "Satisfactory" or "Unsatisfactory". Well, we don't stop working on a subject until the kid has learned the material to our satisfaction - therefore, a grade of "unsatisfactory" is impossible.

We work on specific subjects until they are complete. We never say "Sorry, time ran out on 8th grade social studies, so now we're moving on to 9th grade social studies..." We simply finish the course and start the next, whether that happens in February, April or June. So at any one time, we may have a particular child on 9th grade math, 6th grade social studies and 7th grade geography all at the same time.

Each year we dutifully report the grade that's appropriate for their age and have them take the standardized tests.

[InfiniteNothing]

If they are subject to the same standardized testing then I don't see how this is an issue. If kids can't past the tests then they can't move on to the "next grade". That should be plenty to control the subjects that are being taught to home schooled children.
He's not from California. I'm not sure if it's from the same system here.

[WhiskeyPapa]

Doh - you're right. Testing is required in most states, but I just looked up Californina and it's not required.