Homeschooling freedom in the 50 States: the good, the bad, and the ugly

[William Tell]

Homeschooling freedom is an important aspect of liberty, but I don't see it discussed here much, besides individual cases of government abuse. State laws on homeschooling have improved greatly in the last few decades. But some states still have a ways to go. The articles below are from a couple years ago, I don't know if anything has changed.




Fortunately, homeschooling is legal in all 50 states. Yet, since education is regulated by the states, requirements vary dramatically from state to state for homeschoolers. The difference ranges from complete freedom with no requirements to forced curriculum and achievement tests.


States requiring no notice: No state requirement for parents to initiate any contact.
States with low regulation: State requires parental notification only.
States with moderate regulation: State requires parents to send notification, test scores, and/or professional evaluation of student progress.
State with high regulation: State requires parents to send notification or achievement test scores and/or professional evaluation, plus other requirements (e.g. curriculum approval by the state, teacher qualification of parents, or home visits by state officials). (Source: HSLDA (http://www.hslda.org/laws/)).

Here is a map of which states fall into each category:














http://www.hslda.org/img/maps/USRegulatoryMap_Green.gif States requiring no notice




http://www.hslda.org/img/maps/USRegulatoryMap_Yellow.gif States with low regulation



http://www.hslda.org/img/maps/USRegulatoryMap_Orange.gif States with moderate regulation



http://www.hslda.org/img/maps/USRegulatoryMap_Red.gif State with high regulation

The 10 freest states for homeschooling are in green and listed below:


Alaska
Connecticut
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Michigan
Missouri
New Jersey
Oklahoma
Texas


http://www.activistpost.com/2012/11/10-freest-states-for-homeschooling.html




Best places to homeschool


Homeschooling is legal in all 50 states in the U.S., however, each state has different levels of regulation and guidelines. Deciding which states are best for homeschooling is really a matter of perception.
Some states are definitely more "homeschool friendly" — as they require very little in the way of record keeping, testing and reporting — but is that a good thing?
Most Americans would agree that parents should have the right to choose the educational option that best suits their needs — however, they overwhelmingly demand oversight and state requirements to ensure this right is not abused. Most worry that children in states that don't enforce strict regulation of homeschoolers might not get a proper education.
Johnny can't read

But what about the many children in public schools that are falling through the cracks? According to the National Assessment of Education Progress (http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/) (NAEP) approximately two-thirds of 8th and 12th graders read below the proficient level, and about one-quarter are unable to read at the most basic level.
If you ask an unschooling or child-led homeschooling family, they would want as little involvement from the state as possible. Most homeschool families like the flexibility of being able to teach with the learning style of their choice, without having to "teach to test".
How homeschoolers stack up

Homeschoolers point to studies that consistently show homeschooled students score 15 to 30 points above the national average (http://www.nheri.org/research/research-facts-on-homeschooling.html). Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA) poses the question, “If government regulation does not improve the results of homeschoolers, why is it necessary?”
Again, this is all a matter of opinion and perception. One thing is for sure, states across the country have very different regulations.

Homeschooling regulations by state

HSLDA (http://www.hslda.org/laws/default.asp) has created a map showing which states require the most regulation.


States requiring no notice include Alaska, Connecticut, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey, Oklahoma and Texas.
States with low regulation (parental notification only) include Alabama, Arizona, California, Delaware, Kansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, Washington D.C., Wisconsin and Wyoming.
States with moderate regulation (parental notification, plus test scores and/or professional student progress evaluations) include Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Iowa, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, New Hampshire, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Virginia, Washington and West Virginia.
States with high regulation (all the above, plus other requirements — e.g. curriculum approval by the state, teacher qualification of parents or home visits by state officials) include Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Vermont.


What parents say

Katey Kautz of Mama Kautz (http://mamakautz.com/), a homeschool mother living in Idaho, lives in a state with no regulation.


"I live in Idaho, a state with very little mandate on homeschooling. I feel it's the right of the parent to homeschool how each family sees fit. I am thankful there isn't required testing because then I feel I would have to teach to the test to make sure my children scored well. While some might think it is not a good thing because of children not learning what the world thinks the child should learn, the same could be said for kids taught in both private or public school."


I feel for those of you that are homeschooling in states with high regulation — I happen to be in Louisiana where homeschooling regulation is moderate to low. If you are planning on homeschooling in the near future, you might want to look over the homeschool regulation chart to help you decide where it is you want to raise a family and homeschool your children.
Tell us: Where do you homeschool and how do you feel about your state's regulations?


http://www.sheknows.com/parenting/articles/1018417/which-states-are-best-for-homeschooling

[William Tell]

Here's a newer map from the HSLDA:


https://www.hslda.org/img/maps/USRegulatoryMap.gif




VS the older one:

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ss1Xp5bGMyc/ULBpGIbdp9I/AAAAAAAASnw/YCa5CSDROfo/s1600/homeschooling+law+map+us.gif

[tangent4ronpaul]

So IA got worse and it's otherwise the same?

-t

[William Tell]

So IA got worse and it's otherwise the same?

-t

No, Iowa, North Dakota, and Georgia got better.

[tangent4ronpaul]

dyslexic on old vs new.

good stuff. Thanks!

you must spread some rep around before...

-t

[CaptUSA]

I just want to point out that it isn't just homeschooling freedom. Every parent homeschools to some extent.
Even shitty parents teach their kids things. And they let the State do the rest.

What we are really talking about here is education freedom. Freedom to educate your children as you wish. Strictly homeschooling, private schooling, tutoring, or government schooling. It's up to you what methods you'd like to use and what material you'd like your children to know. Funny how only one of those options has to steal money from other people to do it.

[Warrior_of_Freedom]

Forced schooling is involuntary servitude. Because the standard of living is so low, most families have two working parents, which means they just use school as a daycare.

[Christopher A. Brown]

Forced schooling is involuntary servitude. Because the standard of living is so low, most families have two working parents, which means they just use school as a daycare.

I feel there is more to it in the realm of psychological conditioning.

People do not realize that semiotics is such a subtle but pervasive influence in our world.

Television, film, video games and the web could all be subtly coordinated to impart a message that is tacitly approved by public school doctrines.

Since the dumbing down began and had its effects, which are now escalated by common core, there is substantial reason to assume that there is default linkage wherein social conditioning in public schools is allowed to reinforce messages communicated by the subtle manipulation of symbology in media.

This would make the economic pressures having both parents working really pay off. This could explain the insistence that the federal government pushes common core with and homeschooling works against the hidden agenda.

This is a very good reason for the people to take over the federal government through their states which they need to dominate by the American use of constitutional intent through Article V.

[William Tell]

I feel there is more to it in the realm of psychological conditioning.

People do not realize that semiotics is such a subtle but pervasive influence in our world.

Television, film, video games and the web could all be subtly coordinated to impart a message that is tacitly approved by public school doctrines.

Since the dumbing down began and had its effects, which are now escalated by common core, there is substantial reason to assume that there is default linkage wherein social conditioning in public schools is allowed to reinforce messages communicated by the subtle manipulation of symbology in media.

This would make the economic pressures having both parents working really pay off. This could explain the insistence that the federal government pushes common core with and homeschooling works against the hidden agenda.

This is a very good reason for the people to take over the federal government through their states which they need to dominate by the American use of constitutional intent through Article V.

Your Con-Con propaganda is getting really annoying.

[dude58677]

The Alaskan compulsory schooling laws are based on voluntary compliance. If the child is not enrolled in the public schools then the child is exempt from compulsory schooling laws thus it is based on voluntary compliance.