Treon continues: "The public school system wants people to believe that ‘it is all homeschooling,' so when they make their move to eliminate the control of parents over their independent homeschools and thrust them back under state control, it will appear to be the most natural thing to do. They want to make the argument that because so many parents have voluntarily placed themselves under state control by participating in such programs, this must be what all homeschoolers need. The strong possibility then exists to press their case by saying that homeschooling can be simplified by being placed under state supervision, where all aspects are under the same guidelines and use the same curriculum, and that the state can be assured that quality education is taking place in homeschools."

Following is an excerpt from an article by Baylor University's Perry Glanzer, quoting Rob Reich, Department of Political Science at Stanford University in a discussion on the regulation of home education: "Reich admits in the end that he is not merely interested in regulating a freedom in order to ensure that it is not abused. He also hopes that such regulation will persuade parents not to exercise their freedom and, as his conclusion indicates: ‘In fact, finding ways to draw homeschooling families back to the public school system seems to me a necessary complement to the passage of effective regulations.' "¹

Reich's closing lines of his chapter on homeschooling, as many closing lines do, perhaps reveal his underlying agenda. He states, "In fact, finding ways to draw homeschooling families back to the public school system seems to me a necessary complement to the passage of effective regulations" (Bridging Liberalism and Multiculturalism in America, 172). It is quite clear that for Reich, homeschooling is not a freedom to be celebrated in liberal democracies but a freedom to be feared.

Inadequate-or More Than Inadequate?

Homeschooling parents desire the best education for their children, which is why they educate their children at home. Yet some parents feel inadequate when they compare their efforts with the public school programs out there. What alternatives do homeschooling parents have to using these public school programs? Homeschool co-ops, support groups, and church groups offer similar alternatives, including science labs, art classes, field trips, and even sports and scholastic competitions. Additionally, these support groups can help parents seek out solutions to the issues parents may struggle with, solutions far better than what a school district can offer.

Whatever the effort parents put into these activities, they cannot lose sight of the fact that homeschooling has proven to be a superior option. Time and again, independent homeschooling has proven itself as a superior means of providing an education to future leaders. Research from the National Home Education Research Institute (NHERI) continues to verify that homeschoolers outperform their public school counterparts in academic testing. Reports of outstanding achievements by homeschoolers in national scholastic competitions continue to roll in. Homeschool graduates are eagerly sought by many top colleges. This hardly sounds like the inadequate, well-meaning amateurs that homeschooling parents have been made out to be.

Conclusion