Parent choice

What is home schooling? Children educated at home Parents concerned about traditional school environment Provide religious or moral instruction Dissatisfaction with public or private schools

History of Home schooling Vast majority in early history were educated by parents By 1850s formal classroom training was the norm Movement reignited in 1960s

How do they operate? Many varieties of methods and materials Unit Studies All in one Online instruction Community resources Unschooling and natural learning Homeschool Cooperatives

Higher education Use standardized tests US Colleges have become more open to home school education students

Advantages Tend to vote more in elections Well connected in their communities On average outperform their peers on standardized tests

Disadvantages Some Europeans nations have outlawed the practice Not subject to No Child Left Behind so test results are questioned Opposition by the NEA Some cases of unmonitored child abuse

What is a charter school? A charter school is an independent public school that is governed by a group or organization that is in contract with the state to be given public money.

How is the charter created? Charter schools are created by a small group of people in a community that submit a charter to start their own school in exchange for promising high academic results.

Key Figures Ray Budde Massachusetts educator that first formed the idea of Charter Schools in 1974 Formed the idea that small groups of teachers should be allowed to construct contracts or charters in exchange for achievement results Albert Shanker American Federation of Teachers President Proposed to the National Press Club in 1988 the idea of publicly funded schools that would gain increased flexibility in instruction in exchange for greater achievement

History Philadelphia started the first charter type schools in the late 1980s Minnesota was the first state to pass a law allowing charter schools in 1991 Bluffview Montessori School was the first official charter school to open in 1992 in Winona, MN California was the second to pass a charter school law in 1992

Number of charter schools in the u.S. Year

Funding Charter schools are primarily funded by taking per pupil state aid from the district where the student resides. Funding for charter schools is typically less than what a traditional public school receives. In 2007 MN charter schools only received approximately 98.5% of what was issued to the traditional public schools per pupil.

Advantages Enhanced child centered learning Free High standards and accountability set by the charter Smaller class sizes Strong sense of community Provide competition to traditional public schools

Disadvantages Funding takes money away from traditional schools Less stability Lower teacher attrition Limited high school availability

What are vouchers? Vouchers are certificates issued by the government, which parents can apply toward tuition at a private school of their choice. Intended to allow parents to choose school that best fits their child’s needs. Redirects the flow of education funding.

Debate at Hand Public funds used to subsidize tuition for students to attend private or religious institutions? Interpretation of federal and state constitutions? Criteria for applying to private schools? Public accountability for student performance? Extent of autonomy private schools enjoy?

History of vouchers 1792: Thomas Paine proposes plan for England 1950’s Southern schools concerned with desegregation 1980’s: Bush Administration fails to address major topics in education debate 1990: Bush Admin. Approves 6 National Education goals unable to get approval largely because of vouchers

History of vouchers 1994: Republicans new conservative agenda Key feature: school choice/ privatization Dissatisfaction of parents diversity v. diction affirmative action v. basics

Voucher timeline 1990: Milwaukee Parental Choice Program Country’s 1st school voucher program 1995: included private religious schools 1999: Florida Opportunity Program 1st statewide voucher program Not limited to low-income 1999: Maine and Vermont Used in rural areas unable to maintain a public H.S. Could not be used for religious schools

Zelman v. Simmon-harris 2002 Supreme Court declared vouchers permissible under Federal Establishment clause in Cleveland, Ohio Permissible when used for a valid secular purpose 5 Chief Justices approved 3 state cases supported their approval (MN case) 4 Chief Justices dissented Dramatic departure from prior church-state precedent Everson v. Board of Education Ewing (1947)

Current voucher status 2012: Obama Administration has not crossed the voucher debate line Mitt Romney campaign: Would support vouchers to introduce marketplace dynamics into education to drive academic gains “I will expand parental choice in an unprecedented way. Families’ freedom to vote with their feet will hold schools responsible for results” (Romney, 2012). 8 states offer vouchers to students with special needs

advantages Better quality due to increased competition Students in poorly performing public schools have alternative Increased involvement by community makes program more responsive Allow low-income students wide range of opportunities Better education due to lack of bureaucracy Parent decision results in government not imposing religion

disadvantages Diverting funds from public schools weakens them Misuse of public money due to lack of accountability in private schools Inadequate voucher amount: low-income couldn’t go to expensive private Increase segregation along socioeconomic lines Allocation of gov’t funds violates separation of church and state Vouchers failed to improve standard achievement significantly

Group consensus The group decided in the end that we all support parent choice in education. We fully support the choice of charter schooling and the use of vouchers as healthy competition to the traditional public school choice. Our support is unanimous for home schooling with reservation, however. Our concern lies in the lack of oversight and accountability.

References  Closing the Achievement Gap. (2004). Retrieved from http://www.pbs.org/closingtheachievementgap/faq.html Dizikes, P. (2001). Vouchers: What at Issue? Retrieved from http://absnew.go.com/Politics/vouchers- issues/story?id=121979&page=2 Frankenberg, E., Siegel-Hawley, G., & Wang, J. (2011). Choice without Equity: Charter School Segregation. Education Policy Analysis Archives, 19(1) Daniel Golden (11 February 2000). "Home-Schooled Kids Defy Stereotypes, Ace SAT Test". The Wall Street Journal. Jennings, J., & Center on Education, P. (2012). Reflections on a Half-Century of School Reform: Why Have We Fallen Short and Where Do We Go from Here?. Center On Education Policy Lines, Patricia M.(2008) "Homeschooling". Kidsource

references Lips, Dan; Feinberg, Evan (2008-04-03). "Homeschooling: A Growing Option in American Education". Heritage Foundation. Retrieved 2008-08-15. Minnesota House of Representatives Research Department. (2002). School Vouchers. Retrieved from htt://www.house.leg.state.mn.us/hrd/hrd.htm National Center for Education Statistics. (2012) Retrieved from http://nces.ed.gov/ National Conference of State Legislature. (2012). Education Program Publicly Funded School Voucher Programs. Retrieved from http://www.ncsl.org/issues-research/educ/school-choice-vouchers.aspx National Education Association. (2012). School Vouchers: The Emerging Track Record. Retrieved from http://www.nea.org/bare/print.html?content=/bare/16970.htm Reich, Rob, (2002), The civic perils of homeschooling,Journal: Educational Leadership (Alexandria)

references Richwine, J., & Heritage, F. (2010). Charter Schools: A Welcome Choice for Parents. WebMemo. No. 2996. Heritage Foundation Stride Academy. (2009) Retrieved from http://strideacademy.org/pages/Curriculum/ Trip, G. (2012). Vouchers Unspoken, Romney Hails School Choice. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/12/us/politics/in-romneys-voucher-education-policy-a-return-to-gop- roots.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all Webb, L., Metha, A., & Jordan, K. (2010). Foundations of American Education. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Education, Inc. WEISS, S. (2011). Charter Choice. State Legislatures, 37(8), 20. Winnick, Pamela R. (2000-05-01). "Homeschooled students take unorthodox route to become top college candidates".Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.