The Home Education Information Resource is an organization created in March, 1997, by homeschoolers who understand home study, freely practiced in its diverse forms, to be a legitimate choice and value it as a positive force for improving the quality of education. We appreciate this opportunity to speak to the House Education Committee.
We have provided the Committee with a three ring binder of "resource materials" that may be of interest. The binder has six major sections, presenting original surveys and analysis by HEIR, information relevant for discussions of homeschooling law and policy, frequently asked questions, information on subsequent college and career results, homeschoolers' interaction with the larger community, and information about the wealth of resources available to homeschoolers. A summary of the binder's content has been provided to each Committee member, along with a copy of this prepared statement.
In the arena of education, there has been and continues to be great tension between those who believe the interests of the State demand universal participation in State-controlled primary and secondary education, and those who insist that parents have the right to choose how their children will be educated. When conflicts between these two views have resulted in legal action, the judicial system has consistently held for an appropriate balance of interests - a balance between parents' right to choose how their children will be educated, and the State's interests in having citizens who are able to perform their public duties1.
The question before the Committee today is "Has the balance between parental rights and State interests been upset and, if so, does the compulsory attendance law in Georgia need to be changed to restore balance?"
There is a very sizable body of evidence indicating that homeschoolers, as a group, regardless of income, race, gender, or parents' education level, perform significantly above average on standardized academic achievement tests, compared to the total population2. In terms of literacy, numeracy, and civic responsibility, there is absolutely no evidence to indicate that homeschoolers as a group are deficient.
There is a substantial body of evidence indicating that homeschooled children are at least as well socialized, and prepared to enter society as self-reliant individuals, as their peer group in the general population3.
Taking these two points together, it appears homeschoolers as a group, relative to the general population, more than adequately satisfy the State's interests in education. From the State's perspective, then, there is no compelling reason to further restrict or regulate home study programs.
It has been suggested that changes in the law are needed to respond to the requests from homeschooling parents for services or support from the State Board of Education. HEIR has conducted a survey of homeschoolers, and has tabulated almost 300 responses4. Granted this is a small sample of Georgia homeschoolers--probably less than 2% of homeschooling families--the results still may be instructive. When asked if they would use public school services (such as the library, specific classes, testing, band, sports, and diplomas) even if no additional restrictions or regulations were imposed, approximately 50% of homeschoolers said they would not. When asked if they would use such services if additional restrictions or regulations were imposed, approximately 93% said they would not. The number of homeschooling parents who want these kinds of services and are willing to accept additional regulation is quite small compared to the total homeschooling community in Georgia. Based on our survey data, and based on our interactions with other homeschoolers, it seems quite likely that homeschooling parents would vigorously oppose additional restrictions or regulations.
It is possible that additional regulation of home study programs might be proposed in order to "protect children who are falling through the cracks." The implication is that homeschooled children are more likely to fall victim to inadequate education, truancy, or abuse than are other children. With regard to the adequacy of education, we urge the Committee to recognize the impossibility of legislating 100% success in education. In any school classroom we may find children who excel and children who perform below grade level; we should not be surprised to find the same sort of distribution of achievement for children in home study programs, even though homeschoolers as a group perform above the national average. The State cannot reasonably require all homeschoolers to be at or above average, any more than it could require that of children in the State school system, or any particular school in the system, or any particular classroom.. It must be noted that one-on-one teaching is exactly what is recommended for children who do perform below average, and there is much anecdotal evidence that homeschooling works very well for such children.
With regard to truancy or abuse, we know of no documented evidence that this is a systematic problem associated with home study programs. Furthermore, the current law provides tools for assessing the risk and protecting the interests of individual children. In the absence of evidence to the contrary, homeschooled children do not have a compelling need for greater protection through increased restriction or regulation of home study programs.
In short, considering the State's interests, homeschooling parents' interests, and the interests of homeschooled children, there is no compelling reason for additional regulation or restriction.
When a family makes the decision to homeschool, this decision is made seriously, with careful consideration, and with deep conviction. In the eight years from 1988 to 1995, many Georgians made the decision to homeschool and the homeschooling population grew at an average annual rate of 20%. During the same period, the public school population grew at an average annual rate of 2%. Today, a reasonable estimate of the homeschooling population is 12,500 families and 22,000 children, with an additional 2400 families choosing to homeschool next year5. If you attend a homeschooling curriculum fair, what you will see is that these families are no different from other families in Georgia, except that they have made homeschooling their educational choice. They are a hard-working, tax-paying, self-reliant cross-section of Georgia citizens who have made the decision to homeschool because they believe in the results. Any decision to restrict their freedom to make this choice should include careful consideration of the cost the State will incur from such restriction.
In particular, we would ask that anyone proposing legislation to create additional regulation or restrictions for homeschooling would first establish that there is a problem that needs solving--that there are systematic deficiencies in homeschooling relative to the other educational alternatives under the current compulsory attendance law, and that these deficiencies can be documented and verified. New legislation should not be based on undocumented claims of abuse, nor on single, isolated situations. Nor should new legislation result in the coercion of homeschoolers into conforming to a State-mandated curriculum, or into obtaining accreditation or a State-issued diploma.
Should the General Assembly decide to address home study programs, there are other issues that concern homeschoolers:
None of these concerns necessarily requires legislative action. All these problems could be resolved by the agencies responsible.
Georgia has made tremendous improvements in education over the past twenty years. We believe that diversity of educational opportunities, including home study programs, enhances Georgia's educational performance. The climate for homeschooling in Georgia has been quite favorable in the recent past. We urge you not to change that climate in a way that limits or restricts that educational diversity.
The Home Education Information Resource stands ready to assist the Committee in any way possible.
Thank you.
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