Comment on FSM 398

FSM 398 CM/FM January 2003

Dispelling the Myths about Family Education
And what you should know about homeschooling!
By Marc and Claire, U.S. (for the North American PR Board)

A couple of things about this article stand out. First, the homeschooling issue.

1) There is an erroneous assumption that because many Family kids are schooled at home, these students are actually receiving an education that meets the accreditation standards of a state's department of education for home schools. The statistics on homeschooling that Marc & Claire cite in this article have no relevance to what goes on in Family Homes if there is no supervision of the educational activity by officials with the Department of Education of the state in which the student resides.

2) Successful homeschooling takes place in stable homes and communities. Adolescents who excel at homeschooling do not constantly move from household to household and country to country; they do not support the family missionary venture by provisioning, peddling tapes, literature & posters, balooning & clowning, or asking the public for donations.

Second, the article cites U.S. educational statistics as though this country sets some kind of world-class standard in secondary education. It does not.

1) The U.S. high school graduation rate of 88% is one of the lowest among industrialized nations. The Japanese & most European countries do a lot better than the U.S. The poor quality of public education in the U.S. is a significant factor behind the home school movement in this country.

2) Standard Achievment Test (SAT) scores for U.S. high school students, particularly in math & science, also are among the lowest of students living in industrialized nations. Once again, it is little wonder that home schoolers, who receive individualized attention & guidance in a safe, supportive environment, get better SAT scores than the average U.S. high school graduate. However, one does not learn calculus through a self-help manual. It takes a knowledgable instructor, and home schoolers have access to such instructors through the state's department of education.

Where the U.S. educational system excels is in higher education (colleges & universities). Our higher education system draws off the "cream"--the best minds the developing world has to offer--and when these hard-working, ambitious people graduate, many go on to apply for green cards and resident status. Why? Because opportunities for educated professionals in the U.S. far exceed those of Hong Kong or India. Many U.S. high school grads fail to complete college because they weren't adequately prepared for the level of competition that confronts them at university.