Homeschool article full of errors

Tammy Carter asked: Why Parents Choose a Home School Education. She did OK on the advantages. But when she got to disadvantages her article was full of errors. The first and most outrageous one.

Providing a home school education is not simply a matter of parental choice. In most cases the state education board of the state in which the family resides will have to approve a decision to give a child a home school education. The person taking on the responsibility of homeschooling must be certified to be a home teacher, the curriculum must follow the state curriculum, and the text books and other educational materials to be used must be approved by the state. Although this might seen like undue interference in what is a matter of personal choice, the state has a responsibility to ensure that all children receive an adequate standard of education and checks will be made to ensure that any child being kept away from public school is being properly educated.

No state requires that the person taking on the responsibility of homeschooling be certified to be a home teacher. Each state has their own requirements. Visit State Homeschool Requirements A Breakdown of Each State's Regulations By Charlotte Gerber
Each state in the U.S. varies in their individual requirements for homeschooling. There are currently four separate categories of state homeschool requirements. They are:
1. States requiring no notice - do not require parents to initiate any contact.
2. States with low regulation - only require that parents notify the school district that they are homeschooling.
3. States with moderate regulation - require parents to provide the school district with notification of intent to homeschool, test scores and provide a professional evaluation of the student's progress.
4. States with high regulation - require all of the previously listed information and the states provide the parents with the required curriculum or the parents are required to provide a curriculum for approval. These states also require the parent to allow visits by state officials to check the student's progress.

Ms. Carter states, " the state has a responsibility to ensure that all children receive an adequate standard of education and checks will be made to ensure that any child being kept away from public school is being properly educated." It's too bad that 'they' don't ensure that the children enrolled in public schools are properly educated. The state has no right to interfere in a parents choice to homeschool their children in the absence of abuse or neglect.

A home school education might mean that a child is deprived of certain opportunities which would have been available within the public school system. There could be difficulties in providing facilities for athletic children to realize their potential. Musically talented children could be similarly disadvantaged. In some states there is provision for children receiving a home school education to take part in amenities such as being able to attend sports lessons and join after-school clubs. However, the level of assistance provided to homeschooling parents is not uniform and varies a lot from state to state.

Ms. Carter assumes that without the aid of the state parents can not provide athletic or other opportunities for their children. Nothing could be further from the truth. Homeschoolers often band together so their children can pursue their interest.

The final potential disadvantage to affect children receiving a home school education is that they will not develop the social skills which will be important as they grow up. Social interaction with their peers and with adults outside the family is essential if a child is going to grow up with a properly balance personality and a reasonable level of social skills. These developmental issues can be fairly easily overcome if the child lives in a state where homeschooling parents are given support and the child receiving a home school education is accepted into classes and extra-curricular activities.

Oh please,socialization is so not a problem. Perhaps Ms. Carter should do more research before writing articles.