By Kerry McDonald Public school enrollment has consistently declined across most states this academic year, and there are new signs that the trend will continue this fall. On Thursday, New York City’s education department reported that kindergarten applications for the 2021/2022 school year dropped 12 percent, from 63,000 to under 55,500 applications. Overall New York … [Read more...] about Public Kindergarten Enrollment is Plummeting — Here’s Why That’s a Good Thing
Homeschooling
Just in Case You Needed More Incentive to Homeschool…
By Linnea Johnson People choose to homeschool for a variety of reasons. I began homeschooling in the fall of 2012 when after a year in public kindergarten, it became apparent my intelligent but immature son was going to have problems. He did very well at home, as did my daughter and younger son. We lived in the Houston area when we began homeschooling, and most of the … [Read more...] about Just in Case You Needed More Incentive to Homeschool…
Homeschooling More Than Doubles During the Pandemic
By Kerry McDonald Many families took one look at their school district’s remote or hybrid learning offerings this fall and said “no, thank you.” That’s the message gleaned from national and state-specific data on the surging number of homeschooled students this academic year. Prior to the pandemic and related school closures last spring, there were just under two million … [Read more...] about Homeschooling More Than Doubles During the Pandemic
NM Public Schools Are Missing 12K Students and They Want Them Back — Is It All About the Money?
By Linnea Johnson Public schools have had a chance to evaluate student attendance data and have found “missing students” between the Spring and Fall semesters of this school year. You might ask why they are concerned about this fact. Is it because they are concerned about students who are not getting an education? Is it because they feel the need to “protect” those … [Read more...] about NM Public Schools Are Missing 12K Students and They Want Them Back — Is It All About the Money?
Public School Enrollment Plummets as Private Schools See Gains
By Kerry McDonald Ongoing and renewed shutdowns of public schools across the country due to the COVID-19 pandemic have resulted in astonishing public school enrollment drops. NPR recently reported that public school districts in at least 20 states have seen shrinking numbers of students this fall, with Orange County and Miami-Dade County in Florida down 8,000 and 16,000 … [Read more...] about Public School Enrollment Plummets as Private Schools See Gains
The Best And Worst States For Homeschool Freedom
By Simon Black, Sovereign Man Pennsylvania is among the most restrictive states when it comes to the freedom to homeschool your children. The state requires that parents teach their children state-mandated subjects for 180 days per year, for at least 900 hours. Tests must be administered, and the district must assess the child at the end of each school year. Immunizations … [Read more...] about The Best And Worst States For Homeschool Freedom
Back-To-School 2020: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
By Kerry McDonald September feels a lot different this year, as the usual back-to-school buzz is tainted with uncertainty. Many schools have reopened for in-person learning with social distancing stipulations, although most larger, urban school districts remain remote-only for the foreseeable future. Some schools opened then quickly closed. Pandemic pods continue to … [Read more...] about Back-To-School 2020: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
Gallup Poll: Homeschooling Rate Doubles as School Satisfaction Plummets
By Kerry McDonald Results of a new Gallup poll released this week may give us the sharpest look yet at how the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted American education and what may lie ahead. According to the poll, parents’ overall satisfaction with their child’s education dropped 10 percent over last year, while at the same time the number of parents saying they will choose … [Read more...] about Gallup Poll: Homeschooling Rate Doubles as School Satisfaction Plummets
Could COVID-19 End the Government Monopoly on Education?
By Daniel J. Mitchell The coronavirus has been horrible news, most obviously because of death and suffering. But the disease has also wreaked havoc with the economy and given politicians an excuse to push counterproductive policies. But if you want to find a silver lining to that dark cloud, the virus may be putting pressure on America’s government school monopoly. For … [Read more...] about Could COVID-19 End the Government Monopoly on Education?
Get Ready to Homeschool This Fall — Here’s a Checklist
By Kerry McDonald As schools and districts across the country finalize back-to-school plans amidst the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, some parents are instead choosing independent homeschooling. My inbox has been filling lately with messages from parents who may never before have considered homeschooling but are worried about their children’s potential exposure to the virus at … [Read more...] about Get Ready to Homeschool This Fall — Here’s a Checklist
“Pandemic Pods” Make Homeschooling Easier For Parents and Profitable for Teachers
By Kerry McDonald This tumultuous back-to-school season has parents and teachers alike scrambling to make sense of the madness: from ever-changing district directives to COVID-19 response protocols. Some school systems have announced that the academic year will start with remote-learning-only. Others are pursuing partial reopening options with both online and in-person … [Read more...] about “Pandemic Pods” Make Homeschooling Easier For Parents and Profitable for Teachers
Back to School? “No Thanks” Say Millions of New Homeschooling Parents
By Kerry McDonald Next month marks the beginning of the 2020/2021 academic year in several US states, and pressure is mounting to reopen schools even as the COVID-19 pandemic persists. Florida, for example, is now considered the nation’s No. 1 hot spot for the virus; yet on Monday, the state’s education commissioner issued an executive order mandating that all Florida … [Read more...] about Back to School? “No Thanks” Say Millions of New Homeschooling Parents