Education Freedom

THE FUTURE HAS ARRIVED!

New survey proves Home School education is best!

A newly released nationwide survey, shows home schooled children vastly outperform public school children. The survey also reveals that private schools outperform public schools as well. If you have been reading our newsletter for the last two years, this is no big surprise to you. What is new is that this is the largest survey yet conducted of the home school segment by a truly unbiased investigator. This study proves conclusively that home school students blow the doors off of other student's on national assessment tests.

We have also have performed our own highly reliable assessment of the study and drawn conclusions based upon the study that is the first such analysis published on the Internet as far as we know. Our highly trained scientists have drawn reliable (99.5% reliable) conclusions based upon Dr. Rudner’s statements that we will present later in our report.

The following quotes are of significant interest to us from the recently published study of 3-23-99. The following quotes and tables are from the HSLDA (Home School Legal Defense Association) web site which you can further examine at http://www.hslda.org/docs/study/rudner1999/default.asp . We have presented the portions, which we feel support what we have been saying for two years as well as to show quotes that we would like to comment upon. We commend the HSLDA for commissioning this report as it will silence most liberal critics of private and home schools. These critics have called for government controls to regulate home and private schools to ensure that the quality of education was adequate as if they were anyone to judge quality. This study concludes that governmental regulation of home schools are counterproductive and that the worst performing schools are the public schools. The study also validates the inverse relationship between spending and quality of education, i.e. the more you spend on education the worse the quality is. Another way of saying this is the more you spend the less you get! We have been saying this for some time now.

"The data were compiled from the achievement test scores of 20,760 students in 11,930 families, along with background questionnaires submitted by the families.
Unlike any previous study, families chose to participate before they knew their children’s test scores. Thus, the possibility of reporting higher scores while leaving lower scores unreported was considerably diminished. Another factor that sets the Rudner study apart is the fact that all students took the same tests: the Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS) for grades K–8, and the Tests of Achievement and Proficiency (TAP) for grades 9–12, both published by the Riverside Publishing Company. Furthermore, this research, conducted by an impartial third party whose own children are enrolled in public school, avoids the criticism of pro-home school bias leveled against previous studies, which were conducted by proponents of home education."

WHATS WRONG WITH OUR SCHOOLS

Sex Education

I am a statistic. I am one of the many girls in this nation that has faced the issue of teen pregnancy. When I was sixteen years old, I had an illegitimate child

Like all youth that have gone through the public school system, I had my fair share of sex education. I also became involved in a sex education program while I was pregnant to try to help educate my peers of the dangers of premarital sex.

I am older now, and my view on sex education is this: it is wrong. Whether it be an abstinence based curriculum or not, I believe sex education is detrimental to the youth of today. The main reason I believe sex education to be harmful is because it causes children to dwell on the idea of sex.

I do not know anyone between the ages of 12-18 who is not curious about sex. When society forces children to sit in a classroom among their peers to talk about sex, it invokes thought. However, I guarantee that the thoughts are not about abstinence, prevention of STD’s or unwanted pregnancies. The image in a child’s mind after an educational discussion of sex are sexual acts. They are playing out fantasies in their heads. Then they proceed to discuss what is on their minds with their peers.

When God tells us to "think on these things," I don’t think premarital sex is one of them. Adults that assist a child in dwelling on sinful behavior are leading them on an unrighteous path.

I have talked to many youth about the situation I went through, and I know that it did no good. The first group that I spoke to consisted of about ten girls. Within months of talking to them, I knew most were sexually active and some feared pregnancy. I guess they were really inspired by what I said.

Sex education promotes sexual behavior by feeding the curiosity and helping it to grow. I do not know how many children I have harmed by "educating" them. I hope that you will consider what sex education is really about, and what it produces before you bring it into your classroom.

“Slip out the back Jack, Make a new plan Stan, Just set yourself free!” from Paul Simon's Fifty Ways To Leave Your Lover.

Seriously, there must be at least five ways (maybe fifty) to leave the public schools that so many
people have a flawed relationship with.

The following does not constitute legal advice and you should consult an attorney for the most current law.

Each state will have its own rules but in Colorado the following apply. For more information on Independent Schools (Satellite Schools) in Colorado, visit CHEC at Support Groups under the Resources tab. For information on all other state home school laws we suggest that you visit the Home School Legal Defense Association at http://web.archive.org/web/20020327072057/http://www.hslda.org/ for further assistance.

The following options are available for those choosing not to deposit their children in Colorado public schools (including charter schools):

Independent (unregulated) schools. Various independent schools exist and can be contacted through CHEC (Christian Home Educators of Colorado).
An independent school can be established by almost anyone.
Independent schools are not regulated and can be comprised of several families.
Parochial school. Most religious schools.
Private and non-profit school.
Non-public home-based education program taught by:
State certified teacher.
Parent.
Adult relative designated by parent.
Guardian.
Licensed psychologist.
Person with a graduate degree in education.
Additional home school options:
Children enrolled in an independent (unregulated) school and taught a basic education at home.
Parent certified to teach in Colorado.
i. This school is exempt from all other requirements including testing. Sec. 22-33-104(2)(I).

Under Colorado law each child aged 7-16 shall attend public for 1,056 hours of secondary school or 968 hours of elementary school each year except that this shall not apply to a child:

1. Who is enrolled for a minimum of 172 days of independent or parochial school.

b. Under a non-public home-based educational program pursuant to Colorado law Sec. 22-33-104.5

3. Home school children can enroll in a Colorado ‘independent school’ but be taught at home.

a. “Children enrolled in an ‘independent’ or parochial school that provides a basic academic education can be allowed by that school to be taught at home.”

b. According to Attorney Chris Klicka of the Home School Legal Defense Association, “Once home school children are enrolled in a Colorado ‘independent’ school, they are exempt from the compulsory attendance law and the home school law, and can still be taught at home.”

4. Home school parents or anyone else who is certified in Colorado to teach, the home school in which they are providing instruction is exempt from all other requirements, including testing.

Non-public home-based education can be “provided by the child’s parent or by a relative of the child designated by the parent, and which is not under the supervision and control of a school district.” “Parent includes parent or guardian.”

Parents or designated relatives are not subject to the requirements of the “Teacher Certification Act of 1975.”

“A non-public home-based educational program shall include no less than 172 days of instruction, averaging four instructional contact hours per day.” That’s a total of 688 hours of instruction. Parents establishing a non-public home-based educational program shall notify their school district of residence in writing 14 days prior to establishment of their program containing the: name; age; place of residence; and number of hours of attendance of each child enrolled in said program. No further information is required about the home-based educational program.

Children participating in non-public home-based educational programs shall be evaluated when reaching grades 3, 5, 7, 9, and 11 using a nationally standardized achievement test to evaluate progress.

Methylphenidate, better known by the brand name Ritalin, is consumed by more than 3 million American children diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and might be one of the most misunderstood drugs in the U.S. One journalist summarized the drug as so close to cocaine "it takes a chemist to tell the difference."

On November 11th (1999), the State (Colorado) Board of Education passed a resolution entitled “Promoting the Use of Academic Solutions to Resolve Problems with Behavior, Attention and Learning.” Since then, we have been accused of entering a medical debate. The reverse is true. The resolution directs educators to refrain from entering into medical decisions, which are best made between the family and their doctor.

This is sound advice. The issue of medicating children for learning and behavior “disorders” has been the subject of controversy, from concerns about over-diagnosis to the validity of the disorders. The National Institute of Health reported, “We do not have an independent valid test for ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), and there are no data to indicate that ADHD is due to brain malfunction. Further research to establish the validity of the disorder continues to be a problem.” Educators compound this problem when they depart from their focus on teaching and begin to advise parents about medicating their children.

I first became aware of the issue when the mother of an exceptionally bright child told me that she was being pressured by school personnel to place her son on Ritalin. Since then, other parents with the same complaint have contacted me. They want to know why drugs are increasingly used to handle problems once resolved with discipline and good instruction.

It is my duty as an elected official to investigate this issue and bring my findings to the State Board of Education. In the process, I discovered some disturbing facts. According to the DEA (Drug Enforcement Agency), the U.S. buys and uses 90% of the world’s supply of Ritalin. Approximately 4 million U.S. children are on Ritalin. Ten to twelve percent of U.S. boys are being treated with Ritalin. No other nation is following our example. In fact, Sweden banned methylphenidate (Ritalin) in 1968 after reports of widespread abuse.

Ritalin is highly sought after by the drug-abusing population. According to Drug Abuse Warn Net (DAWN) it represents the greatest increase in drugs associated with abuse, and the highest number of suicides and emergency room admissions. It is classified as a schedule II, or most addictive drug, on par with cocaine, morphine, PCP and methamphetamines. The DEA has noted serious complications associated with Ritalin, including suicide, psychotic episodes and violent behavior. According to Washington Times [Insight magazine], “the common link in the recent phenomenon of high school shootings may be psychotropic drugs like Ritalin.” The International Journal of Addictions lists over 100 adverse reactions to Ritalin—paranoid psychosis, terror and paranoid delusions among them.

Complications are downplayed, if mentioned at all. Ritalin can have other serious side effects including disorientation of the central nervous system. It is an amphetamine, capable of inducing sudden cardiac arrest and death. Twelve years old Stephanie Hall of Canton, Ohio died the day after her Ritalin dose was increased. Dr. Fred Baughman Jr., pediatric neurologist, reports the use of Ritalin or other amphetamines, which are prescribed to children for ADHD cause brain atrophy (shrinkage).

According to Investor’s Business Daily (10/16/97) there is a powerful financial incentive behind the increase in ADHD and Ritalin. The diagnosis of ADHD was flat in the 80’s, but has risen 21% a year since 1990. Two program changes contributed to this increase. In 1991, the Federal Education Department stated schools could get hundreds of dollars in special education money for every child diagnosed ADHD. Then, under the Supplemental Security Income program, the government opened the doors of a lucrative cash welfare program to low-income parents of children diagnosed ADHD. “These program changes were factors,” (in the increased diagnosis) says Daniel Safer, associate professor at John Hopkins School of Medicine.

In 1990, Ciba-Geigy, manufacturer of Ritalin, mass-produced a publication on ADHD, titled “Booklet for the Classroom Teacher” and distributed these booklets directly to the schools. Mary Eberstadt revealed in her article “Why Ritalin Rules” (April/May 1999 issue of Policy Review) that Ritalin “production has increased 700% since 1990.”

These facts prompted me to bring a resolution for the consideration of the State Board of Education. Contrary to some published reports, the resolution does not, and never did, impact the right of parents to have their children take psychotropic drugs should they believe they are needed. The resolution, passed by a six to one majority, offers equal protection for parents who do not wish to place their child on a potentially dangerous medication.

While I believe that the vast majority of educators have remained out of the medical arena, it is my duty as an elected official to address the instances where educators have pressured parents. Directing schools to use more effective classroom management techniques and academic solutions will help to ensure that Colorado children get the education they deserve. Schools should leave medical decisions to families and their doctors.

“ ‘Don’t take that stuff, it’s poison, it’s poison,’ … cried the Savage….. She had inconspicuously swallowed half gramme of soma, with the result that she could now sit serenely not listening, thinking of nothing at all, but with her large blue eyes fixed on the Warden’s face in an expression of rapt attention.”

“ ‘Richard needs a bit more of an immediate-memory stimulator; Martha could probably do with a chemical attention-span stretcher.’ Does this sound like science fiction? Not too far in the future, the use of drugs, coupled with an innovative educational environment, could be the key to the enhancement of learning ability in human beings….In reference to human beings then, this means that the biochemist and the educator of the future might combine their skills and insights for the educational and intellectual development of the child….Rachael needs an anti-cholinesterase to slow down her mental processes a bit; Joan some puromycin –she remembers too many details and gets lost…. Now educators must consider the software, or rather the ‘chemical software,’ of education-for these are the kinds of things educators will be concerned with in the year 2000. The time to initiate this concern is now.”

Educational Change: The Reality and the Promise A Report on the National Seminars on Innovation, Honolulu, July 2-23, 1967

Edited by Richard R. Goulet, Chief Program Dissemination Division of Plans and Supplementary Centers U. S. Office of Education

The National Seminars on Innovation were sponsored by Institute for the Development of Educational Activities (/I/D/E/A) a division of the Charles F. Kettering Foundation, Dayton, Ohio, in cooperation with the U.S. Office of Education