I'm not surprised by the increasing numbers of home-schooled students in Arkansas and across the nation as widespread parental concerns over safety, mistrust, political agendas and poor results in many public schools have steadily risen.
It's been five years since I was invited to deliver the high school commencement address to home-schooled students in Pulaski County. I walked into the expansive church sanctuary that evening expecting perhaps as many as 200. Instead, I encountered an overflow crowd that must have totaled well over 1,000.
What struck me deepest was watching the scores of beaming graduates coming onstage to be handed diplomas by their families, then hugged by proud parents who had devoted so much time, energy and caring toward reaching this special night.
Today, more than 80 home-school groups across Arkansas vary in both size and options.
Records show the Pulaski County Special School District had 1,223 home-schooled students in 2014-15; a total of 2,023 students throughout all the districts in Pulaski County were home-schooled that year. The number enrolled statewide was reported at 18,584.
Little wonder considering the nation's diminishing education standing compared with other civilized nations (an unacceptable 27th in education and health care, says Business Insider), due, in my view, to decreased funding as violence and bullying increases, along with political indoctrination, administrative demands, curriculum focus and questionable teaching methods.
My only question at this point is why even more parents who are able haven't chosen home schooling.
The current ranking represents a sharp decline from 1990, when U.S. education and health care ranked sixth worldwide. The nation also reportedly has witnessed a marked decrease in educational attainment, in part caused by diminished and poorly allocated funds to many elementary and high schools.
Numbers tell the story of the steady migration from public classrooms. In 2002-03 Arkansas had 12,497 home-schooled students. Pulaski, Washington and Benton counties had the largest enrollments.
By 2009-10, the statewide total had swelled to 15,791. In 2017-18 the number stood at 20,331, equal to a city larger than El Dorado.
I asked Lisa Crook, formerly a 30-year official with the Arkansas Department of Education--including 10 years in the Department's Home School Office--before joining the Education Alliance as its director, why she believes the home-school landscape continues to expand.
She's definitely a believer in the positive results she regularly sees. "I am often called upon to share information regarding schools, military and other entities to our home-school families and am told these are some of the best-behaved, smart, teachable type of students," Crook said.
When she became involved with home schooling 15 years ago, those students often were overlooked and never asked to participate in group activities and events. Today, she said, more groups want to tap into home-school associations and get those students involved. "Those are not my words, but what I have been told," she said.
When attending home-school events, Crook frequently hears others outside the process say what a positive difference they see in the home-schooled students. "They are so well-behaved," is one statement she hears a lot.
For parents considering this approach, the Education Alliance is the go-to nonprofit statewide home-school support group. Among its activities, the alliance is a devoted advocate and lobbyist. "We're here to provide technical assistance to potential and established home-school families," said Crook. They also provide a wide range of services, including graduations, diplomas, transcripts, educator/student ID cards, Honor Society, counseling, college awareness and newsletters.
Crook said that over the past 15 years many families have embraced the concept for a variety of reasons including location, jobs, the ability to meet specific needs of their children, avoidance of bullying, and religious preferences.
Many home-schooled students play organized athletics and earn college scholarships. More often than not, graduates go on to attend college, as well as vocation and trade schools. Every year, some become National Merit finalists. There also are options for the home-schooled to participate in public school activities and take classes in public schools.
Parents also prefer the flexibility of home schooling where they can move their children along at the pace that best fits their needs and capacities, Crook explained. The curriculum options available to students have advanced over the years. "Books/DVDs, PACE programming, online (at parents expense) and straight textbooks, all are available as teaching aids."
"Home schooling isn't an easy decision for many families, and it's not to be made in haste, which is why the alliance wants to equip them with the best possible information in their decision-making process."
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Mike Masterson is a longtime Arkansas journalist, was editor of three Arkansas dailies and headed the master's journalism program at Ohio State University. Email him at [email protected].
Editorial on 09/15/2019