Parents Ditch Public Schools in Record Numbers


COVID crackdowns, critical race theory spur dramatic surge in homeschooling.


C BY BILL HOFFMANN


ivil rights icon and peace advocate Mahatma Gan- dhi once said: “There is no school equal to a decent


home and no teacher equal to a vir- tuous parent.” A century later, that message is resonating louder than ever as record numbers of parents across Ameri- ca have ditched public schools to instruct their kids at home. The specific reasons vary wide-


ly. Some parents are worried about erratic anti-COVID-19 measures, with some schools imposing strict mask mandates and others ignoring them.


Others have children with special educational needs. Some are seeking a faith-based curriculum or say their local schools are flawed. Still others are concerned about


the teaching of critical race theory in their public schools. The common denominator: They


tried homeschooling on what they thought was a temporary basis and found it beneficial to their children. The increase in homeschooling


is staggering, with roughly one in 10 households now participating. “There has been a fundamental transformation of what families prioritize for their kids’ physical, mental, emotional, and academic development,” concluded a study conducted for the Walton Family Foundation by Bellwether Education Partners. The study, released in August,


reveals since the pandemic began, another 2.6 million kids have switched from traditional schooling


to homeschooling — for a total of about 5 million at home. The U.S. Census Bureau polled all


50 states from April-October 2020 and found double-digit increases. Mary Dono, a retired school prin-


cipal from Queens, New York, told Newsmax: “Often children were back in school and then out again because of positive COVID tests.


Since the pandemic began, another 2.6 million kids have switched to homeschooling — for a total of about 5 million at home.


“So, if you are a parent who appre-


ciates consistency and stability, and you believe you have the resources and ability to teach your child, you start to think, ‘Why not?’” Legal requirements for home-


schooling vary from state to state — some have no requirements while others call for standardized testing from time to time. Public school teachers, who some


might assume would be dead set against homeschooling, are warming to it.


“When I first started teaching, I


felt like homeschooling was probably not a good thing. I felt like people needed to be trained to teach their own kids,” Ginger Johnson, a Des Moines, Iowa, high school teacher, told Newsmax. “Yet, when my oldest [child], Alex,


was in third grade, he was getting bored in school, and we kept being told he was in a bright class and get- ting everything he needed. “Finally, I said if the school can’t


give you what you need, then it’s your parents’ job to do it.” Heather Pray of Phoenix, Mary-


land, says homeschooling has been a major success for her 7-year-old son, Jackson, who has autism. The fam- ily made the switch because Jackson was struggling with the virtual learn- ing that his school provided during the pandemic. “My son did great [with home- schooling], even with just two hours of schoolwork a day,” Pray said. “I got him into piano lessons, taught him to read.” The Gonzalez family from Appo-


mattox, Virginia — who are devout Catholics — opted to homeschool their three sons, ages 9, 13, and 15, after their Catholic school in Lynch- burg closed in 2020 due to falling enrollment. They’re using the Catholic-


focused curriculum from Seton Home Study School, which Jennifer Gonzalez, the boys’ mom, described as rigorous but well-organized. Black households saw the largest


jump in homeschooling; their rate rose from 3.3 percent in the spring of 2020 to 16.1 percent in the fall. Arlena and Robert Brown of Aus-


tin, Texas, had three children in ele- mentary school when the pandemic took hold. After experimenting with virtual learning, the couple opted to try homeschooling. “I didn’t want my kids to become a


statistic and not meet their full poten- tial,” said Robert Brown, a former teacher who now does consulting. “And we wanted them to have very solid understanding of their faith.”


OCTOBER 2021 | NEWSMAX 19


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