On the one hand, I always thought having a standard school system across the US would be much easier on kids who move a lot. Our economy is such that people move jobs and places a lot.
However, our federal government does not have a place in our school system. If the schools want to take this step, then it is up to them to do so. Also, there would not be this need if the children just worked at their own paces instead of being given a specific thing to the entire class.
But that's the problem. The "moving around" thing is just the excuse they are using to make every place the exact same. But that's completely the opposite of the point of this glorious country. It's *supposed* to be different everywhere. It's supposed to be a great experiment, where people can have different laws and try out different things, and live where the laws are the way they like them!
I don't think the country should be set up to make work the easiest, at the expense of everything else. There is so much more to life than work.
And I don't care if they federalize education or not, I'm having nothing to do with it. I've apparently quickly become one of the diehard homeschoolers? :D
But then, I'm one of those crazy people who doesn't insist the kids go to college or become doctors and lawyers either. There is more to life than money and work and prestige and stuff, no matter how much I like all of those things. Only half the people in my family finished college (the females, heh) and yet we all got great jobs anyway, through what basically amounted apprenticeship, working up from the bottom. (My degree is in biology, yet I'm a writer. I started as an intern after I quit grad school.)
My entire married life I have been tested, and I will always sacrifice my personal ambitions for my family, because they mean more to me. Not to mention, I have issues with authority, so corporations tend to make me feel like an angry, crazed rat. 
Oh, and I hate credentialism.
Um. Apparently I needed a little rant.
Homeschooling will surive, but I'm not optimistic about it flourishing. Federal control of education will render homeschooling obsolete. There will always be some homeschooling diehards like me who will continue to the bitter end, but many will trickle back to the public system because of the greater opportunities given to those with a federal diploma and credentials.
I don't buy it. Do you really mean to argue that a federal diploma will be better than the official state diplomas awarded now? And I guess all private schools will cease to exist, too?
No way. No how.
I'm talking about a credentialed diploma which would supercede anything offered by the state. Already there is a consortium of states that is streamlining their credentialed diploma creating a uniform standard. That has the same effect as a national diploma but through the states. It would not be a big leap for the federal government to absorb that into its system.
It's about understanding the credentialed system and who is offering the credential. I'll try and get some links to clarify what I mean a bit.
Here's some more info, Daryl from a post I wrote a while ago,
Barbara Bolin wrote an article for Economic Development Magazine. Here's part of what she said,
In 2003, six states (Virginia, Kentucky, North Carolina, Maryland, Tennessee and West Virginia) plus the District of Columbia agreed that a portable credential that indicated attainment of criterion-referenced workplace literacy skills would be beneficial to the regional economy that spans these states. They then formed a voluntary group, the Career Readiness Certificate Consortium, in order to support and assist each other with the deployment of the certificate.
A common language was needed for such a credential, so it was decided to base the Career Readiness Certificate on WorkKeys assessments (a product of ACT, formerly American College Testing), which over the last 10 years has become a widely accepted common language for skills definition among employers, educators, trainers and potential and incumbent employees.
There are now over 20 states in the consortium, I'll check to find out how many have signed on to date.
Bolin went on to say, "Credentials are the new currency of employment."
So it's already happening it's just a matter of time before a plurality of states have signed on and the feds get on board (if they haven't already).
Here's the link to the post I wrote that has quite a bit more info. It was actually written based on a comment you wrote Daryl.
http://
spunkyhomeschool.blogspot...aling+currency+
HS'ers don't have the official state credential of employability today (the diploma). I don't see how federalizing it would make in difference. Also, I've lived in VA for 10 years and have never heard of the consortium that started here, so I don't think it really amounts to much.
If anything, federalizing it would screw it up even more, thereby making home ed appealing to an even larger audience.
It doesn't amount to much yet, but that's the point of this post. Federalizing the program could make it much more valuable and desirable. The fact that you've never heard of it doesn't mean the consortium doesn't have political power and influence toward their goals.
Remember federal subsidies influence behavior of the institutions that rely on those funds. If, for example, the University of Michigan relies on federal funds as a source of revenues, they'll do what is necessary to get those funds. And if that means giving preference to those holding a certain credential that's okay with them. As long as the money keeps flowing their way. There will always be work arounds for homeschoolers but the hoops could get more difficult and for some it may not be worth jumping through.
Sec. Spellings is very fond of reminding insitutions that 1/3 of their revenue comes from the feds and that she expects a "return on her investment" that was the motivation for her attempt at control of results at the college level.
The American Diploma Project Network is a colaition of 33 states dedicated to aligning standards, graduation requirements, assessments and accountability policies with the demands of college and careers.
From their website they write,
"it is paramount that K-12 and higher education systems come together to ensure alignment of the tested knowledge and skills, as well as the alignment of testing policies for the next-generation college- and career-ready assessments to meet the needs of both systems and, more importantly, the needs of the students.'
The ultimate goal is a seamless transition from Preschool through college (P-16). That's why universal preschool is a big push and a key plank in Obama's education platform. College and career readiness and tracking begin at birth and continue to graduation day. But preschool is not yet a part of the tracking system. That's why the big push toward universal prschool.
If you think Obama's not on board, Think again. He didn't earn the endorsement of the NEA by offering backstage passes to the arena on convention night. They want something much more important than a photo-op.
Taken from the quote in the post, Obama said in 2007, I'm proposing a comprehensive plan to give every American child the chance to receive the best education America has to offer - from the moment they're born to the day they graduate college. As President, I will put the full resources of the federal government behind this plan."
That's P-16 and full resources mean full control.
I'm a little lost with the argument of who cares, as it won't affect homeschoolers?
The school system periodically chases down legit homeschoolers to suck them back into a broken system. $$
Is the nationalization of the broken school system going to help our country? Will it help homeschoolers?
I think I could say no, just looking at Spunky's research, my own and others, while looking at the patterns of a desperate, failing and very expensive public school system.
If Senator Obama is attempting to satisfy the teachers unions, what possible good would his educational plan do for homeschoolers?
The more I advocate for homeschooling, the more I learned about the public school programs overlapping/attempting to infringe into the homeschooling life in a most negative way. Pushouts, for one.
This program "from the moment they're born", NCLB, and whatever plan McCain has (even though he admits little "domestic" know-how in his 26? years as Senator will be a sorry State of Governmental Affairs.
Thanks for your comment Susan. The more education moves away from the home and local level governance the worse it is on all of us. Just look at the sink hole that Social Security has become for our generation. Do we really think that more intervention at a higher level is going to help?
>> Do we really think that more intervention at a higher level is going to help?
Yes. Anything that breaks up the "teacher" monopoly on education will yield benefits. It is impossible to break the hold at a local level. If there is a national curr, then hsers will get access to it. A battle, yes, but I see it.
FeFe, I don't understand. Why would homeschoolers want access to a national curriculum?
Also, I fail to see how this breaks up the teachers monopoly, they just become federal employees. What's the difference?
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