NEWS Homeschooling in Tucson
Peggy
Schooling at home has soared in Pima County
By Jennifer Sterba
ARIZONA DAILY STAR [PICTURE]
The number of home-schooled children in Pima County has grown more than
500 percent in the past decade.
That's faster than Marana - Arizona's fastest-growing city.
Proponents of the expanding effort to keep the classroom at home praise
Arizona's shedding of regulations in the mid-1990s that resulted in
giving parents more choice in deciding how, and what, their children
learn. They say Arizona is one of the best states in which to
home-school children.
However, critics say parent-teachers should be held to the same
standards that apply to public schools, especially when it comes to
student achievement testing.
Until the mid-1990s, Arizona required standardized testing of its
home-schooled students. Legislators did away with that under pressure
from organized home-school parents.
Pima County's numbers reflect that change.
In 1992, Pima County counted 450 home-schooled children. By 1995, 1,401
students were home-schooled in Pima County.
That number has ballooned again this year to 2,906, more than 545
percent in the last 10 years.
By comparison, the number of home-schooled children in Pima County grew
faster in the last decade than Marana's 520 percent growth rate,
according to 2000 census data.
There are more home-schooled children today in Pima County than students
enrolled in the Tanque Verde School District this fall - 1,920. Tanque
Verde consists of two elementary schools and one junior high school.
"Arizona's one of the best states in the country for this because it
trusts parents to educate their children properly," said Debbie
Gubernick, who maintains a Web site for the Sonoran Desert
Homeschoolers, a local support group.
Arizona ranks with New Mexico, California and Nevada as having the least
regulation, according to the Home School Legal Defense Association. The
national, nonprofit advocacy organization defends and advances the
constitutional right of parents to direct the education of their children.
It ranks New York, Massachusetts and Rhode Island among the most heavily
regulated home-school states. Their laws include requiring parental
notification of intent to home-school, state-approved curriculum and
achievement test scores.
Arizona requires only that parents who want to home-school their
children age 6 or older notify their county schools superintendent.
"We appreciate the fact our curriculum isn't shoved down our throats,"
said Shannon Federoff, a former teacher who home-schools three of her
six children. The other three aren't old enough. "I have a vision of
where I want the kids to go, and I don't want to be told how to get there."
Five Pima County home-school support groups offer parents guidance in
establishing a curriculum, seeking legal advice and offering
home-schooled children an avenue for interaction with other
home-schooled students. Those support groups, and about 80 others across
the state, have successfully made themselves heard in the Arizona
Legislature.
"Parents who make this choice are a very strong contingent in the
Legislature," said Lorrane McPherson, an assistant superintendent for
the Tucson Unified School District. With more than 62,000 students, TUSD
is Tucson's largest school district. "There is no regulation" of home
schooling today, she said. "There's no way to know how these kids are
progressing."
While McPherson said she respects the rights of parents to choose how to
educate their children, she questions whether the state should hold
parents to the same level of accountability as it does public schools.
A public school in Arizona that earns a second consecutive
underperforming label risks state intervention on an administrative
level. Since Arizona bases a large part of its labeling system on
results of the statewide AIMS achievement test and on whether students
show one year's academic growth, home-schooled families don't face the
same pressures and risks that public schools do.
But decreasing regulation increases the number of education options
available to parents, proponents say.
"The lawmakers in Arizona have come to the conclusion that the more
choices the parents have, the better it's going to be," said Jerry
Mintz, director of the New York-based Alternative Education Resource
Organization. Mintz founded the nonprofit organization in 1989 to
further non-traditional educational approaches.
"The way the public education system has gotten into trouble is
overregulation," Mintz said. "Basically people can't teach anymore."
Teachers are focusing classroom efforts on what's necessary for students
to pass standardized tests. Yet across the country, home-schoolers
continue to score in the 85th percentile on standardized tests, Mintz said.
Last year, Pima County fifth-grade students had an average math score in
the 56th percentile and an average reading score in the 36th percentile
on the Stanford 9 - a national standardized test taken by Arizona
students. Those percentiles mean that 44 percent of students nationwide
scored higher in math and 64 percent did better in reading.
Home-schooled children in Arizona are not required to take that
standardized test or any other, disallowing a comparison.
As public schools continue to fall short of national standards,
alternative means of education such as charter schools and home
schooling appear to be more viable solutions, Mintz said.
The effects of the growing home-school movement are also hitting the
wallets of Arizona schools, which receive state money based on the
average daily student attendance.
Schools are losing roughly $5,000 to $7,000 for each student not sitting
in a public classroom. For Pima County, that amounts to between $14.5
million and $20.3 million each year.
Federoff belongs to the Holy Family Home Educators - Diocese of Tucson.
The home-school organization for Catholic families meets one Friday a
month at Hoffman Park, near Niven Avenue and East Broadway.
That is one of the many groups relied upon by home-schoolers for student
interaction, including play dates, field trips and classroom discussions.
Kaitlyn Torgerson, 12, one of more than 200 children from about 50
families participating in Holy Family Educators, said she enjoys the
weekly get-togethers and learning at home.
"You don't have to go to school as long and you get to be with your
friends every Friday," said Kaitlyn, a home-schooled seventh-grader.
"It's an easier load, but you still learn the same amount."
Right now, Kaitlyn, who wants to be a paramedic and a mother, is
studying life science - about pollution and mammals in particular.
Children in the Holy Family Home Educators group recently visited the
state Capitol - one of the group's members is a former senator. The
group also has "Mom's Night Out," when one parent volunteers to baby-sit
while the moms get together for some downtime.
"I'd like to see more families get involved in support groups," Federoff
said. "It makes the difference between successful home schooling and
parents throwing up their hands in despair."
* Contact reporter Jennifer Sterba at 573-4191 or at jsterba@....
Back to Story
All content copyright © 1999, 2000, 2001 AzStarNet, Arizona Daily Star
and its wire services and suppliers and may not be republished without
permission. All rights reserved. Any copying, redistribution, or
retransmission of any of the contents of this service without the
expressed written consent of Arizona Daily Star or AzStarNet is prohibited.
By Jennifer Sterba
ARIZONA DAILY STAR [PICTURE]
The number of home-schooled children in Pima County has grown more than
500 percent in the past decade.
That's faster than Marana - Arizona's fastest-growing city.
Proponents of the expanding effort to keep the classroom at home praise
Arizona's shedding of regulations in the mid-1990s that resulted in
giving parents more choice in deciding how, and what, their children
learn. They say Arizona is one of the best states in which to
home-school children.
However, critics say parent-teachers should be held to the same
standards that apply to public schools, especially when it comes to
student achievement testing.
Until the mid-1990s, Arizona required standardized testing of its
home-schooled students. Legislators did away with that under pressure
from organized home-school parents.
Pima County's numbers reflect that change.
In 1992, Pima County counted 450 home-schooled children. By 1995, 1,401
students were home-schooled in Pima County.
That number has ballooned again this year to 2,906, more than 545
percent in the last 10 years.
By comparison, the number of home-schooled children in Pima County grew
faster in the last decade than Marana's 520 percent growth rate,
according to 2000 census data.
There are more home-schooled children today in Pima County than students
enrolled in the Tanque Verde School District this fall - 1,920. Tanque
Verde consists of two elementary schools and one junior high school.
"Arizona's one of the best states in the country for this because it
trusts parents to educate their children properly," said Debbie
Gubernick, who maintains a Web site for the Sonoran Desert
Homeschoolers, a local support group.
Arizona ranks with New Mexico, California and Nevada as having the least
regulation, according to the Home School Legal Defense Association. The
national, nonprofit advocacy organization defends and advances the
constitutional right of parents to direct the education of their children.
It ranks New York, Massachusetts and Rhode Island among the most heavily
regulated home-school states. Their laws include requiring parental
notification of intent to home-school, state-approved curriculum and
achievement test scores.
Arizona requires only that parents who want to home-school their
children age 6 or older notify their county schools superintendent.
"We appreciate the fact our curriculum isn't shoved down our throats,"
said Shannon Federoff, a former teacher who home-schools three of her
six children. The other three aren't old enough. "I have a vision of
where I want the kids to go, and I don't want to be told how to get there."
Five Pima County home-school support groups offer parents guidance in
establishing a curriculum, seeking legal advice and offering
home-schooled children an avenue for interaction with other
home-schooled students. Those support groups, and about 80 others across
the state, have successfully made themselves heard in the Arizona
Legislature.
"Parents who make this choice are a very strong contingent in the
Legislature," said Lorrane McPherson, an assistant superintendent for
the Tucson Unified School District. With more than 62,000 students, TUSD
is Tucson's largest school district. "There is no regulation" of home
schooling today, she said. "There's no way to know how these kids are
progressing."
While McPherson said she respects the rights of parents to choose how to
educate their children, she questions whether the state should hold
parents to the same level of accountability as it does public schools.
A public school in Arizona that earns a second consecutive
underperforming label risks state intervention on an administrative
level. Since Arizona bases a large part of its labeling system on
results of the statewide AIMS achievement test and on whether students
show one year's academic growth, home-schooled families don't face the
same pressures and risks that public schools do.
But decreasing regulation increases the number of education options
available to parents, proponents say.
"The lawmakers in Arizona have come to the conclusion that the more
choices the parents have, the better it's going to be," said Jerry
Mintz, director of the New York-based Alternative Education Resource
Organization. Mintz founded the nonprofit organization in 1989 to
further non-traditional educational approaches.
"The way the public education system has gotten into trouble is
overregulation," Mintz said. "Basically people can't teach anymore."
Teachers are focusing classroom efforts on what's necessary for students
to pass standardized tests. Yet across the country, home-schoolers
continue to score in the 85th percentile on standardized tests, Mintz said.
Last year, Pima County fifth-grade students had an average math score in
the 56th percentile and an average reading score in the 36th percentile
on the Stanford 9 - a national standardized test taken by Arizona
students. Those percentiles mean that 44 percent of students nationwide
scored higher in math and 64 percent did better in reading.
Home-schooled children in Arizona are not required to take that
standardized test or any other, disallowing a comparison.
As public schools continue to fall short of national standards,
alternative means of education such as charter schools and home
schooling appear to be more viable solutions, Mintz said.
The effects of the growing home-school movement are also hitting the
wallets of Arizona schools, which receive state money based on the
average daily student attendance.
Schools are losing roughly $5,000 to $7,000 for each student not sitting
in a public classroom. For Pima County, that amounts to between $14.5
million and $20.3 million each year.
Federoff belongs to the Holy Family Home Educators - Diocese of Tucson.
The home-school organization for Catholic families meets one Friday a
month at Hoffman Park, near Niven Avenue and East Broadway.
That is one of the many groups relied upon by home-schoolers for student
interaction, including play dates, field trips and classroom discussions.
Kaitlyn Torgerson, 12, one of more than 200 children from about 50
families participating in Holy Family Educators, said she enjoys the
weekly get-togethers and learning at home.
"You don't have to go to school as long and you get to be with your
friends every Friday," said Kaitlyn, a home-schooled seventh-grader.
"It's an easier load, but you still learn the same amount."
Right now, Kaitlyn, who wants to be a paramedic and a mother, is
studying life science - about pollution and mammals in particular.
Children in the Holy Family Home Educators group recently visited the
state Capitol - one of the group's members is a former senator. The
group also has "Mom's Night Out," when one parent volunteers to baby-sit
while the moms get together for some downtime.
"I'd like to see more families get involved in support groups," Federoff
said. "It makes the difference between successful home schooling and
parents throwing up their hands in despair."
* Contact reporter Jennifer Sterba at 573-4191 or at jsterba@....
Back to Story
All content copyright © 1999, 2000, 2001 AzStarNet, Arizona Daily Star
and its wire services and suppliers and may not be republished without
permission. All rights reserved. Any copying, redistribution, or
retransmission of any of the contents of this service without the
expressed written consent of Arizona Daily Star or AzStarNet is prohibited.
nellebelle
I disagree. The public schools are using public money, and should be accountable to the public. Why should the homeschool parent be accountable to anyone other than self and child?
Mary Ellen
----- snip----- However, critics say parent-teachers should be held to the same
standards that apply to public schools, especially when it comes to
student achievement testing.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Mary Ellen
----- snip----- However, critics say parent-teachers should be held to the same
standards that apply to public schools, especially when it comes to
student achievement testing.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Tia Leschke
> I disagree. The public schools are using public money, and should beaccountable to the public. Why should the homeschool parent be accountable
to anyone other than self and child?
>the same
> Mary Ellen
> ----- snip----- However, critics say parent-teachers should be held to
> standards that apply to public schools, especially when it comes toWhen there's a threat to require testing in a certain area, homeschoolers
> student achievement testing.
might want to point out to legislators that homeschooled kids on average
test out higher than public schooled kids, and do they really want that fact
widely known? <g>
Tia
nellebelle
Ooh! Ooh! Good point!
Mary Ellen
----- snip-----When there's a threat to require testing in a certain area, homeschoolers
might want to point out to legislators that homeschooled kids on average
test out higher than public schooled kids, and do they really want that fact
widely known? <g>
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Mary Ellen
----- snip-----When there's a threat to require testing in a certain area, homeschoolers
might want to point out to legislators that homeschooled kids on average
test out higher than public schooled kids, and do they really want that fact
widely known? <g>
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]