Special Overview: Military Survey Fact Sheet
HEM
Special Overview from
Home Education Magazine - January 15th, 2000
Military Survey Fact Sheet
Problems raised by the recent survey on military recruitment of
homeschoolers that was sent to many homeschooling organizations will be
addressed in Larry and Susan Kaseman's next "Taking Charge" column in the
March/April issue of Home Education Magazine. However, because you may need
information on this topic now, they have written this overview we are
distributing.
Summary: Many homeschooling support groups and organizations have recently
been sent a survey designed to help the military recruit homeschoolers.
This survey could cause serious problems for homeschoolers and undermine
our homeschooling freedoms, as explained below. If you receive a survey
form, please read the following information before deciding whether to
submit it. Also, share this information with other homeschoolers.
Background: A recent law establishes a five-year pilot program during which
the military will treat homeschoolers the same way they treat graduates of
conventional high schools if the homeschoolers have a diploma from their
homeschool or another institution and "a transcript demonstrating
completion of high school."
The survey is supposedly intended to help the military (1) "reach out to"
and recruit homeschoolers and (2) "identify genuine home school graduates."
Each of these causes problems.
(1) Problems Created by Homeschoolers Helping the Military Recruit
Homeschoolers
* To help the military recruit homeschoolers, the survey asks homeschool
organizations to provide specific information about their newsletters,
conventions, radio programs, and web pages. Since the data from this survey
belong to the federal government, the survey will enable the government to
begin developing a more extensive data base about the homeschooling
movement than currently exists anywhere. Do we want the government to have
this kind of information?
* Under the Freedom of Information Act, the survey results may be available
to anyone who wants them. People targeting the homeschooling market would
certainly be interested.
* Should homeschooling support groups and organizations help the military
or anyone else target or market to homeschoolers?
* Information about enlisting in the military is already widely available.
Homeschoolers do not need more recruiting directed at us.
(2) Problems Created by Homeschoolers Helping the Military Define
Homeschooling and Identify "Genuine" Homeschool Graduates
* If the government defines homeschooling, it will have much greater
control over homeschoolers, because we will be expected to live by whatever
definition the government chooses.
* Question 9 on the survey says, "To help military recruiters define home
schooling, check the statements that apply to home schooling." People who
complete the survey are indicating that they agree that the military should
define homeschooling. If homeschoolers participate in the survey, the
government will be able to claim that homeschoolers voluntarily
participated in the development of the definition and therefore have
implicitly agreed to it.
* At present, education (including homeschooling) is covered by state laws,
regulations, and definitions. A definition of homeschooling by the federal
government would be much more rigid, harder to change, and might over time
become the definition that states use, especially since it would
undoubtedly mean greater regulation in many states.
Points to Remember
* This survey is unnecessary. Part (1) above is unnecessary because the
military can reach homeschoolers through the recruiting campaigns it is
already conducting via television advertising, etc., and homeschoolers are
enlisting. In addition, the military does not need a formal definition of
homeschooling. Employers are hiring homeschoolers, colleges and
universities are accepting them, the federal government is giving them
student loans, all without formal definitions. The military can recruit and
enlist homeschoolers in ways that are similar to the ones used by others
and spare homeschoolers the problems caused by having a government agency
create a formal definition of homeschooling.
* The survey is misdirected. Very few people will try to falsely claim that
they are homeschool graduates when they actually are high school drop-outs
who lack the background and skills necessary to serve in the military. The
number of problems that might be prevented by having a formal way in which
the military can identify "genuine homeschool graduates" is infinitesimal
compared to the number of homeschoolers who will lose substantial
homeschooling freedoms through such a definition. Put another way, "hard
cases make bad law." That is, a law designed to take care of the worst
possible hypothetical case is almost certain to be long, difficult to
enforce, and more likely to prevent good people from doing good than bad
people from doing bad.
* To maintain our homeschooling freedoms, we need to minimize the
opportunities that the government has to define and in this way control
homeschooling.
* The number of people currently enlisting in the military is decreasing.
Proposals have been made that the military lower its standards to increase
enlistments. Therefore, it seems likely that this attempt to identify
"genuine home school graduates" is simply the latest example of the general
notion that homeschools need to be regulated more strongly than they are
currently being. As homeschoolers who want to maintain our homeschooling
freedoms, we need to counter this attempt as we have countered previous
ones.
[end]
For an online version of this overview:
http://www.home-ed-magazine.com/wnw/mlsurvey.html
For a PDF version of this overview:
http://www.home-ed-magazine.com/wnw/mlsurvey.pdf
Home Education Magazine
PO Box 1083, Tonasket, WA 98855
http://www.home-ed-magazine.com
HEM@...
Home Education Magazine - January 15th, 2000
Military Survey Fact Sheet
Problems raised by the recent survey on military recruitment of
homeschoolers that was sent to many homeschooling organizations will be
addressed in Larry and Susan Kaseman's next "Taking Charge" column in the
March/April issue of Home Education Magazine. However, because you may need
information on this topic now, they have written this overview we are
distributing.
Summary: Many homeschooling support groups and organizations have recently
been sent a survey designed to help the military recruit homeschoolers.
This survey could cause serious problems for homeschoolers and undermine
our homeschooling freedoms, as explained below. If you receive a survey
form, please read the following information before deciding whether to
submit it. Also, share this information with other homeschoolers.
Background: A recent law establishes a five-year pilot program during which
the military will treat homeschoolers the same way they treat graduates of
conventional high schools if the homeschoolers have a diploma from their
homeschool or another institution and "a transcript demonstrating
completion of high school."
The survey is supposedly intended to help the military (1) "reach out to"
and recruit homeschoolers and (2) "identify genuine home school graduates."
Each of these causes problems.
(1) Problems Created by Homeschoolers Helping the Military Recruit
Homeschoolers
* To help the military recruit homeschoolers, the survey asks homeschool
organizations to provide specific information about their newsletters,
conventions, radio programs, and web pages. Since the data from this survey
belong to the federal government, the survey will enable the government to
begin developing a more extensive data base about the homeschooling
movement than currently exists anywhere. Do we want the government to have
this kind of information?
* Under the Freedom of Information Act, the survey results may be available
to anyone who wants them. People targeting the homeschooling market would
certainly be interested.
* Should homeschooling support groups and organizations help the military
or anyone else target or market to homeschoolers?
* Information about enlisting in the military is already widely available.
Homeschoolers do not need more recruiting directed at us.
(2) Problems Created by Homeschoolers Helping the Military Define
Homeschooling and Identify "Genuine" Homeschool Graduates
* If the government defines homeschooling, it will have much greater
control over homeschoolers, because we will be expected to live by whatever
definition the government chooses.
* Question 9 on the survey says, "To help military recruiters define home
schooling, check the statements that apply to home schooling." People who
complete the survey are indicating that they agree that the military should
define homeschooling. If homeschoolers participate in the survey, the
government will be able to claim that homeschoolers voluntarily
participated in the development of the definition and therefore have
implicitly agreed to it.
* At present, education (including homeschooling) is covered by state laws,
regulations, and definitions. A definition of homeschooling by the federal
government would be much more rigid, harder to change, and might over time
become the definition that states use, especially since it would
undoubtedly mean greater regulation in many states.
Points to Remember
* This survey is unnecessary. Part (1) above is unnecessary because the
military can reach homeschoolers through the recruiting campaigns it is
already conducting via television advertising, etc., and homeschoolers are
enlisting. In addition, the military does not need a formal definition of
homeschooling. Employers are hiring homeschoolers, colleges and
universities are accepting them, the federal government is giving them
student loans, all without formal definitions. The military can recruit and
enlist homeschoolers in ways that are similar to the ones used by others
and spare homeschoolers the problems caused by having a government agency
create a formal definition of homeschooling.
* The survey is misdirected. Very few people will try to falsely claim that
they are homeschool graduates when they actually are high school drop-outs
who lack the background and skills necessary to serve in the military. The
number of problems that might be prevented by having a formal way in which
the military can identify "genuine homeschool graduates" is infinitesimal
compared to the number of homeschoolers who will lose substantial
homeschooling freedoms through such a definition. Put another way, "hard
cases make bad law." That is, a law designed to take care of the worst
possible hypothetical case is almost certain to be long, difficult to
enforce, and more likely to prevent good people from doing good than bad
people from doing bad.
* To maintain our homeschooling freedoms, we need to minimize the
opportunities that the government has to define and in this way control
homeschooling.
* The number of people currently enlisting in the military is decreasing.
Proposals have been made that the military lower its standards to increase
enlistments. Therefore, it seems likely that this attempt to identify
"genuine home school graduates" is simply the latest example of the general
notion that homeschools need to be regulated more strongly than they are
currently being. As homeschoolers who want to maintain our homeschooling
freedoms, we need to counter this attempt as we have countered previous
ones.
[end]
For an online version of this overview:
http://www.home-ed-magazine.com/wnw/mlsurvey.html
For a PDF version of this overview:
http://www.home-ed-magazine.com/wnw/mlsurvey.pdf
Home Education Magazine
PO Box 1083, Tonasket, WA 98855
http://www.home-ed-magazine.com
HEM@...