Scientific American, a left-leaning legacy science magazine, called for the federal regulation of homeschooling on Monday, saying parents who homeschool should be subjected to a “background check.”
The editors of the magazine sent around their call in a June 17 newsletter, citing statistics showing 3% of American children are homeschooled and noting that the coronavirus pandemic saw the practice grow, saying the “true number is likely much higher.”
“Most states don’t require the same assessment of homeschooled kids that are required for their public school peers,” the editors stated in the newsletter while acknowledging that homeschooled children typically excel in academics.
“Parents are not required to have an education themselves to direct instruction,” the editors explained, identifying this as a problem. “And in most states, no one checks to see that children are receiving an education at all. In the worst cases, homeschooling can hide abuse.”
The newsletter called for “some basic federal mandates,” including that parents “undergo a background check — the same as K-12 teachers.” The editors also called for homeschool parents to submit documentation to authorities that proves “children are learning.”
“Education is a basic right,” the editors wrote. “We need to make sure kids have chances to investigate what makes them curious, study history and science and reading.”
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While the implication of what the Scientific American editors advocated appears to be government control over homeschool curriculums and practices, one of the most oft-cited reasons families decide to homeschool is to get their children out of government-run schools.
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, which the editors cited for statistics on how many children are homeschooled, a 73% majority of homeschoolers said they decided to homeschool due to academic dissatisfaction with other schools. Eighty percent said it was due to school environment factors such as drugs and safety, and 75% said they wanted to provide moral instruction.