<p>Wow, why is there a need for that? Homeschoolers are on average in the 70th percentile of all students (and that includes the fundies).. so how could home-schooling be causing any problem? I say why waste the time and money to change the law...</p>
<p>"I've met many homeschooled kids who have poor backgrounds in anything not related to scripture, and who believe that evolution "is something made up by the liberal media," to quote a misguided friend."</p>
<p>The same can be said of many students at state approved fundamentalist Christian schools.</p>
<p>"While I disagree with requiring a teaching credential at all (Ithink a person with a BS in Math is much better qualified to teach high school math than someone with a BA in Education), I do think that it's important to add some regulation to home schools to ensure their kids are getting an adequate education."</p>
<p>In California, you do not get a bachelor's in education. You get your bachelor's in a subject area and then have a fifth year of a credential program that teaches you how to teach.</p>
<p>"This isn't fair at all. Every school has to have a certain percentage of staff that are credentialed. Not every teacher has to be credentialed. Why can some non-credentialed teacher teach some child while their parent can't? It just isn't right."</p>
<p>Since No Child Left Behind was implemented, every teacher needs to not only hold a credential, but be credentialed in the subject that they teach - "Highly Qualified". So, an English teacher can not teach one period of history if they do not have a History credential also. I think some schools who have trouble finding teachers due to location or whatever, have teachers on emergency credentials that are required to finish those credentials. Our middle school would love to offer more electives, but it hard to find someone with a credential in drama or Spanish that is willing to teach just one or two periods a day, because that's all they would need at this time.</p>
<p>I still stand by my earlier post that nothing significant will change for California homeschoolers due to this ruling.</p>
<p>theloneranger,</p>
<p>When I have kids I plan on homeschooling them. I can understand making sure students are getting an adequate education. The problem is not even all the teachers that are employed by the state have credentials. If they are going to make all the parents have credentials, so do the teachers. The thing is, there are a lot of great teachers without credentials. This is why I don't see it fair to force parents to have credentials. The person in question is the child of the parent teaching. They should get to decide what their child learns, not the government. When they finally attend high school or college and they are up to standards, that is the parents fault. This is the same if students that are in the public school system, get to high school and college, and don't meet the standards.</p>
<p><<i've met="" many="" homeschooled="" kids="" who="" have="" a="" poor="" background="" in="" anything="" not="" related="" to="" scripture="">></i've></p>
<p>Look around, you will find many, many public school kids who have a poor background in anything not related to (you choose).
But is this not what it all comes down to?
Make sure the teacher has a credential;
Make sure "certain unfactual errors" are not taught - anywhere;
Make sure we congratulate ourselves for being open-minded.</p>
<p>4390016: Do you have any source for that statistic? I Don't doubt it at all based on my personal bias, but I'm curious to see what kind of peer-reviewed research there has been on the subject. Public school is the norm where I lived, and everyone from the average person right on up to the very top "did their time" at the same public schools.</p>
<p>From California: </p>
<p>State</a> ruling a blow to parental choice - LA Daily News </p>
<p>From Arizona: </p>
<p>gthopeful - Here's one source for the statistic quoted by 4390016: "The Scholastic Achievement and Demographic Characteristics of Home School Students in 1998" by Lawrence Rudner, PhD, Director of the ERIC Clearinghouse on Assessment and Evaluation. EPAA</a> Vol. 7 No. 8 Rudner: Home School Students, 1998 There are tons more that have found similar results more recently, I just happened to know where this one was - I'm in a hurry this afternoon. Of course, if I'm in a hurry, what I am I doing on CC?? Don't know the answer to that one - must be addictive :-)</p>
<p>Hope that helps!</p>
<p>John Edwards on Jay Leno this week said that he and his wife are home schooling their kids this year. Of course, neither are credentialed teachers.
I'd like to see the remaining presidential candidates take public positions on homeschooling. I've read that in previous years, 1 out of 5 Democratic Convention delegates have been teachers. I'm sure the number is substantial with the Republicans as well.</p>
<p>"I've met many homeschooled kids who have poor backgrounds in anything not related to scripture, and who believe that evolution "is something made up by the liberal media," to quote a misguided friend."</p>
<hr>
<p>I don't know if I am reading this wrong, and I apologize in advance if I am, but to me it sounds like you are saying that if someone doesn't believe in evolution they have a poor educational background. I personally, don't believe in evolution, because I am a Christian, and also I am a "I have to see it to believe it" kind of person. Now, I don't think evolution is something that scientists pulled out of their ass, however since it is only a theory, I choose not to believe it. I am forced to listen to it in school (I go to public school, btw), and do study it for tests, however, I just personally think it's a bunch of crap.</p>
<p>It's an awesome ruling. Go get some teaching credentials before you teach your kid. Sure some teachers with these still suck, but hey, better than no experience at all. Shoot...</p>
<p>"I personally, don't believe in evolution, because I am a Christian, and also I am a "I have to see it to believe it" kind of person' <br><br></p>
<p>How odd. It isn't as if evolution is over, it is readily observable in the world of biology on a daily basis (for example, the whole battle over excessive antibiotic use is because antibiotics place evolutionary pressure on bacteria resulting in bacteria that are more and more resistant to antibiotics). To deny the ongoing, continous evolution of life on this planet requires one willfully ignore reality.</p>
<p>The other thing that really confuses me is the juxtoposition of claiming Christian faith and yet stating "I have to see it to believe it". I thought the very definition of faith was acceptance of the unseen. Or are you saying that you were present at creation and observed god in action separating the fimament and bringing forth the animals?</p>
<p>One cannot deny microevolution. It's just that Christians don't believe that macroevolution is possible i.e. humans could not have evolved from single-celled organisms.</p>
<p>Remember that the vast majority of schools are busy focusing on state-wide standardized tests and barely brush through evolution. The biology textbooks I've seen have only a page or two about evolution and are inconclusive.</p>
<p>In biological terms, there is no "micro" or "macro" evolution. Evolution is always exactly the same process-- the increased survival of some genetic combinations compared to other genetic combinations in a population as a result of environmental pressures. The results can be subtle or dramatic over time, but it is always the same process-- there is no magic line where evolution stops-- given enough time and a continually changing environment (hence pressures that favor some genetic combinations over others), the nearly infinite variety of life that surrounds us is possible, indeed, inevitable.</p>
<p>I would also like to point out that there absolutely is not a single "Christian" viewpoint of how humans arrived at this point. As one theoligan once said at a debate: Christianity is about WHO, not HOW.</p>
<p>Just for the sake of addressing the assumptions of some folks: I homeschooled my kids and I accept evolution and am not a Christian. I have many, many friends that also homeschool that are not Christians. In fact, I personally do not know a single homeschooler that has any issue with evolution.</p>
<p>Not saying they aren't out there, but the homeschooling communities that I have been involved with are made up of happy secularists who just want their kids to get a great education and be free to follow a more individualistic path.</p>
<p>the HOW does matter in Christianity;
if evolution, then no need, no justification for the WHO.</p>
<p>micro - o.k.<br>
macro - . . . .</p>
<p>BTW, my child received the best instruction (unbiased) in the theory of evolution i could give; some concepts were enlightening, others . . . , well, let us give each other some space.</p>
<p>Yes, I am another secular homeschooler. </p>
<p>I do know a lot of people who choose to teach creationism. I disagree with them, but then we tend to disagree with just about everything, except that Hsing is a good idea for many families.</p>
<p>Anyway, if you want to get upset about the teaching of creationism, just remember - it isnt just for Hsers. There are a lot of religious schools teaching it too.</p>
<p>Oh, I am not upset about it....We homeschooled for several years and are members of the Presbyterian church down the street.</p>
<p>What bothers me is blanket statements about what "christians" believe when what is really meant is "what my sect of Christians believe". In fact, the largest christian sect in the world, catholics, are explicitly nuetral on the "how" of life. </p>
<p>Also, as a biology major I find it very difficult not to poke fun a people who want to pretend that there is such a thing as "micro" or "macro" evolution. All evolutionary change happens by the exact same process--to try to separate it out is like saying :
I believe in "micro walking" from here to the corner, but "macro walking" 6 blocks to the library is impossible. It is just nonsensical.</p>
<p>Update on the court case: </p>
<p>Interesting books about the science of biological evolution: </p>
<p>Amazon.com:</a> Endless Forms Most Beautiful: The New Science of Evo Devo: Sean B. Carroll: Books </p>
<h2>"The other thing that really confuses me is the juxtoposition of claiming Christian faith and yet stating "I have to see it to believe it". I thought the very definition of faith was acceptance of the unseen. Or are you saying that you were present at creation and observed god in action separating the fimament and bringing forth the animals?"</h2>
<p>I sort of had a feeling that someone would say that and I should clarify a little. The reason why I believe in creation is because I believe in God, and the reason why I believe in God, is because when I pray to God, and what I pray for happens within minutes or hours, I just don't believe that it was just some sort of coincidence. I do learn evolution, because I'm forced to, but I just don't believe it exists. Basically, I believe in things such as natural selection, but what I don't believe and will still find hard to believe is that, we came from apes or anything of that nature. I don't know if that's confusing and I apologize if it is. Also, most people will find me not believing evolution very weird since I love science and hope to major in biology when I go to college.</p>