Gov't Regulation of Home Schooling

A Tennessee politician is decrying efforts to increase government regulation of home schooling in his state.

Several Tennessee lawmakers intend to introduce legislation this year that would require home-schooled students to take the same state-mandated achievement tests as their peers in public schools. But State Representative Bill Dunn of Knoxville, who has home schooled five children, strongly opposes the plan because of the restrictions it could place on what home-schooling parents teach their children.

'The test would have to follow whatever curriculum the student is following -- and if you just take the state test, it means that we'd have to change the curriculum for every home schooler to be that of which the public schools have ... and that's a horrible idea,' Dunn says.

In fact, he says, it would undermine one of the attractive aspects of home schooling in general. 'The wonderful thing about home schooling is that the parents and the students can get down and create their own curriculum that takes advantage of the strengths and weaknesses that the student may have,' he shares.

According to the state representative, Tennessee home schoolers are flourishing academically. He points out one example -- a local home school group recently won a scholars bowl competition by defeating all private and public schools in east Tennessee. So why, in light of such academic success, would state politicians push such a measure? Dunn theory is that they are beholden to the state's teachers unions."

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