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WHAT IS THE FASTEST GROWING SEGMENT OF AMERICAN EDUCATION?
YOU'LL PROBABLY BE SURPRISED TO HEAR THAT IT'S HOME SCHOOLING, GROWING BY SOME
ESTIMATES AT 7% A YEAR. AND WHILE RELIGION IS STILL THE BIGGEST FACTOR IN WHY
PARENTS HOME EDUCATE, THERE'S A LOT OF OTHER REASONS, ANYTHING FROM A FOCUS ON SCIENCE TO JUST
SPENDING MORE TIME TOGETHER AS A FAMILY. KCPT'S SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
SAM ZEFF HAS BEEN LOOKING INTO THIS EDUCATION EXPANSION IN OUR REGION.
WHEN IT COMES TO EDUCATION IN AMERICA, WE MAY NOT KNOW HOW TO FIX IT, BUT WE SURE KNOW A LOT
ABOUT IT. WE KNOW HOW MANY KIDS GET FREE LUNCHES.
WE KNOW HOW THEY DO IN MATH AND SCIENCE. WE STUDY EVERYTHING FROM WHAT
TIME DURING THE DAY STUDENTS LEARN BEST TO HOW EXERCISE AND THE ARTS ELEVATE OTHER SUBJECTS.
BUT THERE'S ONE AREA WE KNOW VERY LITTLE ABOUT. HOW IS THE HOME SCHOOLING
GOING? HOME SCHOOLING? YES.
HOW'S IT GOING? I THINK IT'S GOING WELL, YEAH.
IT'S GOING WELL. THAT'S AMY BURTON FROM RAYMORE, AND HERE ARE HER SIX
CHILDREN, ALL HOMESCHOOLED, EXCEPT EMILIA THERE, WHO JUST TURNED THREE.
BACK IN 1980, HOME SCHOOLING WAS ILLEGAL IN 30 STATES, AND IT WASN'T UNTIL 1993 THAT IT BECAME
LEGAL EVERYWHERE. NOW SOME EDUCATORS SAY HOME SCHOOLING IS GROWING FASTER THAN
CHARTER SCHOOLS. HOME EDUCATION WORKS. IT JUST ABSOLUTELY DOES.
BRAD HAINES IS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF FAMILIES FOR HOME EDUCATION, THE LARGEST AND
OLDEST HOME SCHOOLING ORGANIZATION IN MISSOURI. ON ANY INDIVIDUAL BASIS, IT'S
THE SAME AS ANYTHING ELSE IN SOCIETY, YOU KNOW, NEGLIGENT PARENTS ARE NEGLIGENT PARENTS,
AND CONCERNED AND INVOLVED PARENTS ARE CONCERNED AND INVOLVED PARENTS.
IF I'M GOING TO CHOOSE HOME EDUCATION, THE CHANCES ARE QUITE HIGH THAT I CARE A GREAT DEAL
ABOUT MY CHILDREN. NOBODY IN TRADITIONAL EDUCATION DISPUTES HOME SCHOOL
PARENTS CARE A GREAT DEAL ABOUT THEIR CHILDREN, BUT THERE'S NO WAY TO TRACK THAT IN REAL TIME
WITH REAL DATA. IN MISSOURI, HOME SCHOOL PARENTS MUST PROVIDE A THOUSAND HOURS OF
INSTRUCTION DURING THE SCHOOL YEAR, KEEP A LOG TO SHOW SUCH INSTRUCTION HAPPENED, AND HOLD
ON TO A SAMPLE OF THE STUDENT'S WORK. IN KANSAS, THERE ARE EVEN FEWER
REGULATIONS. THE PARENT MUST REGISTER AS A PRIVATE SCHOOL, AND THE STUDENT
MUST HAVE 186 DAYS OF INSTRUCTION. RARELY, IF EVER, DOES EITHER
STATE CHECK ANY OF THIS. FAMILY HOME EDUCATION'S GOAL IS TO PROTECT PARENTS' GOD GIVEN
RIGHT TO CHOOSE THE METHOD OF THEIR CHILDREN'S EDUCATION. WHICH IS JUST FINE WITH
HAINES, WHO SAYS HE HAS TO BATTLE YEARLY IN JEFFERSON CITY TO MAINTAIN HOME SCHOOLERS'
FREEDOM. DO YOU FEEL YOU'RE AT WAR WITH THE SYSTEM?
I WOULDN'T CALL IT A WAR, BUT IT'S KIND OF LIKE THE SEA. YOU KNOW, IT'S ALWAYS TRYING TO
WASH AWAY THE BEACH, AND UNLESS YOU WANT YOUR HOUSE TO GO AWAY, YOU'VE GOT TO KEEP REBUILDING
THE WALL, AND IT TAKES CONSTANT MAINTENANCE. ARE THERE PEOPLE THAT DON'T LIKE
HOME EDUCATORS? ABSOLUTELY. I'M NOT A RADICAL EXTREMIST
HOME SCHOOLER. I COULD INTRODUCE YOU TO LOTS OF THEM, LOTS OF MY FRIENDS, BUT
I'M NOT. FOR AMY BURTON, HOME SCHOOLS, SHE SAYS, IS MOSTLY ABOUT
PROVIDING A ONE ON ONE EDUCATION FOR HER KIDS. IF ANDREW IS STRUGGLING WITH
MULTIPLICATION FACTS, THEN WE'RE GOING TO SIT AND DRILL THE FACTS AND GET THROUGH THIS ONE-ON-ONE.
THE PRIMARY FOCUS WAS JUST TO INSTILL LOVE IN OUR KIDS AND TO PROVIDE A SUPERIOR EDUCATION
THAN WHAT WE BELIEVE THEY COULD GET ELSEWHERE. INCLUDING HERE IN THE
RAYMORE-PECULIAR SCHOOL DISTRICT. I TEACH COLLEGE SURVEY
COURSES IN AMERICAN HISTORY AND WESTERN CIV, AND I ALSO TEACH A COURSE ON AMERICAN GOVERNMENT.
WHERE AMY'S HUSBAND JOHN TEACHES COLLEGE LEVEL HIGH SCHOOL HISTORY AND WHILE BURTON
SAYS HE ENJOYS TEACHING IN A PUBLIC SCHOOL AND PRAISES THE RAY-PEC DISTRICT, IT'S BEING IN
A PUBLIC SCHOOL EVERY DAY THAT MADE HIM TURN TO HOME EDUCATION. I'LL WALK THE HALLS HERE, AND
YOU KNOW, YOU LISTEN TO SOME OF THE THINGS THAT ARE GOING ON, SOME OF THE CONVERSATIONS AMONG
STUDENTS AND WHAT THE STUDENTS TALK ABOUT, AND YOU REALIZE, YOU KNOW WHAT?
I DON'T WANT MY CHILDREN EXPOSED TO THAT. THAT'S NOT HE HAD -- HE EDI FYI,
IT'S NOT UPLIFTING, AND THIS IS THE MAJORITY OF CONVERSATIONS GOING ON, AND AFFIRMS WHAT WE'RE
DOING IS THE RIGHT THING. THERE IS NO WAY TO KNOW EXACTLY HOW MANY STUDENTS ARE
HOMESCHOOLED IN AMERICA, BUT THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT ESTIMATES AROUND 2 MILLION, UP FROM AN
ESTIMATED 850,000 IN 1999. INDEED EDUCATION OFFICIALS IN KANSAS AND MISSOURI CAN'T TELL
YOU EXACTLY HOW MANY STUDENTS ARE HOMESCHOOLED IN THEIR STATE, BUT IT'S NOT ONLY HARD TO FIND
RESEARCH ON HOME SCHOOLING, IT'S HARD TO FIND RESEARCHERS. DR. JONES.
YES. CAN YOU HEAR ME? YES.
SAM ZEFF IN KANSAS CITY. YES. I DON'T SEE YOU, BUT I CAN HEAR
YOU JUST FINE. WHICH IS WHY WE HAD TO GO ALL THE WAY TO GEORGIA COLLEGE IN
MILLEDGEVILLE, GEORGIA, TO FIND DR. PAUL JONES, ONE OF THE FEW ACADEMICS WHO HAS STUDIED HOME
EDUCATION. HE WANTED TO KNOW HOW THESE HOME SCHOOLERS DID WHEN THEY GOT TO
COLLEGE. HOW DO THEY PERFORM COMPARED TO THEIR PEERS?
I'VE CERTAINLY FOUND THAT THEY'VE PERFORMED AS WELL AS THEIR K-12 COUNTERPARTS.
AFTER TRACKING HOME SCHOOLING FOR THE PAST 10 YEARS OR SO, JONES SAYS HE'S BECOME A
PROPONENT. STILL, HE SAYS, THE STATE NEEDS TO HAVE SOME ROLE IN THIS FAST
GROWING SEGMENT OF AMERICAN EDUCATION. AND I THINK THERE SHOULD BE
SOME RESPONSIBILITY TO INSURE THAT ALL CITIZENS ARE RECEIVING ADEQUATE LEVEL EDUCATION.
I KNOW THAT THERE WOULD BE MANY THAT WOULD ARGUE AGAINST THAT, BUT I THINK WE HAVE DEMONSTRATED
OVER TIME THAT NOT JUST WITH HOME SCHOOL, BUT I'M IN GENERAL SAYING THAT IT HAS BEEN
IMPORTANT FOR US TO HAVE SOME LEVEL IN ORDER TO KEEP US ALL HONEST, IF YOU WILL.
JONES ALSO WORRIED ABOUT THE SOCIALIZATION OF HOME SCHOOLERS. IN KANSAS AND MISSOURI, THERE IS
A BUFFET APPROACH. PARENTS CAN SEND THEIR CHILDREN TO THE LOCAL PUBLIC SCHOOL FOR
ANYTHING FROM BAND TO CHEMISTRY. THEY CANNOT, HOWEVER, PARTICIPATE IN SPORTS IN EITHER
STATE. BUT PARENTS, LIKE AMY AND JOHN, HAVE FIGURED THAT OUT, TOO.
WE'RE INVOLVED IN THE RAYMORE HOME EDUCATORS GROUP, AND THEY DO A LOT OF FIELD TRIPS.
THEY'LL HAVE KIDS MOVIE NIGHT, AND WE'RE GOING TO GO TO ROYALS STADIUM HERE NEXT MONTH.
TOMORROW IT'S FIELD DAY WITH THE HOME SCHOOLERS. THEY'LL HAVE 100 HOME SCHOOLERS
OUT HERE AT A LOCAL PARK. THERE WAS A TIME WHEN MOST UNIVERSITIES WOULDN'T RECOGNIZE
A HOME SCHOOLING TRANSCRIPT AND WOULD REQUIRE THE STUDENT TO GET A GED.
THAT'S NO LONGER THE CASE AT MOST COLLEGE. THERE ARE MANY HOME SCHOOLING
ORGANIZATIONS IN KANSAS CITY. YOU CAN GO TO THE LOCAL SHOW DOT ORG TO LEARN MORE.