Hello, , from NHERI and Dr. Ray.
A journalist interviewed me the other day. She was curious about the Sandy Hook Elementary School murderer and any connection with homeschooling. Although she is supposed to be “just a reporter asking questions,” she clearly implied that she believed the government should control homeschooling to “make sure children grow up to be good citizens.”
A number of people have claimed that homeschooling must be controlled more by the government so that people like Adam Lanza, the shooter who killed many people at a public school, will never become so evil and criminal.
This claim and attention to homeschooling is misplaced for several reasons.
First, Adam Lanza was not
homeschooled.
The Connecticut State government report tells us the following: AL [Adam Lanza] was not “homeschooled.” He was initially
informally withdrawn from [regular public/State] school by his
family, provided a medical “excuse note,” and then via the
special education planning process his IEP [Individualized
Education Program] team agreed to a recommendation that he
would be placed on [public school] homebound status.
Homebound status is permitted by Connecticut education law
when a child is deemed too disabled to receive services in
school even with modifications and supports. (p. 43)[ii]
Second, there is no research evidence anywhere that suggests homeschooling is associated with any higher rate of criminal behavior or depravity than is public schooling or private institutional schooling. It might be, in fact, that homeschooling is associated with less criminal or bad behavior.
If there is no evidence of even a correlation – that is, a mathematical pattern – between homeschooling and something bad, then no one should be talking about or suggesting a causal connection.
The
authors of the government report, after laying out many points in Lanza’s public school life, mental healthcare appointments, and more, were wise to make this comment: “No direct line of causation can be drawn from these to the horrific mass murder at Sandy Hook” (p. 3; emphasis in original).[iii]
Interestingly, however, research does show no correlation between the degree of government control of homeschooling and homeschool students’ academic achievement scores.[iv] Further, research shows no correlation between
how much the State controls homeschooling and the SAT scores of college-interested home-educated students.[v] That is, there is no evidence that if the government controls homeschooling more that the students will then do better.
Finally, the is/ought questioned is raised. Should the government try to control – with more power and authority than parents – an individual’s life from birth to age 18 to try to assure us that he will not do something bad? This way of operating would be in opposition to the concepts of liberty that are foundational to a free nation such as the United States. This concept is anti-classical liberalism. This way of thinking is
anti-biblical and, therefore, not Christian.
The government’s rightful role is to punish the evildoer and commend the doer of good.[vi] It is to commend parents when they give time, attention,
and care to their children. It is not the State/government’s rightful place to try to manage and control the physical body, mental health, knowledge acquired, and values believed of a 7- or 13-year-old so that he will “likely” not harm anyone. Such a way of living is called servitude to the State or government domination, despite the fact that those who promote it call it making society a safer place.
The Sandy Hook shooter was not homeschooled. Even if he had been, there is no empirical evidence available that State-controlled public schooling (or homeschooling) is related to more positive things than is free homeschooling.
Finally, the government’s job is to commend those who do good and punish those who harm others. The State’s job is not to feed, clothe, and give psychological therapy to and teach, train, and indoctrinate children and teenagers. Research continues to suggest positive things are associated with private parent-led home-based education.
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--Brian D. Ray, Ph.D.
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Endnotes:
[i] Every
person, whether a researcher, journalist, academic, policymaker, judge, carpenter, or nurse, has a worldview or weltanschauung. Examples of worldviews are atheism, Buddhism, Christianity/scripturalism, communitarianism, critical theory, Islam, metaphysical naturalism, Mormonism, queer theory, Roman Catholicism, scientism, socialism, and statism. [ii] Eagan, Sarah Healy; VosWinkel, Faith; Ford, Julian D.; Lyddy, Christopher; Schwartz, Harold I. Schwartz; & Spencer, Andrea. (2014, November 21). Shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School; Report of the office of the child advocate. Hartford, CT: State of Connecticut, Office of the Child Advocate. Retrieved November 25, 2014 from http://www.ct.gov/oca/lib/oca/sandyhook11212014.pdf. [iii] I have found nothing in the Eagan et al. government report that recommends more State control of homeschooling. [iv] Ray, Brian D. (2010, February 3). Academic achievement and demographic traits of homeschool students: A nationwide study. Academic Leadership Journal, 8(1). [v] Ray, Brian D., &
Eagleson, Bruce K. (2008, August 14). State regulation of homeschooling and homeschoolers’ SAT scores. Journal of Academic Leadership, 6(3).
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