Sept 28, 2000
By Julie Foster
© 2000 WorldNetDaily.com

Affirming that "parents have a fundamental right to direct the education and upbringing of their children," the U.S. House of Representatives has unanimously passed a resolution honoring home-schooling families.

Rep. Bob Schaffer, R-Colo. meets with home-schoolers from Colorado in Washington, D.C.

House Resolution 578, written by Rep. Bob Schaffer, R-Colo., declares Oct. 1-7, 2000 "National Home Education Week" and congratulates home-schooled students for their achievements. It reads, in part:

"Whereas the United States is committed to excellence in education and to strengthening the family;

Whereas parental choice and involvement are important to excellence in education;

Whereas parents have a fundamental right to direct the education and upbringing of their children;

Whereas home schooling families contribute significantly to cultural diversity, which is important to a healthy society;

Whereas home education allows families the opportunity to provide their children a sound academic education integrated with high ethical standards taught within a safe and secure environment;

Whereas home education has been a major part of American education and culture since the Nation's inception and demonstrates the American ideals of innovation, entrepreneurship, and individual responsibility;

Whereas home education was proven successful in the lives of George Washington, Patrick Henry, John Quincy Adams, John Marshall, Robert E. Lee, Booker T. Washington, Thomas Edison, Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, Mark Twain, John Singleton Copley, William Carey, Phyllis Wheatley, and Andrew Carnegie, who were each home schooled; ...

Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the House of Representatives - congratulates home educators and home schooled students across the Nation for their ongoing contributions to education and for the role they play in promoting and ensuring a brighter, stronger future for the Nation;

honors home educators and home schooled students for their efforts to improve the quality of education in the United States ... "

Schaffer celebrated the resolution's passage, saying, "I am proud to recognize parents and children who have pioneered this type of education." He continued: "Home-school students have scored highest on the ACT for 3 years in a row, and they scored highest on the SAT this year. Home educators and students should be proud of their accomplishments, and they should be encouraged by [this] recognition. ..."

The U.S. Senate passed a similar resolution in 1999, which declared Sept. 19-25 of that year "National Home Education Week."

According to the House resolution, approximately 1,700,000 children are home-schooled in the United States, "thus saving several billion dollars on public education each year."

Home-schoolers have particularly distinguished themselves in recent years through their exemplary performance in academic competitions. In the 2000 Scripps-Howard national spelling bee, home-educated students took first, second and third place. Home schoolers also placed first and second in the 1999 and 2000 National Geographic Society geography bees, respectively.

Additionally, they have performed exceptionally well on the SAT and have placed at or above the national average from 1997-2000 on the ACT.

Michael Smith, president of the Home School Legal Defense Association, which helped draft both the House and Senate resolutions, said, "Home education is thriving. Congressional recognition through this resolution emphasizes the point that home-schooling is a mainstream educational option for today's parents."

Neither the National Education Association nor the California Teachers Association returned calls for comment. The NEA has repeatedly expressed its disapproval of home education through a resolution first adopted in 1988 and reaffirmed in subsequent annual conventions. The resolution states, "home-schooling programs cannot provide the student with a comprehensive education experience."

The NEA's resolution, which totals less than 150 words, also states: "Home-schooling should be limited to the children of the immediate family, with all expenses being borne by the parents/guardians. Instruction should be by persons who are licensed by the appropriate state education licensure agency, and a curriculum approved by the state department of education should be used."

"The Association also believes that home-schooled students should not participate in any extracurricular activities in the public schools," the teachers' union resolution continues.