Larry and Susan Kaseman have regular columns in Home Education
Magazine that usually concern some controversial topic about
the homeschool movement.
Convincing
Others We Don't Want Homeschooling Legislation
Proposals are frequently made for new legislation affecting homeschoolers
which might also be entitled "Legislation That Undermines
Homeschooling Freedoms."
Curfews
and Homeschoolers
Daytime curfews require that police stop and question young people
who appear to be of school age but are not in a school building
during conventional school hours. Those who cannot provide a
convincing reason for not being in school are either fined or
taken into custody.
Distinctiveness
In order to hang on to what makes homeschooling distinctive,
we need to act in ways that will maintain these differences and
prevent homeschooling from being reduced to schooling by becoming
a small, insignificant part of conventional schooling.
Don't
Let Compulsory Attendance Turn into Compulsory Education
The Kasemans explain what compulsory school attendance laws actually
require, why so many people fail to understand the distinction
between compulsory attendance and compulsory education, and how
homeschoolers and others can use this distinction. by Larry &
Susan Kaseman - HEM J/A 05
Eight
Principles for New and Experienced Homeschoolers
The Kasemans offer few simple principles for maintaining homeschooling
freedoms. By Larry & Susan Kaseman - HEM S/O 05
Graduation
Tests
Public school students in 25 states are now or will soon be required
to pass a state-mandated graduation test to receive a high school
diploma.
Homeschooling
In Public Schools: A Dangerous Oxymoron
In some parts of the country, especially Alaska and California,
programs have been established, coordinated, and funded by public
schools for families who want their children to learn at home
at least part of the time.
Homeschooling:
Our Perspectives, Their Views
This column discusses how our perceptions of homeschooling shape
the way homeschooling is viewed by others, important points to
communicate, pitfalls to avoid, and ways we can respond to commonly
asked questions.By Larry & Susan Kaseman, HEM M/A 05.
How
William Bennett's Public E-Schools Affect Homeschooling
In his role as a key promoter of public e-schools, Bennett is
acting in ways that disregard our interests as homeschoolers
and undermine our homeschooling freedoms.In his role as a key
promoter of public e-schools, Bennett is acting in ways that
disregard our interests as homeschoolers and undermine our homeschooling
freedoms. By Larry and Susan Kaseman, HEM N/D 2002.
HSLDA
Study: Embarrassing and Dangerous
This study reports on the academic achievements of only a very
narrow group of homeschoolers and is not at all representative
of the homeschooling community as a whole, so its findings do
not apply to homeschoolers in general.
Increased
Mental Health Screening? Are You Crazy!?!
The Kasemans explain why increased mental health screening, encouraged
by the federal government in response to strong marketing and
lobbying by the pharmaceutical industry, concerns us all.
Legislative
Challenges
Responding to current legislative challenges promoted by national
organizations. A problem arises when we allow the state to claim
and define rights that we already have, independent of the state.
Let's
Keep Homeschoolers Out Of Public School ID Systems
This column will discuss reasons the ID numbers and databases
are being established, problems with them, and what we can do
to help ensure that we homeschoolers are not drawn into them.
By Larry and Susan Kaseman, HEM M/J 2004.
Practical
Ways to Claim Responsibility for Our Homeschools
One of the key ways we can maintain our homeschooling freedoms
is by making it clear both to ourselves and to public officials
that the responsibility for our homeschools is ours and not theirs.
Problems
with Legislation to Prevent "Unqualified" Families
From Homeschooling
Do we really want the government to have the authority to decide
who's qualified to homeschool and how we should homeschool? Larry
and Susan Kaseman, HEM.
Putting
College Rankings in Their Place
The Kasemans explore the option of college, discussing current
trends in higher education, and explain how the realities of
college are not as rosy as popular culture portrays them. By
Larry & Susan Kaseman, HEM J/F 06.
Tax
Credits
Are tax credits for private schools, including homeschools, a
good idea whose time has come? Or are they a misleading political
move that will actually provide families with very little money
while they increase government control of private education and
reduce our educational freedoms?
Tax
Credits: Carrots, Sticks, and Strings
The Kasemans explore education tax credits for homeschoolers
- and explain why they're not what they seem to be. By Larry
& Susan Kaseman - HEM N/D 05
Watchdogging
the Media
This column presents details on the misinformation from The Legal
Edge, explores obvious and subtle ways in which it does damage,
and offers suggestions for what we can do.
Working
for Homeschooling Freedoms: Chore or Opportunity?
Many homeschoolers (including readers of this column) are actively
working to maintain homeschooling freedoms, which benefits all
homeschoolers. But many other homeschoolers are not.
Your
Homeschooling Decisions Affect My Homeschooling Freedoms
Why we need to be free from unnecessary state regulation, why
it is difficult to do this, and what we can do to reclaim and
maintain homeschooling freedoms, including situations when this
means giving up something our family wants. By Larry and Susan
Kaseman. HEM M/A 01.