(crossposted in hurricane_fema)

CNN reports that due to the general confusion (to the point of malign incompetence) regarding schooling of Katrina evacuees (including difficulties in admission and school systems often being unwilling to assist Katrina evacuee children), many are resorting to homeschooling programs:

http://www.cnn.com/2005/EDUCATION/10/06/katrina.homeschools.ap/index.html

I would not be nearly as worried about this development were it not for the following:

( a) Heavy dominance of homeschool groups by groups with a dominionist agenda )

( b) Minimal standards and poor educational quality of many homeschool programs )

( c) Dominionist pressure to force kids into sectarian voucher or homeschool programs )

ADDENDUM (as it appears I didn't make it too clear :P):

I should note that I am not wholescale condemning homeschooling entirely. I do realise that there are legitimate cases for homeschooling (subpar education in a public school system, for starters, or persons with learning styles that are not met in public schools).

My concern is not with homeschooling in general, but with a specific subset in the homeschool community that--in many areas, especially in the Southeast and Midwest US--has essentially hijacked most of the existing support groups for homeschooling, and is using homeschooling to promote a very specific agenda (that of converting the United States to a religious theocracy and that the US was intended as a dominionist religious theocracy where even non-dominionist Christian denominations would not be welcome).

Many of the groups that have hijacked homeschooling support forums and groups in these states (much to the consternation of people who have legitimate, secular reasons for homeschooling and may wish info on "unschooling" or open-learning homeschooling) are themselves linked to some of the same groups that are pushing things like "Operation Blessing" and "Dream Center" which are only offering help "with strings attached".

In some states, it is *very* difficult--even if you ARE familiar with homeschooling and have considered it for a while, done the research, etc.--to even *find* support groups for homeschooling that are not explicitly dominionist or Christian Reconstructionist.

In other words, my concern is far less about the fact the kids are being homeschooled (in some cases here, they really dont have a choice) but that dominionist groups are targeting folks who are essentially newbies to the whole idea of homeschooling.

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY jehovahsfitness)

http://www.onnnews.com/Global/story.asp?S=3943412