Category: Education

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Colorado: Meet Your Legislator Day on February 15

Posted on | by Jennifer Bright

By Carolyn Martin, CHEC Director of Government Relations

The following was originally published as “Legislative Update for December 20, 2023” at CHEC.org. It has been republished here with the author’s permission.

Laws, Rules, and Guidance

It is vital that homeschoolers meet their legislators and participate in Homeschool Day at the Capitol and Legislator Day events to protect homeschooling freedom. The legislature solely holds the authority to make laws, while the Executive Branch departments or agencies set the rules for implementing and enforcing those laws. They then use their rules to create guidance on how to follow the rules and comply with the law.

Over the past several years, the Colorado Department of Education (CDE) has been working on revising the rules around public school financing. The broad rule-making authority has been given to the State Board of Education (BOE) to promulgate rules around part-time programs (CRS 22-54-103(10)(e.5)). The BOE, an elected body, will be reviewing and voting on these rules in February. These changes will impact some part-time public-school programs utilized by homeschoolers.

Changes to Part-Time Programs?

Teacher Qualifications: Technically, they have not changed their guidelines around teacher qualifications for schools receiving funding. At the BOE meeting on December 13th, the CDE representative said they merely moved some of the language from their guidance document into the rules for clarity. School districts, charter schools, and BOCES can still receive waivers to allow teachers who do not have a teacher’s license to teach classes. Additionally, they made it clear in the rules that classes where the parents are the teachers will not be funded.

Eliminate K–5th Grade Online Part-Time Programs: They will no longer fund part-time pupils for asynchronous supplemental online learning for K–5th grade students. This is a change from current policy but is within their authority to decide. Those students must enroll in an online district school to receive those types of services.

Contracts With Instructional Providers: According to CDE, local school districts, charters, and BOCES have the authority to contract with third parties to provide educational services. From what they said, the proposed rules do not change the local control aspects of this provision, but they do add more accountability to these programs by adding additional documentation and hoops for them to go through to be funded.

Impacts on Independent Homeschoolers?

As long as a homeschool family does not enroll in a public-school program, these rules do not apply. While the attitude of education bureaucrats remains opposed to our right to homeschool, these rules do not threaten the homeschool law. But, as Treon Goossen, one of the co-authors of Colorado’s homeschool law, wrote concerning the danger of the emergence of part-time public-school programs, “The public school system wants the public/parents to believe that ‘it is all homeschooling’ so when they make their move to eliminate the control of parents over their independent homeschools and thrust them back under state control — it will appear to be the most natural thing to do.” (Read the full article and connect the dots.) She contended that these programs are a threat to our liberties.

As you know, CHEC works closely with HSLDA on all matters related to homeschooling. HSLDA’s position is that the current proposed rule changes only affect taxpayer-funded public programs and do not threaten the homeschool law. Additionally, HSLDA does not support tax-payer-funded public programs as the programs themselves have the potential to undermine private home education. CHEC and HSLDA will continue to work to ensure homeschooling families remain as free as possible from government control.

Remember: what the government funds, the government controls. CHEC envisions families honoring Jesus Christ by embracing Christ-centered home discipleship and free from government control. We will continue to monitor these rules as they move through the process and keep you informed.

Attend CHEC’s Meet Your Legislator Day – February 15th!

Find out what CHEC is doing this year and register. You won’t want to miss this opportunity for you and your family to help protect the homeschool law in Colorado!

Read the original CHEC article.

Carolyn Martin serves as CHEC’s Director of Government Relations, working for you and other liberty-loving families to protect homeschool freedom, parental rights, and religious liberty at the state capitol. Subscribe to the CHEC blog for Carolyn’s regular updates, learn more about legal issues in Colorado, and support Homeschool Freedom. Contact Carolyn directly at carolyn@chec.org.

two boys play in the ocean at a beach

Aim for 10,800 Hours

Posted on | by Sadie Aldaya

By Edward Murray

Happy New Year!

January 1st represents a day of goals and ‘bucket-list’ changes for people all over the country. Whether it be diet, exercise, smoking, or Tick-Tock (please put this on your list!), for a week or two, the topic of many conversations will be New Year’s Resolutions. It happens every year—for at least two weeks, gym-goers won’t find good access to an elliptical or stair-climber due to the sudden influx of newcomers. Yet, once the two-week mark hits, the facility returns to normal.

To put this another way, each year, resolutions fail because of nearsightedness. These so-called ‘goals’ are too fickle, short-term, and temporary. Moreover, as many have said before, the problem with resolutions is that they are singular resolutions instead of lifetime habits.

Instead, we make resolutions and household habits that aim for the long term. This year, let’s aim for 10,800 hours with our children.

Aim for 10,800 Hours

In his book Education: Does God Have an Opinion? A Biblical Apologetic for Christian Education & Homeschooling, Christian Educator and Apologist Israel Wayne (referencing Malcolm Gladwell) writes:

           “In 2008, in his book Outliers, best-selling author Malcolm Gladwell introduced a new concept to the American psyche. The ‘10,000-Hour-Rule” suggests that if you wish to truly excel in any field, you need to dedicate 10,000 hours of focused and targeted practice, study, and development. Successful musicians, athletes, artists, lawyers, actors, doctors, etc., have all given witness to investing this level of commitment into their craft.

           According to the Center for Public Education, most states require between 175 and 180 days of school or between 900 and 1,000 hours of instructional time per year, depending on the grade level. Taking the lower number of 900 annual hours, this calculates to a total of 10,800 hours of seat instruction for students enrolled in a government school for grades 1-12. Can you see where I’m headed with this? The goal of every Christian parent is to seek to utilize those 10,800 hours for the glory of God.“1

Think about how little time we have with our children in our homes—considering that at best we may have 18 years, then take out all the time they’re asleep or out with friends (not to mention public school, there goes eight more hours a day during the school year), an eternal perspective will show that our precious moments are fleeting.

Plan for the Last Day

In our culture, most, if not all, energy is expended planning for the first day. Think of how much effort and money we spend on wedding days (i.e., the first day of the marriage). Consider how much preparation young couples endure for the birth of their first child. Or fill in the blank for countless other life events: the first day of school, the first day of college, the first day on the job, etc.

We are good at aiming for the short term but largely miss it culturally for long-term planning. Imagine if we reversed it. Imagine what this would look like if we flipped it. What if, instead of investing in the first day, couples spent all their efforts and resources planning for the last day of the marriage?  

Thinking this way immediately brings to the forefront the need for daily habits rather than singular resolutions destined to fail in the first week or two.

Aiming for the Last Day is Nothing Less than Daily Discipleship

Begin this year thinking and praying about the last day your children will be in the home. Consider the words of the Psalmist:

“3Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. 4Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one’s youth. 5Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.” (Psalm 127:3-5 ESV)

Instruments for war. That’s what the scriptures tell us our children are. But as anyone who has ever served in the military or seen the Lord of the Rings will know, no one innately has the ability to wield weapons for war. Efficient usage requires training, and arrows need sharpening.

Moreover, as Wayne and Gladwell remind us, at best, we have 10,800 hours to invest in these arrows. However, consider that if you have a 10-year-old at home like I do, then your time is already—at least cut in half. With this little time, nothing less than serious stewardship, daily habits, and intentional-planned investment will cultivate what is needed for the last day.

In other words, this year, plan for discipleship, not for resolutions. Even thinking of that last day may pull on your heartstrings. If it does, then use it! Marinate on and pray for that last day! And resolve to invest each hour of each day to the best of your ability by the power of God! And never forget that you are not alone!

Edward Murray currently serves as Manager of Special Projects and Policy Research for Classical Conversations and The Homeschool Freedom Action Center. He is a native of Augusta, GA, and an alumnus of Reformed Theological Seminary in Charlotte, NC, where he earned his M.Div. He lives in Newport News, VA, with his wife and three children.

  1. Wayne, Israel. Education: Does God Have an Opinion? A Biblical Apologetic for Christian Education & Homeschooling. (2017, Master Books), p. 19. ↩︎
a boy concentrates on his homework, studying the design of airplanes

What are Our Schools “Really” Teaching?

Posted on | by Edward Murray

By Jennifer Bright

As contentious school board meetings were publicized in Virginia, I pondered about what was happening in my local area and what the schools were ‘really’ teaching. I started watching my local board meetings online to see the hot topics like library books, new curricula, charter schools, etc. For background, my community is one of the wealthier, conservative parishes with some of the best public schools. With the top schools, my area also has the largest number of homeschoolers in the state.

In addition to this, I wasn’t surprised to see inconspicuous, redefined language regarding social-emotional learning in the curriculum. So, I took a closer look at a few curriculum companies that my local school district uses:

Amplify Science

In early 2023, the local school board adopted a new science curriculum, Amplify Science. I did a quick search online to learn more about the company. From their website:

“Our goal is to make education, and thereby the world, more equitable and accessible… To do this, we hire and develop people with the broadest range of talents, life stories and experiences, and together we build a diverse and inclusive culture”.1

There are a few words that stick out: equitable, accessible, diverse, and inclusive. This is, on the surface DEI curriculum.

FranklinCovey Company: Leader in Me

Another curriculum company adopted this year by my local public schools is Leader in Me by the FranklinCovey company. Here is what the company says about itself:

“Inclusion is a core value at FranklinCovey. We know that building an inclusive work culture in which everyone is valued and respected contributes to our success. Our content and solutions encourage inclusion and embracing and celebrating different backgrounds, perspectives, and identities.

As a company, we prohibit discrimination as it relates to race, national or ethnic origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, education, disability status, socioeconomic status, religion, or any other characteristic… We are committed to serving our customers with respect and helping them improve their individual, team, and organizational performance to achieve extraordinary results and lasting change.” 2… FranklinCovey works with clients every day to steward diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives bolstered by our learning programs… Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion are in strong alignment with FranklinCovey’s core mission and values.”3

Do we not see those same words of diversity, inclusion, and equity (DEI) here as well? And the FranklinCovey company is committed to stewarding DEI in its learning programs, like Leader in Me.4

FranklinCovey company is very clear that they are proudly proclaiming DEI, CRT, and the alphabet mess.

Great Minds: Eureka Math

As a final test case, a popular math curriculum used by many schools around the country, as well as in my local public schools, is Eureka Math2; This math program states in its overview, “designed to advance equity in the math classroom.”5

In the Friday, Oct. 4, 2019 press release from Great Minds, they share “how its math and English language arts curricula integrate social and emotional learning into their core instruction.”

“Eureka Math® (PK–12) and Wit & Wisdom® (K–8) each foster the development of the five core competencies from the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL): self-awareness, social awareness, self-management, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making. The analyses explain how each curriculum aligns with the competencies and research, showing why the competencies are important to student development and academic learning.”6

This company was not as easy to identify if they were using CRT or committed to DEI. It is like a blip on a radar screen that is warning us that something is coming but not sure if it is a friend or foe. So, as a classically educated person, let’s define the terms:

What is Social Emotional Learning?

Social Emotional Learning (SEL) “is a systemic approach that emphasizes the importance of establishing equitable learning environments and coordinating practices across key settings of classrooms, schools, families, and communities to enhance all students’ social, emotional, and academic learning.”7

“Inequities based on race, ethnicity, class, language, gender identity, sexual orientation, and other factors are deeply ingrained in the vast majority of these systems and impact student and adult social, emotional, and academic learning. While SEL alone will not solve longstanding and deep-seated inequities in the education system, it can create the conditions needed for individuals and schools to examine and interrupt inequitable policies and practices, create more inclusive learning environments, and reveal and nurture the interests and assets of all individuals.”8

Is SEL a Trojan Horse for Critical Race Theory?

From a 2021 article, the Washington Examiner said social-emotional learning is a “Trojan horse” for both critical race theory and transgender advocacy being introduced and propagated in public schools. It is also being referred to as a “new variant of the “CRT-virus,” and “SEL education pipeline.”

Critical Race Theory (CRT) has evolved into a Social and Emotional Learning curriculum (SEL) known as Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI).  This has crept into our public school systems through its school curricula via teacher training programs. Words like “equity,” “social justice,” “diversity and inclusion,” and “culturally responsive teaching” sound harmless and pleasing, but their actual definitions are different than what they commonly mean.9

My local school district banned Critical Race theory from being taught in public schools. I am not so sure. So what are your local schools ‘really’ teaching?

Engage and Educate

We can’t just do internet searches on DEI and CRT and expect to find everything anymore. The enemy always appears as an angel of light, shifting its language to accomplish its goals. This is just scratching the surface of the cultural battle raging around us. Parents, we need to be sober and attentive to what curriculum providers are promoting. Do they align with our Christian values and beliefs?

We need to engage the culture, stand firm, and choose to educate in the Truth!

Classical Conversations has created a new math curriculum that is classical in pedagogy, with a Christian worldview, to teach and disciple our children in the Truth.  Check it out!

To learn more about the difference between equality and equity, read our recent blog.

Jennifer Bright is the Communication Manager for Research and Quality Assurance for Classical Conversations. Jennifer’s passions are classical Christian education and discipling the next generation to live for Christ. She supports homeschool families by tutoring their students with the classical tools of learning. Jennifer and her husband began their homeschool journey almost 20 years ago in Russia while serving as missionaries, and currently, they reside in Covington, Louisiana.

  1. “DEIA Statement”. Amplify. Retrieved 18th December 2023 ↩︎
  2. “Commitment to Diversity”. Franklin Covey. Retrieved 18th December 2023 ↩︎
  3. “Commitment to Diversity”. Franklin Covey. Retrieved 18th December 2023 ↩︎
  4. “Commitment to Diversity”. Franklin Covey. Retrieved 18th December 2023 ↩︎
  5. “Eureka Math Squared”. Great Minds. Retrieved 18th December 2023 ↩︎
  6. Colby, Chad. “Great Minds Curricula Integrate Social Emotional Learning with Instruction”. Great Minds. October 4, 2019. Retrieved 18th December 2023 ↩︎
  7. “Fundamentals of SEL—What is the Casel Framework”. CASEL. Retrieved 18th December 2023 ↩︎
  8. “Fundamentals of SEL—What is the Casel Framework”. CASEL. Retrieved 18th December 2023 ↩︎
  9. “Letter: The Failing Acronyms of CRT DEI and SEL”. Orange Town News. September 28, 2023. Retrieved 18th December 2023 ↩︎
the Texas capitol building

Get Ready! January & February Homeschool Days at the Capitol!

Posted on | by Sadie Aldaya

Capitol Days, Legislative Days, Homeschool Day at the Capitol, Pie Day, and other similar events foster communication between parents and their elected representatives. This is a great opportunity for you to teach your children the importance of the legislative process and help them mature into civic leaders who will help protect American freedoms.

The chart below lists January and February Capitol Days; you can also check your state’s dates here if it’s not listed below.

ArkansasFebruary 21, 2024
CaliforniaJanuary 17-19, 2024
ColoradoFebruary 15, 2024
FloridaFebruary 13, 2024
IdahoFebruary 7, 2024
HawaiiJanuary 29. 204
IndianaJanuary 18, 2024
KansasFebruary 1, 2024
MinnesotaFebruary 15, 2024
MississippiFebruary 28, 2024
NebraskaFebruary 7, 2024
New MexicoFebruary 1, 2024
OklahomaFebruary 6, 2024
OklahomaFebruary 13, 2024
OregonFebruary 29, 2024
South DakotaJanuary 18, 2024
UtahFebruary 8, 2024
VirginiaFebruary 8, 2024
West VirginiaFebruary 2, 2024
a person holding up a cardboard sign that says "Act Now"

Stand Against Proposal to Require Homeschool Registration in Michigan

Posted on | by Jennifer Bright

By Edward Murray

Core to our principles as homeschoolers is the fundamental right to autonomy in educating and discipling our children. However, year after year, representatives introduce legislation that ties homeschooling families to regulation and oversight in how we parent and educate. Even if the proposed law seems minuscule, be aware that once a law is on the books, 99% of the time, it grows, not the reversal.

If you think this isn’t a significant threat, realize that several United States politicians, states, and teachers’ unions are bullish about increasing regulation for homeschoolers. 

For these reasons, we’d like to stand with our friends at HSLDA and oppose Michigan Rep. Matt Koleszar’s proposal to require Homeschool registration. To find out how to join the cause, please click the button below and contact your representative. 

Join the Fight to Keep Our Homeschool Freedom!

For More on Homeschool and Government Regulation:

1. Parental Rights vs. Government Responsibility – Where to Draw the Line with William Estrada

2. ESAs: What You Need to Know with Israel Wayne

3. Educational Vouchers v. Free Market Education, with Leigh Bortins

4. I Run a Private School and am Against School Vouchers. Here’s Why

Edward Murray currently serves as Manager of Special Projects and Research for Classical Conversations and The Homeschool Freedom Action Center. He is a native of Augusta, GA, and an alumnus of Reformed Theological Seminary in Charlotte, NC, where he earned his M.Div. He lives in Newport News, VA, with his wife and three children.

a Classical Conversations family smiles at the camera, with text that says "Thankful for homeschool freedoms"

Are We Thankful for Our Freedom to Homeschool?

Posted on | by Edward Murray

By Edward Murray

“Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving . . . ” —Psalm 50:4 (ESV)

Fall is my favorite time of year, and for several reasons—one of which is because it marks the beginning of the holidays. However, one holiday stands out as my favorite: Thanksgiving. While this holiday may not recognize a biblically historical event, its intended is to direct us towards a biblical virtue of contentment: being thankful for what God has already given us. This month, let’s ask ourselves: Are we thankful for our freedom to homeschool? Put another way: Although homeschooling is our God-given right, are we thankful that our country currently recognizes our freedom to homeschool?

News outlets recently reported that states across the nation have seen exponential growth in homeschooling since the pandemic. In fact, “Homeschooling has become America’s fastest-growing form of education and continues to explode in popularity long after pandemic-era remote learning has ended . . . ”1

Are We Thankful for Homeschooling?

Mairead Elordi further reports, “Before the pandemic, there were 1.5 million homeschoolers in the U.S., according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Now, there are between 1.9 million and 2.7 million homeschoolers in the country, the Post’s analysis estimated. Only two states, Georgia and Maryland, have seen homeschooling return to pre-pandemic levels.”2

Although conservatives lost both houses in my state of Virginia recently, Danny Diggs (R) beat out Monty Mason (D) for the Twenty-Fourth Senate District, and for good reason. Recently, Mason was captured on hot mic mocking parental rights as “garbage, crap, and stupid.”3 Meanwhile, whatever is thought of his official performance, Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin made visible the parental-rights undercurrent when he ran on these issues and won.

What do we learn from all this? Although previous homeschoolers understood the threats in the 80s and 90s, now younger generations are awakening to these realities. The state is not to be ignored, and infringement is a constant danger. In other words, awareness is leading us to thankfulness and action.

It’s Easy to Forget

As a former pastor, I’ve made this principle a repetitive talking point. Thankfulness is not a passive state of being but an active discipline. Not to be too philosophical, but although we may reach a state of being thankful, biblically speaking, thankfulness is something we actively exercise, whether we are or not.

Many psychologists suggest beginning or ending each day with a list of at least 3–5 things we are thankful for. Why do we need this? Because we are naturally bent towards negativity and forgetfulness due to sin.4 This is why the Lord instructed His people to erect monuments and practice regular rhythms of festival and feasting in the Old Covenant. He knows our frame (Ps. 103:14) and knows our proclivity to failure when it comes to reminding younger generations (Josh 4:19–24). Throw all this in with these day-to-day realities:

  1. Homeschooling is hard.
  2. Making disciples is hard.
  3. Soul-winning is hard.
  4. Gathering ourselves for reflection when our energy is spent at the end of the day is hard.

Are we thankful for our freedom to homeschool? In many ways yes, we are! However, in many ways, we tend to drop the ball when it comes to being actively thankful. We’re distracted. If it takes sitting down and writing a daily list of three reasons to be thankful for our freedom, let’s do it.

Don’t Take Freedom for Granted

As I mentioned earlier, we currently have the freedom to personally educate our children. But let’s not take this for granted. Don’t fail to properly appreciate what we possess at this moment in history. Although homeschooling is our God-given right, the government’s willingness to recognize this is not to be assumed in a fallen world.

Although homeschooling is biblically normative (and was historically normative prior to the twentieth century), the legal prohibition against this is relatively recent. This current freedom is very fresh. Remember, it has only been since 1992 that all fifty states officially recognized homeschooling as a legal option.5

Moreover, you’ll recall that the Romeike family fled Germany in 2008 for asylum in the United States, solely for the opportunity to homeschool. They’re now under the threat of deportation by the U.S. government, with a temporary delay granted just October 6 of this year. Their stay is not guaranteed, and they still need our support.

Find out how you can help the Romeike family with our friends at HSLDA.

Although our current moment is witnessing a rapid increase and appreciation for homeschooling, critics and legislators continue to push for more government oversight. This shouldn’t be underestimated. Every year across the country, legislation swarms the halls of our capitols, sparkling with subsidies and laced with infringements. Don’t take your freedom to homeschool for granted. It is on the docket and at the ballot box every election.

How Then Should We Live?

This month, reflect on this question: Am I thankful for my freedom to homeschool? Current trends indicate that more are awakening to this blessing and that it’s something to fight for. Yet given our proclivity to forgetfulness, we need to endure with active thankfulness. Don’t take for granted the hard-won battles of generations past. Future generations are depending on us.

Legend has it that Ben Franklin was asked what type of government was created from the Constitutional Convention. His pithy response was, “A republic if you can keep it.” This mantra should ring in our heads as we reflect on our liberty to homeschool.

The principle is clear: If we want to keep our liberty, we must fight for it. It’s only ours “if we can keep it.” We cannot remain idle.

This Thanksgiving, let’s pause to be thankful for our freedom to homeschool. Additionally, let’s pray, celebrate, and feast in the presence of the Lord for this blessing. And when our meal is over, let’s be actively thankful by engaging our spheres of influence with awareness of what’s at stake.

Happy Thanksgiving!

“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” â€”1 Thessalonians 5:16–18 (ESV)

Edward Murray currently serves as Manager of Special Projects and Research for the Strategy and Corporate Affairs Team at Classical Conversations. He is a native of Augusta, Georgia, and an alumnus of Reformed Theological Seminary in Charlotte, North Carolina, where he earned his Master of Divinity. He currently lives in Newport News, Virginia, with his wife and three children.

  1. Peter Jamison, Laura Meckler, Prayag Gordy, Clara Ence Morse, and Chris Alcantara, “Home Schooling’s Rise from Fringe to Fastest-Growing Form of Education,” Washington Post, October 31, 2023, https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/interactive/2023/homeschooling-growth-data-by-district/.  ↩︎
  2. Mairead Elordi, “Homeschooling Continues to Rise Dramatically, WaPo Analysis Shows,” Daily Wire, November 1, 2023, https://www.dailywire.com/news/homeschooling-continues-to-rise-dramatically-wapo-analysis-shows. ↩︎
  3. Brandon Gillespie, “Democratic Lawmakers Caught on Hot Mic Mocking Parental Rights as ‘Garbage,’ ‘Stupid,’” Fox News, April 26, 2023, https://www.foxnews.com/politics/democratic-lawmakers-hot-mic-mocking-parental-rights-garbage-stupid. ↩︎
  4. Psychologists recognize a phenomenon labeled “negativity bias.” This refers to our brain’s response to negative stimuli with greater neural processing over positive stimuli. Because of this, we tend to find bad news more fixating than good, as well as see more lasting impact from negative experiences (e.g., insult, trauma, etc.) than positive experiences. For further reading, Kendra Cherry, “What Is the Negativity Bias,” Verywell Mind, November 13, 2023,. https://www.verywellmind.com/negative-bias-4589618. ↩︎
  5. “The History of Homeschooling in the United States,” Northgate Academy, January 12, 2022, https://www.northgateacademy.com/the-history-of-homeschooling-in-the-united-states/#:~:text=In%201992%2C%20homeschooling%20was%20officially,to%20750%2C000%20students%20in%201995. ↩︎
a red "I voted" sticker

Vote for Liberty

Posted on | by Edward Murray

By Lauren Gideon

A few people have asked for my recommendations for upcoming school board seats up for election. I know of some good people running, and I will give you their names in a heartbeat because I have much respect for them. However, in the spirit of full disclosure, I am convinced that school board elections are a waste of good people, time, and resources in the year 2023.

State School Snare: Incapable of Giving You the Tools Needed to Flourish

Government schools are captured on so many levels. Unfortunately, there is little chance for reform. Even if you gave the necessary people, time, and resources to the cause, the reality is that liberating education is not in a growing government’s best interest. An education that teaches the proper affection toward liberty and a proper fear of consolidated power would threaten a growing government; thus, the state schools are incapable of giving you the tools needed to flourish. The government will use its schools to propagate the expansion of itself. (This we can already see.) At this rate, how many graduating classes currently stand between where we are at now and implementing and embracing absolute socialism?

The only mechanism to stop the suppression of liberty is to defund state education and the Department of Education. However, the moment you say that out loud, you had better expect a very loud and in-your-face question from an unimaginative population that screams, “BUT WHAT WILL WE DO WITHOUT STATE EDUCATION?!?”
 
Well, the first reality is that in the state of Iowa, where I live, $3.7 billion (thanks to the latest increase due to school choice policies) will flood back into the Iowa free-market education economy. Consequently, all sorts of options become possible.

Unsatisfied, the same doubters will insist that Iowans will not fund education through any other method than coercive taxation.

This also is no cause for alarm since, historically speaking, the free market has the potential to offer a higher quality education for less than 50 percent of the cost of government education.

Self-Fund or Secure Private Funding for Education?

But the ultimate concerns from skeptics will sound something like this: “What will happen if parents won’t self-fund or secure private funding for their children’s education? Will we end up with a population of uneducated children that will be a liability to our state? Consequently, it must be in our state’s best interest to fund and force government education on children.”

This question is powerful because it shows the true colors of our culture and reveals our flawed presumptions:

1. We presume that the state cares more for children than their parents.

2. We presume that the state is responsible for parental failures.

3. Finally, we reveal that we would rather trust our mechanisms of control than embrace the responsibility of freedom.

Because of this reality, the economics of the issue do not really matter.

Freedom Is a Dangerous Currency

Freedom is an invitation to responsibility, but it allows for the opportunity to embrace or reject that responsibility. Freedom does not protect from failure. The question has to be asked: do our states even want freedom? Does our nation? The Proverbs speak of two women, Lady Folly and Lady Wisdom, and the choice to be made. Similarly, in our modern context, there are also two women: Lady Liberty and the Lady “Nanny.” This choice is more fundamental than any political party, as the siren call from Lady Nanny beckons all. She whispers empty promises of safety and security and blinds us to the opportunity and blessings found with Lady Liberty.

Vote for Liberty

When election day arrives, there will be choices. Step one is to vote for candidates that are appropriately shutting out the Nanny’s calls. Step two, after election day, will you build relationships in your community and with those that represent you? Will you advocate for Liberty and warn against the deceptive promises of the Nanny?

Lauren Gideon is the Director of Public Relations for Classical Conversations. She co-leads and teaches through an organization committed to raising citizenship IQ on U.S. founding documents. She and her husband homeschool their seven children on their small acreage, where they are enjoying their new adventures in homesteading.

hands clasped together in prayer, resting over an open Bible

National Homeschool Day of Prayer Today!

Posted on | by Edward Murray

By Lauren Gideon

“. . . she couldn’t see the forest for the trees.”

Pray, Pray, and Pray Some More

If you are a mom like me, homeschooling is not new to your family’s rhythm. My oldest is a senior, and I have been his primary teacher since he was born. Right now, my prayers naturally turn toward asking for wisdom for this new season and what lies ahead for him and our relationship. I also naturally pray through the changes our family has been going through this last year and the changes still to come. I pray over the new events and trials for others in my life. I pray for the “new trees.”

In the forest of my life, sometimes I lose sight of what’s going on around me because it all looks the same. Most people have heard of nose blindness to the smells we’ve become accustomed to, but could there be a blindness to the consistent rhythms of our lives? My cousin once told me of a lady she knew who would literally stand in the bread aisle and pray over which loaf of bread to buy. That has never been my style, but could there be a chance that I am missing out on paying attention to and praying for the things that aren’t new, the things I find ordinary?

Today is National Day of Prayer

That is where my thoughts took me when I learned of Homeschool Freedom’s National Homeschool Day of Prayer. Here is the list of ideas this organization suggests should inform your prayers.

PLEASE JOIN US AND OTHER HOMESCHOOLERS ACROSS THE COUNTRY AS WE:

  • Give thanks for the freedom we have to homeschool our children,
  • Pray for homeschooling families in your own nation and around the world,
  • Pray for upcoming elections and the impact they may have on homeschooling,
  • Pray for your state’s homeschool organization and its leaders,
  • Pray for your elected officials to recognize that the education of children is the responsibility of the parents, not that of the nation,
  • Pray for your own family—your homeschooling journey and the Lord’s guidance as you take that journey, your relationships with one another, your own children and their futures, as well as seeking ways your family can minister to others,
  • Rejoice in God’s mercy and His faithfulness in all things.

If you’re like me, it’s good to have these reminders to help us see what we have become accustomed to seeing. If you are reading this, I’m praying for you, too. Wherever you are in your homeschooling journey, I pray that you will see the tiny miracles of grace happening in yourself and in the lives around you, that you won’t take a single school day (which is every day) for granted, and that you will invest each moment for the sake of the kingdom and for the smile of your Father.

Head over to Homeschool Freedom’s Facebook page today for additional prayer prompts and live guests.

Lauren Gideon is the Manager of Grassroots Advocacy for Classical Conversations. She co-leads and teaches through an organization committed to raising citizenship IQ on U.S. founding documents. She and her husband homeschool their seven children on their small acreage, where they are enjoying their new adventures in homesteading.

The back of a graduate's head, facing a blurred out background of other graduates

Government Funding Private Education Is Not the Solution

Posted on | by Edward Murray

By Robert Bortins (CEO, Classical Conversations)

I was recently at a conservative policy event that promoted the supposed benefits of universal school choice. Ironically, the event reaffirmed my opposition to this policy, even though I would benefit personally and financially from the outcomes.

First, universal school choice creates an economic dependency on government funding. Second, it’s not a free market solution. Finally, it really isn’t even a conservative policy, even if the big think tanks like the Heritage Foundation and Americans for Prosperity have jumped onboard the taxpayer gravy train. Hats off to the Texas legislators for not jumping in the deep end with SB 1 like other states have (and will come to regret).

I Don’t Co-Parent with the Government.

You may have seen the t-shirt slogan that says, “I don’t co-parent with the government.” Well, if universal school choice is enacted, then everyone will be co-parenting with the Texas state government.

Due to demand-side economics, we are experiencing massive inflation around the U.S. The Heritage Foundation study that claimed ESAs don’t cause inflation is deceptive because the think tank didn’t use any data that reflects recent laws and current bills. Instead, the Heritage Foundation based its findings on less recent measures targeting individuals with learning disabilities and low income rather than parents who already pay for their child’s private education. That study advocates for oranges because apples. The reasoning is unsound.

Since when was relying on the government to subsidize healthy middle-class and rich families a conservative policy, anyway?

Is Universal School Choice a “Free Market” Solution?

You may have heard someone say universal school choice is a “free market solution.” No, it isn’t. Someone pushing universal school choice once told me that a free market is one where the government gives everyone the same amount of money that they can spend anywhere they want. All I could think of was that scene from The Princess Bride with Inigo Montoya: “You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.”

Let’s break out the dictionary. Investopedia defines a free market as “one where voluntary exchange and the laws of supply and demand provide the sole basis for the economic system, without government intervention.” Clearly, the government giving families $8,000 a year, sourced from their neighbors’ taxes, isn’t a free market solution.

Universal basic education income is not a conservative policy. It is a neoliberal policy. Just wait for Amazon, Disney, Microsoft, and Apple to start buying up schools and implementing the ruinous principles of ESG investing across private school platforms. Wait until they start data mining your children. Just wait for China to start buying up those private school platforms and data mining your children.

Or don’t wait: they’re already doing that around the country in states that have implemented universal school choice programs.

Let me leave you with a story.

My friend Rachel is a leader for Classical Conversations in Arizona, and quite frankly, our leaders don’t take neoliberal school choice funds. However, she was recently talking to a friend who had taken ESA money and was happy for the funds.

Her friend said, “I used to work part-time to homeschool. I’d have my aunt come over and watch the kids for me so that I could go to work. Now I don’t have to do that!”

Rachel, trained in the tools of rhetoric, politely said, “Let me make sure I understand what you’re saying. Before, you relied on your own hard work and your family, and now, you rely on the government.’”

Her friend’s eyes widened as she realized what she’d done.

I would strongly urge Texas legislators to drop school choice altogether until the results of those bills that have passed in other states can be thoroughly studied.

States tax receipts are starting to plummet as the looming recession becomes apparent. A state surplus in funds can quickly become a deficit, and welfare programs like universal school choice are notoriously hard to eliminate in the future, even when they become economically unsustainable.

The government funding of so-called school choice creates economic dependency. It is not a free market solution, and it isn’t a conservative policy.

Robert Bortins is the CEO of Classical Conversations® and the host of Refining Rhetoric. The company has grown from supporting homeschoolers in about 40 states to supporting homeschoolers in over 50 countries and has become the world’s largest classical homeschooling organization under his guidance.

This op. ed. was originally posted in San Antonio Express News on Oct. 16, 2023. To read the original post, please visit here.

hands clasped together in prayer, resting over an open Bible

Colorado Homeschool Freedom Prayer Update

Posted on | by Edward Murray

By Carolyn Martin

“The Lord is a jealous and avenging God; the Lord is avenging and wrathful; the Lord takes vengeance on his adversaries and keeps wrath for his enemies. The Lord is slow to anger and great in power, and the Lord will by no means clear the guilty. His way is in whirlwind and storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet.”

Nahum 1:2–3 ESV

The Lord sees all that we are dealing with and will by no means let it go unjudged. As I try to prepare for the next session, the storm clouds continue to build on the horizon. The power of those legislators holding a Marxist worldview is growing, and the rhetoric against God’s created order continues to confound reason. Meanwhile, I can only sit by and watch as those advocating for the growth of government through private-public partnerships as a way to disrupt the status quo in education build their kingdom which is antithetical to His kingdom. Yet, God’s power is greater, and His way is in the whirlwind and the storm!

There is no doubt a storm is coming, bringing destruction in its clouds. The exact characteristics of the storm remain hazy. Knowing the Lord is in the midst of the storm gives assurance to all who trust in His way. Yet, to stand on the edge of the storm as the winds howl and push against your resolve can be overwhelming. I am thankful that God has each of you praying for me, for His will to be done, and for the protection of His people. I am even more grateful that He allows me to meet many of you and thank you in person for upholding me and having a heart for the work He has me doing even when we can’t see the results.

Please continue to pray that I will be guided by His hand and remain steadfast in following His way as the storm clouds strengthen and build.

PRAISE!

  1. Praise God that He is IN the whirlwind and the storm!
  2. Praise God that He is trustworthy.

PRAY!

  1. Pray that God will allow me to speak the words He has ordained and those who hear them will listen.
  2. Pray that God will call more people to come to the Capitol to pray!
  3. Pray for the Lord to raise up an army to counter the lies spoken in His name.
  4. Pray for the hearts of the legislators God has called to the Capitol to be strengthened by His mighty power.
  5. Pray for His wisdom to be revealed to His people in order to overcome what is to come.
  6. Pray that God will protect His people from the repercussions of bad laws.
  7. Pray for His love to overwhelm those working at the Capitol who are seeking Him.
  8. Pray for God’s grace to abound and that the Senate will give us a room to pray in at the Capitol.

Action Items:

  1. Encourage everyone you know to vote. Ballots go out beginning October 16th. Read my most recent blog post on voting this ballot here and follow the links!
  2. Consider joining the CHEC Legislative District Connection (LDC)! I need people throughout Colorado who will commit to making connections with YOUR legislators. Legislators are more apt to listen to their constituents, who can actually impact whether they get elected again or not. We meet via Zoom on the first Monday night of every month to discuss what’s going on at the Capitol and learn about all things dealing with the legislature. Sign up here.

Carolyn Martin is the Director of Government Relations for Christian Home Educators of Colorado (CHEC). She and her husband, Todd, began homeschooling their three children in upstate New York before moving to Colorado in 2004. Her passion is to see homeschooling remain free from government intrusion for future generations.