Can someone please let me know what this means from Obama...
Prepare Teachers: Obama and Biden will require all schools of education to be accredited. Obama and Biden will also create a voluntary national performance assessment so we can be sure that every new educator is trained and ready to walk into the classroom and start teaching effectively.
This is from Obama's website, as a homeschooling parent I'm concerned about "all schools of education be accredited" and "every new educator is trained"
I'm sorry but that sounds like it would be very difficult to educate my children in my home.
My Answer:
Ryan,
Unless you are trying to educate them to be teachers, and unless you expect to be able to give them certificates that will qualify them to teach in schools, you shouldn't worry. If you are running a "school of education," that is a place where education classes are taught and teachers are trained, you will have to be accredited, or else you will not be able to graduate certified teachers. If you are teaching children to read and write, do math, remember the Pharaohs in order, and stuff like that, then this doesn't apply to you. :)
For examples of schools of education, click here.
It is clear from the official rhetoric that Obama would not be interested in curtailing homeschooling rights, only increasing the standards for outschooling programs. BUT, I do wish his campaign had made a formal statement re: homeschooling. The McCain/Palin ticket "officially" came out in support of parents' rights to homeschool. I think this is because homeschoolers are generally still percieved as being members of the religious right.
ReplyDeleteSadly, some homeschoolers may view the absence of an official homeschool support statement as a threat to their homeschooling rights. Thanks for publicizing the BIG difference between a formal "school of education" and the choice to homeschool.
As always, politicians are extremely vague in the terms that they use. Really frustrating sometimes.
ReplyDeleteTeacher's Professional Development
And does this so called accredited concept apply to nurse training schools?
ReplyDelete