By David From -
The current contest for Governor presents some commonality and some clear contrasts between the two major party candidates on important issues. One area of clear contrast is on the issue of educational choice- an issue very important to me, both personally and as a matter of policy.
My wife and I believe that one of the best ways we can help our children grow to be good people and who will give back to society is by giving our children a solid education, in our case choosing to homeschool our kids. As the son of public educators and a product of public schools, I was not a likely candidate for home education. However, seeing my children thrive in an enriching environment has deepened my belief in the value of homeschooling. I’m not alone – home education has gone mainstream and tens of thousands of families in Illinois have chosen this path.
The good news is that right now, those families are generally free to educate their children as they see best. Despite our state’s trend towards heavy state intervention, Illinois affords parents a lot of freedom in deciding how best to educate their children at home.
Unfortunately, the entrenched education special interests are not content to let a thousand educational flowers bloom.
The teachers unions and their elected allies have signaled that they want to restrict educational freedom, including for homeschoolers. Just as groups like the Illinois Education Association and the Illinois Federation of Teachers oppose any form of school choice, they are working with their legislative allies to erode parents’ freedom to determine how their child is educated.
The IEA Legislative Platform for 2013-4 states, “The Association opposes home schooling programs.” Of course, parents who teach their children are not unionized and do not pay compulsory union dues to the IEA or IFT, perhaps the real reason for the unions’ opposition to greater education freedom.
Pro-homeschool groups like the Home School Legal Defense Association and the Illinois Christian Home Educators have been very effective at defending the freedom of home educators in the state by mobilizing thousands of homeschool parents and students to undertake grassroots lobbying efforts. Their efforts have kept the Land of Lincoln friendly to homeschooling. But the powerful opponents of educational choice frequently seek ways to restrict this freedom through registration requirements, truancy laws and proposed curriculum requirements, among other measures. The price of educational freedom is eternal vigilance – and some shoe leather at our state capitol.
Governor Pat Quinn was recently endorsed by the IEA and the IFT and has not been a friend to educational choice. While making decisions about who should lead this state, parents should be mindful of which leaders will preserve our freedom to choose how our children are educated. Call the candidates for Governor and your state legislators - Republican or Democrat - and ask them where they stand. Those of us who care about homeschooling and greater education freedom in Illinois must hold our politicians accountable and ensure they will protect our freedoms.
David W. From is the Illinois State Director of Americans for Prosperity. He and his wife live in West Chicago, IL where they homeschool their children.
