According to the story in this week’s edition of?Education Week?(registration required), the number of homeschooled students?taking Advanced Placement exams has tripled since 2000.?
My son John Calvin is one of them; he has already completed Microeconomics and U.S. Government and Politics, and this year he is working on biology, U.S. history,?and literature.? He and my wife Melanie were interviewed for?the article.
The story is positive, but true to form, the writer seemed to focus more on our political affiliation than my wife’s comment that our focus is on education, not test prep:?
Some parents help their home-schooled children patch together innovative self-study plans to prepare for AP tests.
When John Calvin Young of Smithville [sic], N.C., wanted to study for the AP U.S. government and politics exam, his mother, Melanie Young, selected a textbook and study aids. But they both believe the youth?s involvement in two campaigns for Republican candidates during the fall of 2004 and other political activities helped him score a 5 on the exam.
“One of the harder parts of the AP government stuff for me was remembering the details behind the legislative process or behind specific legislation from the past,” said Mr. Young.
That seems to be a recurring meme in education circles.? I wonder if the traditional questions to home educators, “It is legal?” and “What about socialization?”, are going to give way to a dismissive conclusion, “It’s a Republican thing” — which it most definitely is not.
