Context
Will the home educated grow up to be narrow-minded and in- tolerant? Bigoted? Fully prejudiced against others who are different?
New research on political intolerance
will;likely;surprise;many,;especially;neg-ative critics of parent-led home-based
education.
One university professor clearly im-
plied several years ago that homeschool-
ing cannot properly prepare children to
be;good;adults,;good;citizens.;In;his;arti-
cle,;“The;Civic;Perils;of;Homeschooling,”
Dr. Reich wrote:
. . . [State-run] Schooling is one of
the few remaining social institu-
tions—or civic intermediaries—in
which people from all walks of life
have a common interest and in
which children might come to learn
such common values as decency,
civility,;and;respect.
1
In;other;words,;he;claimed;that;chil-dren,;under;the;guidance;of;their;par-ents,;friends,;and;churches,;simply;can-not become what they should without
the oversight of the State and institutional schooling.
I recently explained that those who
are pessimistic about homeschooling
such as Dr. Reich do not base their
worries on solid evidence. I wrote the
following:
Regarding the four categories [of
negativity toward homeschooling]
just;mentioned,;it;should;be;noted
first that none of those persons
proactively oppositional to home-
schooling or promoting significant
state control over homeschooling
offer any empirically based evidence
that home education is bad for the
The
Informed
Homeschooler
Dr. Brian D. Ray
Are the Homeschooled
More Politically Tolerant?
Political;tolerance;is;“.;.;.;defined;as;the;willingness;to;extend;basic;civil;liberties;to
political;or;social;groups;that;hold;views;with;which;one;disagrees”
