Looking for the Democrat Candidate for Choice

(but not the kind of "Choice" normally associated with Democrats)

For most of my voting years (of which there have been--gulp--22), I have agreed with the Democrats on the major issues.  And, by "major issues", I mean those issues that were important to me as a single woman, a business person, and a wife and new mom. 

Now that my children are either school-age, or quickly approaching it, these "major issues" now include education.  For a long time, I assumed my children would attend our town's public schools (in fact, a major factor in moving here was the reputation of its public school system).  Instead, we decided to homeschool, an option which seems to have more in common with the Republicans'  education agenda than the Democrats'.

Homeschooling families are often grouped into one category: the "Conservative Christian" category.   Therefore, it is not surprising that only the Republican candidates give much lip service to the topic.  Rudy Giulani, Mike Huckabee, Ron Paul and Mitt Romney  all have statements referring to homeschooling on their campaign websites (Fred Thompson and John McCain do not).   In contrast, Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and John Edwards say nothing about homeschooling on their official websites.

The problem with this is that I do not agree with 99% of the other issues those Republican candidates support.  So, I have had to look beyond the Democrat candidates' "official sites" to see if they have said anything about homeschooling in the public arena.

For Senator Clinton, there is very little; only one vague, unsubstantiated comment that she once viewed homeschooling families as part of the Vast Right Wing Conspiracy.   However, I could not find any evidence that she ever said this.  Given, though, that she has the support of the NEA behind her, I do not expect that she will say much publicly to support homeschooling as a viable option for families.

Senator Edwards is interesting in that he and his wife have pulled their children, albeit temporarily, from the public schools so that they can travel with them during this time of campaigning.  However, they are very careful to say that this is a temporary decision, that they are using a a "certified teacher"  who works in a makeshift classroom, and that the kids still have a regular school day.  Whether or not  Edwards actually supports the broader notion of homeschooling is yet to be seen.

Senator Obama's gives a small nod to homeschooling in his book, The Audacity of Hope.   On page 344, he writes, "Of course, none of these policies need discourage families from deciding to keep a parent at home, regardless of the financial sacrifices.  For some families, that may mean doing without certain material comforts.  For others, it may mean home schooling. . ."  On his  campaign website, a blogger writes this analysis of Obama and his views on homeschooling.

So, for now, I must be satisfied with these little tidbits of information.  And hope that whoever ends up in charge of our country supports a parents right to choose the education their child receives.

For more of the candidates' views on education, see their campaign websites or check out this and this.

Comments

[margalit]

I've heard both Elizabeth Edwards and John Edwards speak on homeschooling their kids. They use the words homeschooling, and they are definately following the whole homeschooling idea of child led education. The reason they say they have a certified teacher on the web site is that they have endorsements by various teacher's unions. Remember, they don't write the web content themselves, and it's quite likely that there was a huge amount of discussion around how to present homeschooling as acceptable to the masses (it's not) while still being clear that they support homeschooling and homeschoolers.

I'd MUCH rather support a candidate that is already homeschooling their kids than one that sent their kids to a tony private school (Clinton) or who keep their kids at home in their nice public school (Obama) or whose kids are all grown up, but attended private schools (Romney). To me, it's a no-brainer. If they're homeschooling they are more likely to be welcoming to homeschoolers.

[Nell]

I was homeschooled when I was younger, and while my daughter is currently attending public school, I certainly value the idea of homeschooling as an option, but I haven't felt that the concept of homeschooling has been threatened in any way by Democrats. In terms of education I am all for improving the quality of public schools across the nation (not everyone has the option of homeschooling, even if they want to) and part of the threat to our public education comes from budget cuts - made by Republicans - and the increased use of standardized testing - promoted by Republicans.

I am far more concerned about the push for privatization of our public schools (did you know that some of the "public" schools in Philadelphia are run by the Victory Company?) as well as the move towards testing based education, than I am about anyone trying to get rid of the homeschooling option. Like it or not, being lumped in with the conservative Christian movement might be an asset when it comes to maintaining our right to homeschool.

I can appreciate the desire for a candidate to hold a favorable position on homeschooling, but in terms of education policy, I don't think that the right to homeschool is in as much immediate jeopardy as the quality of public education.

[Daisy]

I'm NEA and I support homeschooling when it's done well. Another option is virtual schools; a public school that supplies the materials and the curriculum, but the parent does the actual teaching. Children learn in so many different ways; there's no one perfect fit for all.

[pinks & blues girls]

It's funny because one of the first things that always comes to my mind when I think of homeschooling is (as you touched upon) "Conservative Christian" alert! When I didn't see your blog posts begin with a line from scripture, I started to realize that that isn't always the case. ;)

I haven't made a decision yet as far as a candidate to back. I, too, have my own issues that I need to consider the different candidates' opinions on. I think I'm going to have to wait until the pool is narrowed down because there are too many candidates for me right now!

Jane, Pinks & Blues

[melissa]

thank you for this information! I am an independant progressive homeschooler (shouldn't those words be rhetotical?) smack in the middle of the bible belt. We are fortunate to live in a state with very lax homeschooling laws, but I find myself surrounded by a very conservative right, albeit VERY SUPPORTIVE and active homeschool community. My family feels blessed to be given so many homeschooling opprotunities, but it has been really scary seeing where many of our homeschooling peers stand politically. What, are we too scattered, as progressive homeschoolers, to band together as the conservative homeschoolers have done, and call attention to ourselves and our cause and our voting influence? I have a sinking feeling that in the past, we have been just too overwhelmed by all the beuracracy and just failed to find a voice with which to vote...