ep. 199: The Homeschool Lobby
How has homeschooling gone from being illegal in the US to wildly unregulated in many states? The Homeschool Legal Defense Association, aka the homeschool lobby, is one of the most powerful grassroots networks you've probably never heard of. Cristen talks to reporters Meena Hart Duerson and Julia Lindau about the homeschool lobby's stealth politics; its connection to abortion bans and anti-LGBTQ laws; and why more parents across the political spectrum are choosing homeschooling. The pair investigated it all for the Vice News doc, The Secret Power of Homeschoolers.
guests:
sources:
Averett, Kate Henley. The Homeschool Choice: Parents and the Privatization of Education. NYU Press. 2021.
Brangham, William and Fecteau, Mary. How homeschooling’s rise during the pandemic has impacted traditional school enrollment. PBS Newshour. May 18, 2023.
Gaither, Milton. The Wiley Handbook of Home Education. Wiley. 2016.
Gaither, Milton. Homeschool: An American History. Palgrave Macmillan. 2017.
Huseman, Jessica. Small Group Goes to Great Lengths to Block Homeschooling Regulation. Pro Publica. Aug 27, 2015.
Jolly, Jennifer L. and Kunzman, Robert. Are homeschoolers prepared for life? Post-Pandemic Future of Homeschooling Conference. Harvard Kennedy Center. May 20, 2021.
Knowles, J. Gary; Marlow, Stacy E.; and Muchmore, James A. From Pedagogy to Ideology: Origins and Phases of Home Education in the United States, 1970-1990. American Journal of Education. Feb 1992.
National Center for Education Statistics. Homeschooled Children and Reasons for Homeschooling. Condition of Education. U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences. 2022.
Phillips, Maggie. Do Children Have a Right to an Education? Tablet. Oct 25, 2021.
Schultz, Brooke. EXPLAINER: The history behind ‘parents’ rights’ in schools. Associated Press. Nov 14, 2022.
Vice News. The Secret Power of Homeschoolers. Oct 12, 2022.
