Reported 9/21 in Politico Pro:
Education Secretary John B. King Jr. said today that he’s concerned that homeschooled students aren’t “getting the range of options that are good for all kids.”
But King also said he’s aware of homeschooling families “doing it incredibly well” and he knew of students in college who had “very tremendous academic success.”
“Obviously, it’s up to families if they want to take a homeschool approach,” King said, when asked about the topic during a Christian Science Monitor breakfast with reporters.
King noted that research shows homeschooling is growing in popularity.
But King said he worries that “students who are homeschooled are not getting kind of the rapid instructional experience they would get in school” – unless parents are “very intentional about it.”
King said the school experience includes building relationships with peers, teachers and mentors – elements which are difficult to achieve in homeschooling, he said, unless parents focus on it.
Sec. King’s dubious statements about parental intent and focus are blatant fabrications. They have no grounding whatsoever in competent research, let alone fact. They simply regurgitate the same discredited talking points that others have been spouting for years in an effort to help ensure their continued ability to profiteer off of a failing U.S. educational system.
Sec. King’s appointment was ill-advised at best and his performance so far has done little but confirm the many criticisms leveled against him including,
Homeschoolers are far outperforming their public schooled peers, largely due to the fact that parents know what works best for their child instead of implementing an outdated, one-size-fits-all approach that Secretary King appears to favor.
- HSLDA co-founder and Chairman Michael Farris
A growing body of research and evidence has suggested that the policies he has peddled throughout his career have been ineffective and destructive to communities, educators and students, especially to the population he claims to be working on behalf of: poor African-American and Hispanic children.
- Nikhil Goyal, published on Salon.com (additional article on The Nation)
The new Every Student Succeeds Act — the federal education law that succeeds No Child Left Behind — is supposed to move educational policy in a new direction. Its implementation requires open communication, flexibility and a willingness to let states do the work of school improvement with minimal federal interference. John King’s history as New York’s education commissioner calls into question his ability to get that job done.
- Carol Burris, executive director of the nonprofit Network for Public Education Fund
He was the subject of a petition at MoveOn, in strong opposition to his confirmation. This petition was supported by researchers, educators, parents and others, and stated in part:
The education policies that King has supported throughout his career ... have been ineffective and destructive to schools, educators, and most importantly students.
Let’s also not forget Sec. King is a big proponent of charter schools. Straight from his own press office:
King urged charter schools to “focus on innovating to lead the way for our children,” in a speech at the National Charter School Conference in Nashville.
Parents and educators should be concerned about his ongoing role as Secretary of Education, limited though his remaining time in office may be.
My family and I at least take limited solace in the hope that Hillary Clinton will be replacing him with someone competent after her inauguration.