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Part I: Free Folly: Five Reasons Why Black Families Should Resist Free Virtual Charter Schools

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Mar 7, 2005

Homeschooling, as I have written before, is one of the best educational options for black families in America today. This is so primarily because it places responsibility back on parents to provide a stellar education for their own children as opposed to blindly relying on others to do so. In this case, the elements of blame and dependence on schools and teachers -- two factors that weigh heavily in the see-saw battle between schools and parents for explaining why black children continue to do poorly in schools -- vanish when homeschooling is employed by parents. Black homeschoolers, unlike when their children are enrolled in traditional schools, cannot blame teachers, school administrators, or school districts for their children's poor educational progress or rely solely upon them for educating their children through their formative years and on to college. Instead, if black homeschooled children do not perform up to par, their parents can then only blame themselves for not teaching their children well.

This is an undeniably powerful position for black parents to be in. When parents assume more responsibility for their children's education, their children achieve or excel beyond their given grade level and their prospects for higher education rise immeasurably. Without a doubt, the element of responsibility is a huge benefit for black parents who want their children to achieve at stellar levels.

While more teaching responsibility and educational self-reliance are positive drawing points for black homeschoolers, there are those who would strip this from black families all in the name of providing teacher feedback, educational textbooks and materials, and computers completely free of charge. This all comes in the guise of new virtual charter schools that are popping up all across the country. These charter schools, which are publicly funded, give free computers, textbooks, materials, and teacher support to homeschooling children and parents in a determined move to aid families who are educating their children at home. Sound great, don't they? Not so fast! There are definite drawbacks to these schools; some that prove more detrimental to black homeschoolers than to others.

There are five primary reasons why these schools will not work for black families. In a five week series, I will highlight each of these reasons as well as offer alternatives for black families who would like to see no government intervention or publicly-funded homeschooling options at all.

The five reasons why virtual homeschool charters are detrimental to black homeschoolers are:

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