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Education official
concerned about homeschooling popularity
Associated
Press
MERIDIAN, Miss. - A state education official
says she's concerned about the growing popularity of homeschooling
in Mississippi.
Peggy Peterson, director of compulsory school attendance
enforcement with the Mississippi Department of Education, said she
fears that some children may not be receiving top quality education
instruction from their parents.
Mississippi Department of Education statistics show that the
number of families homeschooling in the state has increased since
1999, when officials began monitoring enrollment.
A total of 11,063 Mississippi children were homeschooled last
year, up from 8,768 in May 1999. Lauderdale County alone had 281
families homeschooling their children in May of this year.
Peterson said some parents have done a good job of educating
their children, "but I am concerned about the ones who are not
qualified to teach their children."
Peterson's office is the only one with the state Department of
Education that has anything to do with homeschooling. Families that
homeschool their children must register with their county's school
attendance officer; the officer, in turn, reports to Peterson's
office.
Peterson, a former president of the Mississippi Association of
Educators, said some states require parents who teach their children
to have a certain level of education. She said there was no such
requirement in Mississippi.
"Mississippi has the most lenient homeschool laws in the nation,"
Peterson said.
Joseph and Mary Beth Hallman of Lauderdale County homeschool
their son and daughter. They said they wanted to make sure their
children receive the best education possible.
"No one cares more about our children than we do," said Mary Beth
Hallman, whose two children have never attended a public or private
school. "And it is a privilege to teach them at home."
Hannah, 14, is a ninth-grader; Benjamin, 12, is a seventh-grader.
Their classroom is the family living room, where their parents teach
reading, math, religion and other subjects.
The Hallmans are on the advisory board for the Meridian Christian
Home Educators, one of two homeschool groups in Lauderdale County.
Members include about 125 families and about 400 students.
Sarah Nicholas, a spokeswoman for the state College Board, said
homeschool students often score higher than public school students
on the American College Test and the Scholastic Aptitude Test - two
national, standardized tests used for college admissions.
"I don't know why they score so high," Nicholas said. "But
historically, students who are homeschooled usually have
exceptionally high scores on those tests."
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Information from: The Meridian Star, http://www.meridianstar.com | 
