I find it humorous that I should be “held accountable” for another individual’s education. Schools sure as hell are NOT being held accountable for the “education” they are providing — even though many would site the harshness of NCLB school closings..hey, you either “voted” for it or didn’t oppose it loud enough. My child has a right to an education. I have an obligation to make sure he has the opportunity to learn while he’s legally bound to me and if I can’t fulfill that obligation, then my state will supposedly fulfill it for me. What if I feel that my child’s school isn’t “fulfilling” it’s obligation? There’s not a lot that I can do, but if the school feels as though I am not fulfilling my obligation or does’t “like” how I am doing it, it can do something. That something can end up destroying a family. Short of doing something illegal, I can not destroy a school very easily.
As far as I am concerned, neither the Federal Government nor the State should have any jurisdiction over education other than to provide “education/learning opportunities” to those persons who have few or no other opportunities and who wish to utilize opportunities provided by the government. Education should be a right, not a mandate & voluntary, just like voting. If I don’t want an “education” then I shouldn’t be forced to have one, nor should I be forced to have one that I have no say in designing or governing. Imagine how horrible our economic situation would be if we didn’t have compulsory “baby-sitting” and all our 12, 13, 14 yr old and so children were able to be in the work force. We might just be pushed over the edge for a Revolution.
The main point about reporting and accountability I want to make is that what matters most is how children feel they are doing. Do they feel like they have access to what they need/want? Do they feel as though they are succeeding in the areas they seek to acquire skills? Do they feel confident in their journey? Do they struggle with certain things and have access to people, places or props to help them with their struggles? Do they have the fuel & fodder they need for their passions? There are no “gaps” in a person’s education if they aren’t being compared to other people or to a one-size-fits-all curriculum.
“Experts” and officials spend so much time and resources guesstimating what children *should* know and learn, but they never take into account what children *want* to know and learn. Critics of this idea (personal education plans) say that you can’t have a school where there isn’t a curriculum or where you don’t require certain skills/knowledge to be mastered by a certain age/grade. And to those uninformed persons, I show exhibit A) Sudbury Valley Schools B) Albany Free School C) Summerhill School D) other Free Schools and Democratic Schools
Coincidence (no such thing): I am going this evening to a meeting about a possible Unschooling Cooperative/Free School for here in Pittsburgh, PA. We’ll see how that goes.
