Education Report Spring 2023

By Jen Wooldridge

Historic Surge in Homeschooling during Pandemic Continues to Hold Steady

Researchers predicted the rate of homeschooling families to drop considerably from 11 percent to realign with the pre-pandemic level of three percent. However, the first estimate from the Household Pulse Survey (HPS) published in March 2022 reports a drop in homeschooling of only one percent.1 Dr. Steven Duvall, Director of Research at HSLDA, said this represents “the first sign of sustained growth of homeschooling at very high rates” and that “homeschooling families across the US are part of the modern homeschooling movement’s record-breaking growth during a historically important time.”

Interested in joining this historic homeschool movement? Through a live and engaging cyber platform, iLumenEd Academy offers affordable and academically rigorous biblical worldview education. Visit ilumened.org to learn more about their exceptional program.

ENDNOTES

1. Steven Duvall, “Homeschool Surge Still Going Strong,” HSLDA, April 12, 2022, https://hslda.org/post/homeschool-surge-still-going-strong.

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Only 11 of Approximately 175 College Students Pass a Basic Citizenship Exam

Each year Professor of Political Science Nicholas Giordano gives his students a basic citizenship exam to determine their knowledge of the American government. After a recent semester in which only 11 out of approximately 175 students passed the exam, Giordano wrote of his frustration with our education system: “The overwhelming majority of students fail the exam. After 12 years of administering this exam, only 348 students have passed out of 2,176. A shameful indictment of our K-12 education system.”1

Giordano also administers an assignment on the U.S. Constitution in which students are to share their thoughts about our founding document in one paragraph. However, instead of the U.S. Constitution, the assignment has Chapter 1 of the Russian Constitution and replaces the words “Russian Federation” with “United States.”

Instead of recognizing that the assignment doesn’t actually list the U.S. Constitution, students “praise the foresight of the founding fathers” when referencing Article 7, which says “. . . guaranteed minimum wages and salaries shall be established, state support ensured to the family, maternity, paternity and childhood, to disabled persons and the elderly, the system of social services developed, state pensions, allowances, and other social security guarantees shall be established.”

When Giordano reveals the truth about the assignment, he says the “shock, embarrassment, and shame can be seen in their expressions.”

To understand how American college students cannot recognize the Constitution of their own country, Giordano asks probing questions to which the “overwhelming majority of students state that throughout their K-12 education, they were never required to read the U.S. Constitution.”

The U.S. Constitution is the foundation upon which America is built. Every public servant sworn into office takes an oath to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States. How can future public servants swear allegiance to something they cannot even identify?

ENDNOTES

1. Nicholas Giordano, “GIORDANO: Students cannot pass a basic citizenship exam: A shameful indictment of our education system,” Campus Reform, September 16, 2022, https://campusreform.org/article?id=20178.

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States Implementing Standards in Schools That Teach Unbiblical Ideologies

An article in The RenewaNation Review magazine, Social-Emotional Learning is Masquerading as Education, details the dangers of Social-Emotional Learning (SEL). SEL is one of the channels through which American schools immerse students in controversial and unbiblical ideologies.

A report by the National Conference of State Legislatures gives an overview of SEL in state legislation and SEL state standards, which are heavily influenced by CASEL (the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning).1

CASEL says adopting a “systemic approach ensures that SEL is woven into all students’ educational experiences.”2 A quick perusal of the NCSL report reveals the widespread acceptance of SEL by state legislatures and the deep level of systemic indoctrination in public schools. To view recently enacted legislation related to SEL and state standards for SEL, visit ncsl.org/research/education/social-emotional-learning.

ENDNOTES

1. “Social and Emotional Learning,” National Conference of State Legislatures, April 12, 2021, https://ncsl.org/research/education/social-emotional-learning.

2. “Systemic Implementation,” CASEL, accessed September 26, 2022, https://casel.org/systemic-implementation.