Month: December 2013
Updated on March 23, 2021 by CRHE
Theodore “Teddy” Foltz Tedesco was murdered by his mother’s boyfriend, Zaryl G. Bush, in January of 2013. Teddy’s mother, Shain Widdersheim, had withdrawn him from public school to homeschool him months before after teachers reported signs of abuse,… Read More
Updated on October 20, 2023 by CRHE
December 18, 2013 Canton, Massachusetts — Homeschool graduates are launching the Coalition for Responsible Home Education (CRHE), the first-ever non-profit public policy organization to advocate on behalf of the interests of homeschooled children. With an estimated 1.8 million… Read More
Updated on May 16, 2016 by CRHE
“Even growing up, I knew I was one of the lucky homeschoolers. My family knew homeschooled children who worked in the family businesses instead of doing school, kids who could barely read and who had learning disabilities that their families were not equipped to even identify, let alone address. . . . In so many of these cases, the physical, educational, and emotional neglect was never confronted, not even by fellow homeschooling parents, the only people in a position to see it.”
Updated on July 10, 2019 by CRHE
“My mother informed me that from now on we were all going to be “homeschooled” so that no more nosy teachers would be interfering in “our” (her) lives. One of my youngest stepsiblings had made some mention to a teacher of the rampant domestic violence that routinely rampaged through our home. . . . Homeschooling was the first step my mom took to make sure no one could get involved through children’s loose tongues ever again.”
Updated on May 16, 2016 by CRHE
“In a country where education is compulsory and all schools and teachers face extreme levels of accountability for their teaching, home schools (while having some degree of curricular freedom) should also demonstrate that they are, in fact, educating children. If parents are providing sufficient education for their kids, this should not be a frightening prospect.”
Updated on May 16, 2016 by CRHE
“Many of my friends and I do not have high school diplomas or transcripts. In the states in which we were homeschooled, there was little oversight and no requirement that parents provide such documents to graduating home school students. In addition to the rampant educational neglect that occurred in homeschool circles, the lack of proper documents made it difficult for many of us to access higher education.”
Updated on May 16, 2016 by Ryan Stollar
“That moment made me realize that, while my parents were highly invested in us jumping through all the hoops to make sure we succeeded, not all parents are like that. Not all homeschool parents know how to educate their children — let alone educate them well. Not all homeschool parents care about the quality of their children’s education. Even the parents that co-existed with mine, that went to all the same meetings and conventions that mine did.”
Updated on August 9, 2021 by Kieryn Darkwater
“If my parents had been unable to write off the validity and necessity of subjects based on theology or gender, if it had been harder for my parents to circumvent the rules, if I had been required to have an evaluation done by a teacher unrelated to my family, I think I would have had a better chance at a decent and well rounded education.”
Updated on May 16, 2016 by CRHE
“I support oversight of home education not because I had a bad homeschooling experience, but because I had a good one. I’ve seen how wonderful homeschooling can be when it works because I’ve lived it. When I hear the stories of homeschooled students who experienced educational neglect or abuse, or the formerly homeschooled adults who are struggling to overcome the deficits in their education, it saddens me to know how much the system failed them.”
Updated on May 16, 2016 by Rachel Coleman
“I was homeschooled in Indiana, a state with no oversight of homeschooling. My parents did not even have to file notice of homeschooling. All of the things my parents did—creating curriculum plans, putting together annual portfolios, having us tested—they did in an effort to homeschool us effectively and responsibly. My parents would not have found oversight of homeschooling an inconvenience or burden because they already voluntarily did everything effective homeschool oversight generally requires.”
Month: December 2013
Ohio: Senate Bill 248, “Teddy’s Law”
Updated on March 23, 2021 by CRHE
Theodore “Teddy” Foltz Tedesco was murdered by his mother’s boyfriend, Zaryl G. Bush, in January of 2013. Teddy’s mother, Shain Widdersheim, had withdrawn him from public school to homeschool him months before after teachers reported signs of abuse,… Read More
Category: Blog, Legislation, Policy Analysis Tags: at risk children, child abuse, Ohio
Homeschool Graduates Launch Nonpartisan Organization to Advocate for the Legal Interests of Homeschooled Children
Updated on October 20, 2023 by CRHE
December 18, 2013 Canton, Massachusetts — Homeschool graduates are launching the Coalition for Responsible Home Education (CRHE), the first-ever non-profit public policy organization to advocate on behalf of the interests of homeschooled children. With an estimated 1.8 million… Read More
Category: Press Release, Voices for Reform Tags: update
Alisa Harris: “Even growing up, I knew I was one of the lucky homeschoolers”
Updated on May 16, 2016 by CRHE
“Even growing up, I knew I was one of the lucky homeschoolers. My family knew homeschooled children who worked in the family businesses instead of doing school, kids who could barely read and who had learning disabilities that their families were not equipped to even identify, let alone address. . . . In so many of these cases, the physical, educational, and emotional neglect was never confronted, not even by fellow homeschooling parents, the only people in a position to see it.”
Category: Testimonial Tags: alumni testimonial, board testimonial, New Mexico, positive testimonial, testimonial
Elizabeth W.: “I am a survivor”
Updated on July 10, 2019 by CRHE
“My mother informed me that from now on we were all going to be “homeschooled” so that no more nosy teachers would be interfering in “our” (her) lives. One of my youngest stepsiblings had made some mention to a teacher of the rampant domestic violence that routinely rampaged through our home. . . . Homeschooling was the first step my mom took to make sure no one could get involved through children’s loose tongues ever again.”
Category: Testimonial Tags: alumni testimonial, child abuse, negative testimonial, New York, testimonial
Giselle Palmer: “Good home schools will show progress”
Updated on May 16, 2016 by CRHE
“In a country where education is compulsory and all schools and teachers face extreme levels of accountability for their teaching, home schools (while having some degree of curricular freedom) should also demonstrate that they are, in fact, educating children. If parents are providing sufficient education for their kids, this should not be a frightening prospect.”
Category: Testimonial Tags: Alabama, alumni testimonial, board testimonial, Florida, positive testimonial, Tennessee, testimonial
Holly S.: “If there had only been some protection in place”
Updated on May 16, 2016 by CRHE
“Many of my friends and I do not have high school diplomas or transcripts. In the states in which we were homeschooled, there was little oversight and no requirement that parents provide such documents to graduating home school students. In addition to the rampant educational neglect that occurred in homeschool circles, the lack of proper documents made it difficult for many of us to access higher education.”
Category: Testimonial Tags: alumni testimonial, educational neglect, negative testimonial, North Carolina, South Carolina, testimonial
Ryan Stollar: “Not everyone had parents like I did”
Updated on May 16, 2016 by Ryan Stollar
“That moment made me realize that, while my parents were highly invested in us jumping through all the hoops to make sure we succeeded, not all parents are like that. Not all homeschool parents know how to educate their children — let alone educate them well. Not all homeschool parents care about the quality of their children’s education. Even the parents that co-existed with mine, that went to all the same meetings and conventions that mine did.”
Category: Testimonial Tags: alumni testimonial, board testimonial, California, positive testimonial, testimonial
Kieryn Darkwater: “It’s so easy for people like me … to fall through the cracks”
Updated on August 9, 2021 by Kieryn Darkwater
“If my parents had been unable to write off the validity and necessity of subjects based on theology or gender, if it had been harder for my parents to circumvent the rules, if I had been required to have an evaluation done by a teacher unrelated to my family, I think I would have had a better chance at a decent and well rounded education.”
Category: Testimonial Tags: board testimonial, Florida, negative testimonial, testimonial
Kathryn Brightbill: “I’ve seen how wonderful homeschooling can be”
Updated on May 16, 2016 by CRHE
“I support oversight of home education not because I had a bad homeschooling experience, but because I had a good one. I’ve seen how wonderful homeschooling can be when it works because I’ve lived it. When I hear the stories of homeschooled students who experienced educational neglect or abuse, or the formerly homeschooled adults who are struggling to overcome the deficits in their education, it saddens me to know how much the system failed them.”
Category: Testimonial Tags: alumni testimonial, board testimonial, Florida, positive testimonial, testimonial
Rachel Coleman: “Good homeschooling … is not something that happens automatically”
Updated on May 16, 2016 by Rachel Coleman
“I was homeschooled in Indiana, a state with no oversight of homeschooling. My parents did not even have to file notice of homeschooling. All of the things my parents did—creating curriculum plans, putting together annual portfolios, having us tested—they did in an effort to homeschool us effectively and responsibly. My parents would not have found oversight of homeschooling an inconvenience or burden because they already voluntarily did everything effective homeschool oversight generally requires.”
Category: Testimonial Tags: alumni testimonial, board member testimonial, Indiana, positive testimonial, testimonial