An uptick in homeschooling in North Carolina and other states is being credited by some with frustration with Common Core, Fox News reported.
People protesting the Common Core education standards demonstrate near the hotel where the meeting of Tennessee's Education Summit is taking place on Thursday, Sept. 18, 2014, in Nashville, Tenn. Thursday's event titled "Progress of the Past, Present and Future" will involve elected officials and representatives from 24 organizations focusing on K-12 and higher education. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)
In North Carolina, homeschooling increased by 14 percent, according to Heartlander Magazine. Similar increases occurred in Virginia (which does not have Common Core), California and New York, education activists said.
“If you look at national, and even state polls, you can see that the more familiar people become with Common Core, the more they dislike it,” Bob Lubke, a senior policy analyst for the North Carolina-based Civitas Institute, told FoxNews. “They feel like they are losing control of what their kids are learning.”
Homeschooling supporters say about 2 million students are being home schooled across the nation.
Common Core and the general dissatisfaction among parents is fueling the homeschooling boost nationally, said Glyn Wright, executive director of the Eagle Forum, a conservative group.
“The uptick in homeschooling has become a trend across the nation over the past couple of years, even in states like New York and California,” Wright told Fox News. “Americans have rejected the Common Core initiative because they are tired of unaccountable federal bureaucracy, especially when it comes to their child’s education, and because they are seeing first-hand the poor quality and content of the Standards that are meant to prepare children for the workforce instead of giving them a well-rounded, superior education.”
Even with the uptick in homeschooling, North Carolina public schools are still seeing an increase in students, said Vanessa Jeter, a spokeswoman for the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction.
“We have experienced a statewide increase in enrollment over the past few years,” Jeter told Fox News. “Since 2012-13, our statewide enrollment has increased by 27,512 students.”
The Common Core math and English standards were developed by the National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers. The Obama administration’s Department of Education tied “Race to the Top” grants for schools with adopting the Common Core standards.
“When it comes to Common Core, we see a hastening by parents. For them, it’s the final straw after many concerns about the education of their children,” said William Estrada, director of federal relations for the Home School Legal Defense Association.
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