Do we really need public schools?

Matt Walsh of the Daily Wire titled today’s article “The Truth Is Out. We Don’t Need The Public School System.” He points out,

[T]he education system has failed to do what it should be trying to do, which is to equip new generations with the strong base of knowledge and critical thinking skills they will need to be well rounded, well adjusted, contributing members of society. It has not failed to do what it has actually tried to do, which is to indoctrinate new generations into the religion of leftism.

Walsh points to the huge rise in the number of families choosing homeschooling. The huge uptrend in homeschooling has helped the movement make a leap from merely an acceptable option (a level attained only over the past few years) to the preferred option for many families.

No one yet knows whether this is a temporary blip in the number of homeschooling families, but it has certainly revealed many failings of government-run schools as Walsh points out.

I’ve been participating in webinars and podcasts for new homeschoolers recently. One thing I point out is that right now, the risk of homeschooling is lower than ever. Almost all parents worry about their ability to homeschool well, but with the disarray in the public schools, parents can hardly do worse. That’s not an excuse to be lazy about homeschooling, but it does take some of the pressure off new homeschoolers.

In addition, homeschoolers in the past have frequently been concerned about legal challenges. However, now that everyone has been forced to homeschool, fundamental challenges about the legality of homeschooling are dead. (That doesn’t mean that individual families might not run into issues related to custody and control of educational decisions, or other such problems.)

Homeschooling won’t be the answer for everyone. For instance, our local Catholic diocese of Orange has finally created an online academy. Other private school operators are also expanding their vision as to how to best serve families in the midst of the pandemic. This is an overdue re-examination of traditional models of education.

Homeschoolers have long known that education can be provided far more efficiently and inexpensively than it is in traditional educational settings. It’s time for the rest of the world to learn from them and reorganize education in ways that really help children to learn without wasting time and money.