It is my understanding that private schools do not have to require their teachers to be state-certified (I can't speak for California). "The state" needs to be defined here. Every individual state has its own laws regarding certifications needed. In all the states in which I've lived and needed to deal with these issues, states have the right to regulate those schools which they fund. Since private schools (and homeschools) are not funded by the state, this regulation has not been in place.

Parents should be able to educate their own children, but from what has been said in the media, there are no standards they now have to adhere to.
It would seem appropriate that the parents who are teaching their children ought to have some training, or workshops, that are required. There ought to be some accountability, also, proving that the children are really learning.
It is not unusual to find kids roaming the streets during the day, claiming they are "home schooled" when police stop them as truants. All children have the right to learn!

I know dozens of children who have been home-schooled. The majority of these kids aced the ACT, SAT, and other "standardized" tests. I cannot think of any school districts that have this many successful kids!

The "STATE" needs to BUTT-OUT and let COMMON SENSE be revived in this country before the extreme far left convinces everyone that they cannot live without a NANNY government.

We are one of the few countrys who teach children how to take tests rather than educating them!!!!!! LEAVE the parents alone! Let them continue to teach the basics, citizenship, common sense, social behaviors, etc., without the encumberance and intrusion of the "STATE"!

IF you are a concerned teacher, then change your ways. The STATE doesn't always know best. After all, they took away: corporal punishment, prayer, pledge, consequences, responsibility. Come join the new crowd that wants to TEACH to EDUCATE instead of TEACH to a TEST! You just might find that approach to be best!!!

Bob

Many parents who have chosen to educate their children at home are highly intelligent, educated individuals with degrees in other areas. Requiring someone to have a teaching certification when many public and private school teachers don't even possess this credential is ridiculous. Good educators are constantly learning and challenging themselves and their students to continually do so regardless of whether or not they have a piece of paper saying they are qualified or are duly and adequately compensated. (We know educators are not.) Home educators already have to register with their school board and participate in numerous review sessions, so it IS regulated. Education, educational environments, philosophies of education, the education model etc... (I can go on) All of these have changed over the years. The various systems on the whole are failing American students. This is why so many who have the financial means to do so, opt for private school... but the "issues" are the same. Homeschooling works. People should make the best choices for their family and allow others to do the same.

I believe everyone has the right to choose how their child is taught, but if they want state aide they should be held accountable.

I find it ironic - maybe hypocritical is a better word - that the same teachers who oppose making teachers prove kids are learning in their classrooms want to stop parents from home-schooling their kids, demanding that parents prove their ability.

Ultimately, this is a question of whose responsibility it is to see that children are educated. Teachers in their arrogance have decided it's theirs. In reality, it is parents' responsibility to see that kids are educated; teachers and schools are merely one means by which this can be done. The teachers' union effort is plainly an attempt to shut out a competitor, and should be seen for what it is, a power grab to strengthen an already-strong monopoly.

If the state is paying for a child's education, that child needs to be educated by someone who has been certified by the state. Most of this is a ruse for religious or alternative education anyway. What are the science standards, for example?

I just need to clear up a little myth here. I teach at a Catholic school in MN and all of our teachers are state-certified. This is a requirement of our school and the diocese, not a state requirement. However, a majority of Catholic and private schools out there follow the certification rules for their state. By having state certification, our teachers are in line with the public school teachers.

Parents who homeschool their children shouldn't be held to the same standards. Whereas I have to answer to 26 students and their parents, homeschoolers have to answer to themselves. I knew of one mom who homeschooled her kids and she followed a curriculum that was recommended by the state. It was quite rigorous and testing was done to make sure that her kids were getting the material. And these kids are an absolute credit to society--smart, self-assured, active, polite. The parents are quite incredible also. I know this might not be true of all homeschoolers, but this is the U.S.A. and they have the right to raise their children the way they see fit.

Parents should have the ultimate say in where children go to school and how they are educated. Many parents are homeschooling children because public schools are failing to do so. If the certified teachers at these schools can't do the job, why should we require parents to be certified? Obviously, that is not the true measure of a qualified teacher.

I worked in the public school system for several years, and the children who came to us from a homeschool environment were always behind either academically or socially or both. In seven years I saw one exception to this. I was the librarian in a K-5 school, so I got to know every student, every teacher and a lot of the parents. What I observed was that parents who homeschool are often helicopter parents. They are fearful of the public school environment and every other environment that their child might be subject to without their complete control. It's sad really, because they are often misguided in their motives and perception of public education. In reality they do their children no favors by keeping them at home.