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Kevin and Stephanie Finn were frustrated with the public education system. Their two boys, both gifted, often felt unchallenged in class. Although they liked their neighborhood school and teachers, they found the school system generally discouraged family trips designed to show them the world. The boys, Zach, 11, and Clay, 10, often spent much of their vacations completing homework packets stuffed with busywork. And Stephanie, who started out volunteering in her sons’ school to be a part of their education, was soon working on schoolwide projects and had little time to help in the classroom. “ They had homework, homework and then sports and they were exhausted,” Stephanie says. “There wasn’t enough time for family time, character building or travel.” So after two years of research and debate, the North Tustin couple decided to take back their children’s education in the hopes of instilling a healthy balance between work and play. This fall, they enrolled in a charter school that caters to homeschool families and opened up a classroom in their home office. The results have overwhelmed them, all in a positive way. “ Our main motivation in homeschooling is to simply grow well-rounded kids who have integrity, character and life skills,” Kevin says. “Our boys are motivated, high achievers but we believe that’s due to our reward system if you work hard, you play hard. Homeschooling allows us to provide individualized education that caters to our kids’ strengths and weaknesses. Plus, we get to spend more time with them. How can you beat that?” The Finns are among many Southern California families who yearn for more control over their children’s education. Whether that comes through homeschooling, enrolling in one of the state’s growing number of charter schools, or supporting a voucher program that would let them put their tax dollars toward a private school, many parents want more. You can’t take it with you In recent years, Californians have twice debated how much choice families should have over how their tax dollars are used for their children’s education. Ultimately, California voters have twice defeated a voucher system that would give families a credit that can be used to pay for all or part of their child’s education at a private school. Both times the debate steered clear of a yawning challenge finding room in already booked private schools. Mary Perry, deputy director of EdSource, a Northern California nonprofit that studies public education, says the political climate in California doesn’t look ripe for another voucher debate anytime soon. Although the state’s Republican Party generally favors vouchers, the state Legislature is dominated by Democrats who traditionally oppose vouchers. However, she says it’s important to watch the impact of No Child Left Behind, which includes several provisions for school choice. Besides encouraging public school districts to support magnet and charter schools as well as partnerships between government and private entities to provide more educational options for families, the law requires districts to provide transportation for students in failing schools who want to transfer to another school of their choice within that district. Other states have had mixed success with vouchers, which gained momentum after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2002 that Cleveland’s state-funded voucher program that included religiously affiliated schools did not violate the separation of church and state. However, Colorado’s Supreme Court ruled this summer that the state’s voucher program, which was intended to start in fall 2005, was unconstitutional because it did not give school districts oversight over education. Florida has seen positive studies about its voucher program, in which students at failing schools become eligible for vouchers, which can be used at public or private schools. Many California families still hold out hope for vouchers as a way to give them more choices and to generate competition in a bureaucratic public education system. Roger and Jocelyn Schumacher of Foothill Ranch are part of a unique charter school that mixes classroom instruction and homeschooling for their three sons, but the cost is a substantial burden. “We’re all about vouchers,” Roger says. “I’d love to have my property tax money back that gets lost in the state education system so that I could better fund the charter school I’m in. Right now I’m paying twice. Schools should be run like businesses. You find the school where you like what they’re doing there and you send your kids and your money there. Public schools can compete. We would just like to see choice in where we send our kids.” Charting a compromise In 1992, California lawmakers responded in part to the call from parents like the Schumachers for greater choice through vouchers by creating charter schools. Charters provided a compromise around educational control and choice teachers, parents or organizations could open a school using public funds without being subject to the same rules and requirements as public schools. In exchange, the charter had to pledge to meet certain academic targets or its funding would be pulled. The number of charters has risen steadily around the state, from 85 in the 1993-94 school year to 459 during the 2003-04 school year, according to EdSource. “You look at the growth in charters over time and it’s just so dramatic,” Perry says. “They’re gaining traction and the numbers are going up to the point where it is making an impact and they continue to challenge the status quo.” Charter schools take many forms and come in many sizes. Some are housed in storefronts with a handful of students. Others have stand-alone facilities complete with computer labs and gyms to serve hundreds of students. Still others consist of a small office space for a couple teachers who stay in touch with families through e-mail and phone calls. Increasingly, successful charters are looking at ways to replicate their educational recipe across several sites rather than one campus. The Schumachers found a home for their three sons at a small charter school in Anaheim. The school mixes two days of classroom instruction with three days of homeschooling. The couple like the flexibility and the control. After attending a Growing Families International parenting seminar about 10 years ago, they realized they didn’t want to send their children to a public school. The reason was simple: As former public school students themselves, they knew they would quickly lose control over what their children were exposed to. Even when their oldest was in a preschool program, they saw many of his classmates exhibiting behavioral issues. “ We’re trying to protect the moral innocence of our kids,” Roger says. “It’s not about insulating them from the world; we want them to see that. But you can do it at your own pace. One of the biggest sources of corruption to your kids can be school.” When the Schumachers visited a charter school in Orange County, they saw an older student catch a stray ball and gently roll it back to a much younger classmate. “I was stunned by that random act of kindness and then we saw it happen several more times where children were basically being decent to one another,” he says. Code of behavior The school’s clear mission and guidelines for students attracts families who agree to the same code of behavior and child training. For instance, children are expected to respond to instructions the first time. Parents are expected to reinforce no bargaining or repeating of instructions. “ Much of the peer pressure at this school motivates them to good behavior as opposed to the things we don’t want them to do,” Roger says. “As they get older, the peers begin to influence more and we influence less. We want to train them to think for themselves and all that, but if everybody’s honest, we are greatly influenced by our peers and the people around us. The goal is not the behavior. The goal is to get to the heart so they’re doing if for the right reasons.” The mix of classroom and home instruction allows their children to socialize and learn how to deal with other figures of authority, such as teachers or other parents helping in the school. They also get the experience of participating in school events, like plays and seasonal programs. And the school takes care of recordkeeping and many of the bureaucratic parts of the education system. That is a considerable help to Jocelyn, who spends her three days in charge balancing lessons for kindergartner Nathaniel, second-grader Nicholas and fifth-grader Ben. “ I don’t have to reinvent the wheel,” Jocelyn says. “It also gives me that accountability that I know this lesson needs to be covered on Monday because they’ll need to know it for school on Tuesday.” Although the Schumachers enjoy having the on-campus experience two days a week, many families look for even more independence. Charters have filled that niche, offering “virtual” learning environments with the help of technology. One-third of charter schools offer non-classroom based instruction programs, where students are either exclusively on independent study or work remotely, checking in through the Internet and managing their classes online. Capistrano Connections Academy in Laguna Niguel, which is one of several online Connections charter schools, opened in September and now has about 130 students enrolled from Orange, Los Angeles, San Diego, Riverside and San Bernardino counties. Students have a mix of online, textbook and hands-on lessons, says Bernie Hanlon, director of California Connections Academies. Parents also sign up to be learning coaches and spend at least two hours a day working with students. Recent studies have challenged charters’ success. Two high-profile reports by the U.S. Department of Education on charter student performance showed overall that students in charter schools did not perform as well as their peers in mainstream public classrooms. And the movement has also seen several headlines about schools having their charters revoked because of financial abuses or poor quality education. Hanlon warns against casting all charters in the same light. “The overwhelming majority of charter schools are functioning and are providing an alternative for parents,” he says. Home is where the school is Perhaps the greatest educational control comes from teaching children at home. Parents decide what textbooks they’ll use, the material they’ll cover and when they’ll cover it. To help ease the burden, many families form cooperative groups to exchange supplies, share ideas and plan field trips together. But the idea of homeschooling can be daunting for many parents. The Finns researched options for two years before they found Julian Charter School based in Julian, which offered a curriculum for parents to follow, textbooks and supplies as well as phone and e-mail support from certificated teachers. The school is funded exclusively with public funds, so the Finns don’t need to spend their own money on supplies. If they need a microscope, they make a request and it arrives. They can also order their own new supplies, which they keep for the year and then give back to the school for other families to use. But the Finns decide when and how fast they’ll cover the material and what other activities will complement the lessons. That has meant sixth-grader Zach and fifth-grader Clay have worked at their own pace and had plenty of time for travel and other life lessons. Stephanie says the experience has prompted tremendous change in behavior. “I see such an enormous change in the way my family interacts, and how (my sons) speak and how they look someone in the eye,” she says. It’s also been a big change for Stephanie, who rarely sees her friends for lunch, stopped getting manicures, and stretches time between haircuts. But that means she has the opportunity to focus on her children’s education and go beyond the books. She works with them on communication skills, vocabulary and everyday basics like what it takes to run a household. “ They’re definitely not cramping my style,” she says. “It’s freed up a few more hours in the day and it changes our entire lifestyle. We’ve had a blast going to museums on field trips.” Or, they meet Kevin for lunch at his company or have some extra time for sports activities and socializing with friends. The Finns have found a tremendous amount of support and additional resources, even outside their school connections. Zach and Clay take writing and speech classes at a local library. And Stephanie can go online and chat with other homeschool parents about what works for them. “If you post that you’re having difficulty with ideas on how to teach the kids the structure of the heart, 15 people will respond with great suggestions,” Kevin says. “And they are people from all over the world.” The very act of a parent being involved and engaged will help children succeed. Jennifer Leuer of Yorba Linda is an education reporter. |
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