Actually, the homeschooling association in CA is saying it's not as b ad as it seems and they already have a plan in place to combat the effects. The email bulletin I got said most specifically not to panic. So I'm not panicking for now!

Interesting but I see a lot of holes in it and I don't think it will end up standing. There are a whole lot of home schooling parents out there who will ban together. I see both sides of this issue though. I support the right of parents to home school their children but having seen many cases of abuse in my time I also know that many parents just should not be allowed to operate without checking in sometimes with someone from the outside. I think the various home schooling support associations could perhaps address this and come up with a standard or checks and balance system that is acceptable for the state as well as the parents.
Personally I have seen some brilliant kids come out of home schooling and alternative schooling. My mother works at a Classical music conservatory and she tells me that most of the child prodigies there are kids that have been home schooled for years. There is good chance that the child who is a violin virtuoso probably developed his love and skill more easily because he was at home and was allowed to follow his path.
The flip side is that some parents use home schooling as a way to dominate their children and maintain complete control over their access to any knowledge. I have met a guy who grew up in a family like this. His siblings and he didn't fare well because of it. Another guy I knew grew up in a really hippy alternative family with a whole lot of love and good intentions. He was home schooled because his parents wanted him to have a natural experience and not have to deal with the pressures they felt growing up in school. He is an artist now but he struggles. He tells me that he can probably tell you the name of every bird in the area or every plant for that matter but he can barely read and write and he finds himself ignorant on a lot of things that are considered basic by many. This really effects the way he functions in the world and his parents somehow managed to miss things. He loves his parents but he carries a lot of resentment towards them too. He was basically denied entry into Art School because he lacks many skills despite the fact that he is a brilliant artist. He works as an artist now but still feels he missed many opportunities because of things he didn't learn. He totally blames his parents for this. He feels like they robbed him of his free will by forcing their ideals and lifestyle on to him and denying him an opportunity to choose to function with society. I still think he should try again to get into a school if he wants but he feels daunted, I guess.

Anyway the point is there are some brilliant kids coming out of home schooling and also some sad ones and I can see why people on both sides of the debate are concerned. Ultimately concern for children and their happiness is the goal so somehow a way to insure this has to be found.

One thing I don't get though. To teach in a private school you don't have to have a credential. Why does a parent need to have one?

well, with homeschool families embattled, wonder how it's going to go for unschooling. oddly, i'd have thought it would be easier to unschool in CA than anywhere.