Issue Background:
Great news! Congressman Bob Schaffer (R-CO) introduced a measure that recognizes home school parents and students for their contributions to American education and culture by declaring October 1-7, 2000 National Home Education Week. Congressman Schaffer with the assistance of Colorado Home School Leader, Kevin Lundberg and HSLDA helped draft the language. Last year the United States Senate passed a similar resolution.

Thanks to Chairman Bill Goodling, this resolution was released from the House Education and Workforce Committee, and we are expecting this to come to the House floor next Tuesday, September 26.

Requested Action:
Celebrate and watch the debate on C-Span on Tuesday morning.

Full Text of House Resolution 578:

[Introduction]

“Congratulating home educators and home schooled students across the Nation for their ongoing contributions to education and for the role they play in promoting and ensuring a brighter, stronger future for this Nation, and for other purposes.

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Whereas the United States is committed to excellence in education and to strengthening the family;

Whereas parental choice and involvement are important to excellence in education;

Whereas parents have a fundamental right to direct the education and upbringing of their children;

Whereas home schooling families contribute significantly to cultural diversity, which is important to a healthy society;

Whereas home education allows families the opportunity to provide their children a sound academic education integrated with high ethical standards taught within a safe and secure environment;

Whereas home education has been a major part of American education and culture since the Nation’s inception and demonstrates the American ideals of innovation, entrepreneurship, and individual responsibility;

Whereas home education was proven successful in the lives of George Washington, Patrick Henry, John Quincy Adams, John Marshall, Robert E. Lee, Booker T. Washington, Thomas Edison, Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, Mark Twain, John Singleton Copley, William Carey, Phyllis Wheatley, and Andrew Carnegie, who were each home schooled;

Whereas today the United States has a significant number of parents who teach a total of approximately 1,700,000 home schooled students, thus saving several billion dollars on public education each year;

Whereas home schooled students exhibit self-confidence and good citizenship and are fully prepared academically and socially to meet the challenges of today’s society;

Whereas scores of contemporary studies, including a 1999 University of Maryland analysis of the nationally recognized Iowa Test of Basic Skills, confirm that children who are educated at home perform exceptionally well on nationally normed achievement tests, and such performance is also demonstrated by the fact that home schooled students scored well above the national average on the 2000 SAT and the 1997, 1998, 1999 and 2000 ACT;

Whereas studies demonstrate that home schooled students excel in college, with the grade point average of home schooled students exceeding the college average;

Whereas home schooled students continue to exhibit excellence in academic competitions, as demonstrated by home schooled students finishing first, second, and third in the 2000 Scripps-Howard National Spelling Bee and by a home schooled student finishing second in the 2000 National Geography Bee sponsored by the National Geographic Society; and

Whereas National Home Education Week, beginning on October 1, 2000 and ending on October 7, 2000, furthers the goal of honoring home educators and home school students for their efforts to improve the quality of education in the United States: Now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the House of Representatives -

(1) congratulates home educators and home schooled students across the Nation for their ongoing contributions to education and for the role they play in promoting and ensuring a brighter, stronger future for the Nation;

(2) honors home educators and home schooled students for their efforts to improve the quality of education in the United States; and

(3) supports the goals of the National Home Education Week.”