America’s Education System Evicted — Liberals Leaving Public Schools

A new survey released in November showed the changing landscape for homeschooling, and it’s not looking good for America’s education system. Even after COVID-19 school shutdowns, parents of every political leaning and background accepted homeschooling responsibilities as the new normal. Leftist reasons for homeschooling may be different from conservatives, but will the eviction of the tax-paid education system from family ecosystems finally cause reform?

Millions of tax-payer dollars go into public schools. Public and private schools serve as cultural centers and, hopefully, learning centers. But parents are saying no to American public education at vast rates, leaving any potential kid-free lives behind from the hours of 7 am-3 pm. Pre-Covid, leftist homeschool families only sat at 32%, but it has been a few years now, and 47% of homeschool families are self-reporting as progressive or liberal.

Any parent paying attention to what goes on at school can see the problems with their child’s education. American public schools have low standards, large and chaotic classes, technology addictions, and for conservatives, leftist propaganda. Public education conglomerates have allowed administrators and educators to stick their heads in the sand and teach absolutely nothing of substance. Some argue that more funding will fix this problem — it won’t, and parents realize that.

As a result, parents are faced with a decision to help their kids. Option A is to send kids to public schools, pay close attention and even be vocal at school board meetings. Option B is a classical or private school that implements old-fashioned learning styles. Option C is to pretend everything is fine and avoid clinically depressed and indoctrinated children bringing crazy ideas into the household while wondering why they don’t have any skills. Option D is homeschooling.

While homeschooling is a huge commitment of time and resources, it protects children from bad people and bad ideologies. Homeschooling has appealed to the right-wing and left-wing since the aftermath of COVID-19. Conservatives used homeschooling to avoid incompetence and hold values tight. Leftists are the opposite and believe the American education system is too strict, which only presents children with less than successful opportunities.

Left-wing parents believe their child will be bullied, receive bad grades, and potentially be influenced by the one conservative teacher in the building. When it comes down to it, public schools are too traditional in values and instruction for these parents. Heaven forbid a child to sit at a desk and listen to someone other than themselves or their peers. Progressive learning calls for something more self-paced and less judgmental, with no grades or assessments.

Most interesting is that the left and right agree on something. Even if the reasons for homeschooling are incompatible, the outcome is the exact same. Conservative families would still fare better in a homeschooling environment with foundations of the church, extended family, and clear morals. But the bottom line is, without school reform, parents who aren’t happy with the public school system will continue to seek alternatives.