Opposition to Common Core Sparks Jump in Homeschooling

Education activists contend there is an increase in the number of children who are home-schooled due to the new Common Core curriculum, according to Fox News.

Common Core State Standards is a set of academic standards in mathematics and English language arts/literacy (ELA). These learning goals outline what a student should know and be able to do at the end of each grade.

Some education activists claim public education uses Common Core to push a particular political agenda.

Heartlander Magazine reports homeschooling in North Carolina has grown by 14 percent in 2014 – a percentage greater than the number of children attending private schools in the state.

“If you look at national, and even state polls, you can see that the more familiar people become with Common Core, the more they dislike it,” Bob Lubke, a senior policy analyst for the North Carolina-based Civitas Institute, told FoxNews.com. “They feel like they are losing control of what their kids are learning.”

North Carolina parent Spencer Mason is one such example. He’s homeschooled all four of his children. 

“I think the steady growth of homeschools in North Carolina is due to three main factors,” Mason said. “One, the favorable North Carolina homeschool law and the good support system. Two, more and more families are seeing the results of home education and desiring the same results for their children. And three, dissatisfaction with the public school system. I think the recent spike in the number of homeschools is partially the result of parents learning about how the Common Core State Standards will affect their children.”

Education activists also report increases in Virginia, California and New York.

Publication date: November 26, 2014