Taking Charge of Your Child’s Education

by Bob Doman

Our interesting times continue on. Through the past year both nationally and internationally we have heard a lot of rhetoric regarding education. A year ago, there was a lot discussion regarding excessive screen time, but “education” for many of our children this past year meant being home and sitting in front of a computer screen all day. There was also a lot of talk about how important it was for the children to be back in the classroom, to get back to how things were. What we didn’t hear mentioned was that prior to the pandemic our children were not generally receiving good or even fair educations, and that most of our children with learning problems or special needs were receiving what can only be described as pretend educations.

According to studies the average American reads at a 7^th-8^th grade level¹; and to gain a little perspective, of 79 countries, the U.S. ranks 9^th in reading and 31^st in math²; and U.S. scores have been flat for two decades. Not too impressive.

Parents, consider taking charge and assuming the responsibility for your child’s development and education.

Targeted home-based education, not packaged, curriculum-heavy homeschool programs can take less time per day than many children spend on homework, and at the same time address and work to eliminate most learning problems, dyslexia, etc. For those children with special needs, it allows time daily for targeted developmental/therapeutic intervention, as opposed to the pretend short visit with a therapist once or twice a week while at school.

Outcomes are determined by the opportunities our children receive. Who’s responsible?

References

1. https://www.wyliecomm.com/2020/11/whats-the-latest-u-s-literacy-rate/#_ftn5
2. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/education/2020/02/28/math-scores-high-school-lessons-freakonomics-pisa-algebra-geometry/4835742002/

Reprinted by permission of The NACD Foundation, Volume 34 No.5, 2021 ©NACD