Trojan Horses

Epeius would be proud.  Like his huge, hollow wooden  horse the public schools offer a well designed gift to homeschoolers.... the parent partnership programs.  Let's take a look at the" mission statements" for some of the local areas Parent Partnership Programs before we wheel them into our campsand call them, "homeschool."  If one is not careful, the gift could be the demise of all.  Perhaps it is wise to first look a gift horse in the mouth....

Looking at an organizations mission statement can show you a lot about the entity.  These programs often claim to "support" homeschooling.  They also claim to be in support of parents who desire to be overseers of their child's education.  Are they telling the truth?

The truth is that these programs cannot support home based education and like it or not, parents already ARE overseers of their children's education in matters related to schooling.  While the people managing these programs are wonderful people, while they are being homeschool friendly, some of them ex-homeschoolers themselves who really know the "ropes", one must not misinterpret this friendliness as support.  No. No. No.  Beware.  Like Epeius's Trojan Horse of old, it's a beautiful gifting to the homeschooling community... from the very entity that has always been opposed to homeschool. This "friendliness" of the public school is used as a catalyst for change. Let them into your family life as a homeschoolers and they will effectively change what you think and what you can and cannot do.


For example, The Deer Park Washington's HomeLink Parent Partnership Programs states:

"Deer Park Home Link is a Parent Partnership Program dedicated to serving the needs of families who have chosen to be their children’s primary educators. Our goal is to support – not to replace – the instruction done in the home. We believe that by drawing on the strengths and resources of both the home and the public school, we can offer an education that combines the best of both worlds."

 "Deer Park Home Link is a Parent Partnership Program dedicated to serving the needs of families who have chosen to be their children’s primary educators." 

  As a parent, being your child's primary educator is  not a "choice" that only some parents make and others do not. This role of teaching children face to face and hand to hand begins by a parent as soon as the child is born.  It is certainly flattering to the prospective parent to have the school officials exalting and affirming their  "choice." It may seem comforting to hear that the teachers at the school are dedicated to serving you and your needs, but it is merely flattery.  By the way, parents, all parents, ARE the  primary educators of their own children, period.  This is not some choice they make and it is not a designation pronounced upon "some" of the more special  parents by the school.  In fact, parents in school partnership programs are often referred to at high school graduations as learning coaches, or educational mentors, 
while the teachers have served as the "educators"

Parents, even those who are not potential prospects for these programs, who have not inquired about ":homeschooling" are the primary educators of their own kids.  They also have rights in matters concerning their children's well being in and out of schools.  And believe it or not, parents from all walks of life actually do care about and are involved in their children's education.  This is true whether they home educate or send their kids to either public or private school. 
 In some places parental involvement is it's called the PTA.

"Our goal is to support – not to replace – the instruction done in the home. "

This is, simply put, not true.  Let's remember... these programs are supposedly for "homeschoolers" and home based "instruction" is the term frequently used by schools to identify what homeschooling is and who is a homeschooler.   They say that they do  not want to replace the "instruction" going on in the home, as if they support you in your home based instruction, but they do not.  When you join the program your home based instruction becomes something completely different and IT IS REPLACED with public school.

Your instruction of your children is replaced with school goals and objectives and even religious material which the family might already be using as a honeschooler must go.   These programs only allow school district approved non-sectarian materials,  or at least they are supposed to. (Truth be told, there have been some serious discrepancies in the past.) Not only that... but the students time at home if they were previously homeschoioling MUST be replaced with some time being spent on a school campuses.

 This is not homeschooling and it's not anything done"support" of homeschooling.  These programs work to replace home based instruction with schooling based at the school.
Parents must even sign an affidavit when they enroll their kids, stating that they clearly under stand that they are  now enrolled in the public school.  

Home based instruction is done from the home with the parents in complete charge over decisions and curriculum and testing options.  These Parent Partnerships work hard to market to the homeschooling community and their goal is to replace home based instruction 
with public school based instruction, and yet they so  boldly assert that they do not replace it. 

Something is wrong with this approach.

"We believe that by drawing on the strengths and resources of both the home and the public school, we can offer an education that combines the best of both worlds."

"The best of both worlds" sounds good, but as you probably know, one cannot have their cake and eat it too.  No one can serve two masters, because either they will hate the one and love the other, or they will be devoted to the one and despise the other.  Either you homeschool, pubhlic school, or privaste school in Washington State to meet the compulsory education laws.  There is no provision to homeschool your kids and have the state pay for your homeschooling.  You cannot homeschool and take money to do it from the state.

And,  make no mistake, everything academically done by the student for credit whether done at home or school, is done to meet the goals, objectives and  requirements of the public school.  
These programs are full time public school if you are enrolled full-time in the program.

Essentially, by enticing parents to join calling what is being done "homeschool" and pretending to support "homeschooling" your local public school is  coopting the homeschool movement.

The East Valley Parent Partnership Mission Statement reads:

"Our mission is to partner with families by offering access to educational opportunities that enrich their child's learning experience.

East Valley Parent Partnership is a program designed to support homeschool families with enrichment classes and help with curriculum. East Valley believes in homeschooling and supports your decision to do so."

Our mission is to partner with families by offering access to educational opportunities that enrich their child's learning experience.

 Because of the Home Based Education Law,  homeschoolers can take a class at the school, they can participate in sports, band or even running start  without being enrolled in these partnership programs. (And can do so without the approval of the National Education Association too.)

Speaking of  "enrichment."  Did you know that the East Valley Schools get  $8,600.00 dollars for every student that enrolls in the program.  That's a bit of enrichment foe the district who only has to hace the student one day per week on compus.  Of course they offer to enrich the parent who signs their kid up too....  via reimbursements.  The program offers  $500.00 per student...as part of the incentive to get "homeschoolers" or potential homeschoolers, to join.  

(Is that per school year or per semester? Hmmm. better check on that.) 

 Do you have four kids?  Do the math.  That's $2,000.00. 

 However, in exchange for joining, you must stop your "home based instruction."  But don;t worry they will affirm you as a homeschooling parent anyhow... as they make you jump through all their hoops. 
You will not bite the hand that feeds you... will you?
Probably not.

 Students in Parent Partnership are required by law to spend time on campus, 
 take the WASL and  MSP, HSPE or EOC tests, and must have a have 
a WSLP and participate in the Core Curriculum too.  
You give up "home based instruction" to become a full-time East Valley school district involved..

"East Valley Parent Partnership is a program designed to support homeschool families with enrichment classes and help with curriculum. East Valley believes in homeschooling and supports your decision to do so."

One thing you can be certain of in the above statement is that the program is "designed."

  It's designed to stop home school and curb the homeschool movements notion that parents are qualified to educate their own children from home just as well, if not better than the public school.
It's designed to stop people from exercising their freedom to choose private or home school.
 It's designed to create or recapture lost revenue for schools.
It is also designed so that some ambitious parents can draw a paycheck (or financial reimbursement for "homeschooling" their own children) with government funding intended for public school.

East Valley Public School is a public school funded by the state and you can rest assured that public school cannot financially or philosophically "support" homeschooling any more than they could support private school.  The state does not have any jurisdiction to FUND a parent's decision to "homeschool."  in fact, if the school is receiving full funding for students that are "home schooled,"  then they are   breaking the law which states that "under no circumstances may a student
 who is receiving home-based instruction as defined in chapter 28A.225 RCW be reported as a full-time equivalent student for purposes of receiving state funds."

  These children and their parents are supervised, monitored, assessed, evaluated, and their work is documented by a certificated teacher employed by the school district or under contract.
Homeschooling, on the other hand, is parent directed and their homeschooled students
 are not under the direct supervision of the local school personnel. 

 Furthermore, there are homeschool support groups to support 
not just your decision to homeschool but state legislation that governs homer education laws, 
and they will tell you... Parent Partnerships are NOT homeschooling.

Bryant School's TEC program saysL

 Mission Statement:  Preparing students for life by fostering
academic achievement.

Motto: One Student At A Time

No comment.

In MEad there is the MEPP Parent Partnership.  Their mission statement reads:

"MEPP East is a Mead School District Parent Partnership Program designed to serve parents who want to be the primary educators of their children. Teachers and parents work together to design an education specifically suited to each child...with a combination of educational activities and clubs as well as off-site courses. The site-based classes are designed according to parent input and reflect the needs of our particular families. We honor parents and partner with them to provide support."

"MEPP East is a Mead School District Parent Partnership Program designed to serve parents who want to be the primary educators of their children. "

This program, like Deerp Park and others, is designed too. 
 It's designed to serve those parents who want to be the "primary educators" of their kids....

"Teachers and parents work together to design an education specifically suited to each child...with a combination of educational activities and clubs as well as off-site courses. The site-based classes are designed according to parent input and reflect the needs of our particular families. We honor parents and partner with them to provide support."

Parent partnership programs might like families, but they do not work to foster or support the homeschooling movement.  If you desire homeschool support, contact a national or state or local homeschool support organization, like the Home School Legal Defense association or the Washington Homeschool Organization.  Get in touch with the Christian Homeschool Network of Washington.  They will not be able to give you money to spend like the school apparently does, but they will defend your right to make educational choices for your family, including your ability to present your homeschooled student with a diploma for the work they accomplish and the use of religious curriculum
 in doing so if you'd like.

At Five Mile Prarie Parent Partnership in Mead, they tell us :

 "We collaborate with parents to customize education in order to prepare students for life's responsibilities, challenges, and opportunities. 

Vision Statement: We strive to provide an academically challenging, safe, and supportive learning environment for our most cherished resource, the children, while recognizing parents as their primary educators. Our learning community is committed to supporting the diversity of interests and abilities of all students in achieving their academic goals. We are committed to impart the love of learning to each child.
 Goals:  

1. Continually explore and develop learning activities designed to enrich student learning. 

2. Utilize curricula that improves each student's performance as measured by assessments. 

3. Provide staff and parents with learning opportunities that enhance their ability to instruct students. 

4. Create opportunities for the homeschool community to interact and support one another."

"Create opportunities for the homeschool community to interact and support one another."

 Hardly.

What they are doing is drawing families out of home-based education into public school and inviting those people to create their own support group within and in support of the public school program .  The autrocity here is not that these parents choose a public school for their kids.... they can do that if they wish.  It is not that the parents get an offer of money or special classes dangled before them enticing them to join.  it is not even the fact that some parents get paid to work in the programs and then recruit others.   The autrocity is that the schools often call participants "homeschoolers" and the program "HOMESCHOOL" programs.
This needs to end.

Anyone in these parent partnership programs who is an adult reciving money should realize that they do a terrible disservice to the Washington State Homeschool Law by calling this program "home school" and by telling others that they are "homeschooling" in the parent partnership program, (unless they are only part time enrolled.)  This is because they are in public school and not under home based instruction law... which is "homeschooling."   Let it be known that public school is tighly linked to the National Education Association, (NEA)  and for the last 30 years the  National Education association had dispised homeschooling.  
Funny to think that now the schools "support" homeschooling.... don;t you think?

Even today in 2014, the NEA Resolution B-83 stand against not only parents as the "primary educators" 

of their own children, but they demand that children be sent to public schools.  In the case of parents "homeschooling" the NEA demands that "only state approved corriculum be used."
This is what is taking place in your parent partnership program. 

 Unbeknownst to some of the individuals who promote Parent Partnerships as ":homescvhooling" or as "homeschool enrichment" they are playing  right into the fowlers snare.  If the NEA  supporters  have their way, the freedom to homeschool that we have under Washington law would disappear 

and the parent partnership concept would replace it.

Parent Partnerships are on a mission to seek willing participants who will change what homeschooling looks like from the inside out.  They call it homeschooling, but their goal is not to empower you to do home based education, nor to support it legislatively, nor to defend your right as a parent to "home educate" your kids.  Rather they intend to get you on board with them, control what you teach and supervise your in all you do.... as you answer to them.

It's high time to realize what these Parent Partnerships are.... supervised, alternative, NEA-sponsored-public school....  done PARTLY in the home.   To the homeschooling community, they come as a "gift" from the school.

They are a Trojan Horse.