Whereas home schooled students have consistently been shown to perform very well academically and socially; and Whereas entry/re-entry policies have been established without a demonstrated need or basis in fact by local public school districts in Wisconsin in response to or anticipation of Home-Based Private Educational Program students entering public schools; and Whereas approximately 4,000 former Home-Based Private Educational Program students have successfully entered conventional schools over the past five years without such policies being in effect; and Whereas such policies often discriminate against Home-Based Private Educational Program (HBPEP) students by applying different standards, criteria, and tests against HBPEP students

Whereas numerous studies from the past 25 years fail to show that teacher training, certification, or advanced degrees for teachers result in student achievement; and Whereas the wisdom of certifying public school teachers is being questioned (the Carnegie Forum on Education and the Economy has recommended abolishing undergraduate departments and schools of teacher education) and several states have waived or are considering waiving public school teacher certification requirements; and Whereas private schools in Wisconsin are not required to employ certified teachers; and Whereas the number of states requiring certification of home schooling parents has been reduced through court cases and

Whereas there is no general agreement as to the one best way to educate children, and no set calendar or curriculum has been shown to be consistently superior; and Whereas the tutorial approach to education is recognized to be very effective in meeting the individual educational needs of a student; and Whereas the standardized approach to calendars and curriculums used in the public schools for classes of 10 to 30 students is inappropriate for home-based private educational programs; and Whereas one of the major strengths of a home school is that the small number of students makes it possible for

Whereas the United States by its constitution, tradition, and custom has long recognized, practiced, and provided for the parent to have the primary right in and responsibility for a child’s education; and Whereas the distinction between public and private education, including home-based private education, is established by custom, tradition, and statute and is fundamental to the exercise of choice in education and to the avoidance of a state monopoly in education; and Whereas Article X of the Wisconsin Constitution grants the State Superintendent of Public Instruction authority over public, not private, education; and Whereas the Wisconsin legislature has passed a

Whereas standardized tests are only one way of measuring the mastery of a specific set of facts; and Whereas standardized tests can become a means of determining and controlling the curriculum, teaching methods, and structure of a school or program; and Whereas there is increasing evidence that standardized tests do not measure what they claim to measure; and Whereas standardized tests can be used to label children, to justify additional testing, and to require child placement out of the home; and Whereas state-mandated standardized testing provides that the state rather than the parent would decide when children are ready for

Whereas the current law (1983 Act 512) regarding Home-Based Private Educational Programs (HBPEP) provides for (a) protecting the state’s interest in education by requiring that HBPEPs meet basic educational requirements and comply with the compulsory school attendance law; (b) protecting the parents’ rights by requiring that the information reported to the state and attested to by parents, while sufficient to protect the state’s interest, is not too burdensome or intrusive; does not violate constitutional, parental, and religious rights; and does not violate the principle of innocent until proven guilty; and (c) protecting the rights of children by allowing HBPEPs enough

Whereas the Wisconsin Parents Association (WPA) is a state-wide association that watches, promotes, and defends the rights of parents, families, and children; and Whereas WPA recognizes that there is no one best way to educate children since their talents and abilities are so varied; and Whereas home schoolers are a very diverse group with widely varying income levels, approaches to education, religious and philosophical beliefs; and Whereas the one thing home schoolers have in common is their commitment to establishing and maintaining their parental rights to educate their children according to their beliefs and principles; Be it resolved that WPA