That is crazy. One would think this wouldn't be such an issue, but there it is. As we all learned from Lindsay Lohan in the timeless classic "Mean Girls", homeschoolers are normal, bright people...and also hot.

I don't know where conservatives get their ideas about public schools. I have only attended public schools in the south. But nothing conservatives say about public schools matches my experence at all.

I also know a lot of public school teachers. The last thing they want to do is raise anybodies kids or indoctrinate them. They just want to go through their lesson plans which now days are too busy focused on the new testing for testing's sake culture of No Child Left Behind.

Also children raised in the Reagan culture are pathologically narcissistic. After constantly being told by conservatives not to think about anybody but themselves they don't have the social skills required to receive instruction. There has been a lot about this in the press recently. It may seriously erode American competitiveness.

Home schooling excepting in rare circumstances is selfish. One has a duty not only to one's self but to contribute to the learning experience of others. But since any sense of personal responscibility is foreign to the conservative mind, I know that this concept will be difficult to most of you.

To OldLabour:

If you really want to know what the public school issue is all about, check out this excellent book (which you can read for free on the internet):

http://www.johntaylorgatto.com/chapters/index.htm

My sister completely homeschooled her 12 children. The older ones wanted to go to the public high school. She let them register. Of course the shool wanted them tested to make sure they could do the course work. They tested in Math, History, Science. That is as far as they got. The high school immediately enrolled them. The kids blew the tests off the charts! That public high school was happy to have students that would raise their SAT and End Of Grade averages! The high school was skeptical at first, but didn't mind taking the credit for "educating" them!

re: Old Labour and Narcissism

Where do you come up with this stuff? Narcissistic?

What part about the concept of "Morning in America" did you miss?

Your critique of Reagan is empty and without merit, furthermore your lack of understanding regarding the indoctrination of our nation's campuses and sad to say, our high schools shows you are quite out of touch with reality. Your friends may be devoted to teaching without bias, but don't think for one moment that applies to the entire nation. I lived through liberal bias for 4 years on my campus, and could write a book on the rejection of intellectual diversity that I faced on a daily basis.

Currently, this President has spent more on education than any other President in history. More than a 60% increase in Federal Funding since 2001.

No Child Left Behind has actually provided us with some great results. In my home state of Oregon, our standarized test scores have increased by impressive marks in Science and Math. Not bad for a misguided plan huh? I'd rather see substantive results that will benefit our young citizens in reality than "open someones mind" with calidiscopes and freaky mushrooms trips.