Teaching Credentials Needed?

For those unaware, the court in CA recently ruled that those parents homeschooling their children would be required to have a teacher's certification or else must enroll the students in public or private school. They did not rule to outlaw homeschooling itself (although this pretty much does so - how many of you hs moms are certified as teachers?).

In light of the legal situation which homeschoolers in CA have recently been facing, I just wanted to post this info from an article entitled "Homeschooling Works! California amicus brief examines the evidence" in the latest HSLDA The Homeschool Court Report magazine (Vol. XXIV, No.4, Jul/Aug. 2008).

"In Sections III and IV of this brief, Amici address the constitutional question posed by this [California Court of Appeal for the Second Appellate District] Court. Amici argue that it would violate due process rights of parents protected by the United States Constitution to require home-school parents to be certified, since there is no evidence that teacher certification is necessary to academic success in home-schooling. Professional studies demonstrate that home-school students exceed public school students' academic achievement whether or not their parents are certified teachers. In fact, research in the past decade shows that it is seriously questionable whether teacher certification bears any relation at all to academic achievement, whether in the home or in public schools." (emphasis mine)

Sometimes I, as an average Joe (or Jane), just need to be encouraged by info like the argument above. And also by the news below (from HSLDA E-lert system, Aug. 8, 2008) about the courts reversal of its' initial decision.

"A Great Victory for California Homeschoolers
In a unanimous decision, the California Court of Appeal for the Second Appellate District today ruled that “California statutes permit home schooling as a species of private school education.”