At about half the price of the general populace, military families homeschool their kids. On 12 % of military children are homeschooled, illustrating the numerous benefits of giving continuity in a job to children who have experienced regular transfer.
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Then, the same issues that motivate non-military parents to homeschool their children apply, such as academic achievement, ideology, versatility, and safety concerns.
In light of this, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth issued a memo in May instructing employees to review the work their respective agencies are doing to help homeschooling in the defense.
” Homeschooling emphasizes the significant role kids play in the academic process and offers a specialized method for kids. I now request that the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Prepareness conduct a Department-wide assessment of its present support for homeschooling military-connected communities, as well as best methods, including the possibility of providing services or exposure to additional resources for those students.
Hegseth’s letter was a follow-up to Donald Trump’s executive order on January 29 that mandated that the secretary “review any applicable systems under which military-connected households may use money from the Department of Defense to go public charter schools, including private, faith-based, or private schools.”
Homeschooling increased by 11 % nationwide in the COVID year of 2020-21. That percentage dropped again, leaving it at around 6 % by 2023. However, the percentage of military families who taught their children at home continued to rise to its present 12 % membership rate.  ,
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In a letter she wrote in March for the Homeschooling Hub at Johns Hopkins University, Angela Watson said,” Regular moves or household separating are driving factors in choosing homeschooling to maintain and promote their family life.”
Not just those who relocate every several years while deployed are included. National Guard and supply families are also a part of the trend toward homeschooling.
They are also fervent supporters of choice in education, despite the fact that members of the National Guard and the Reserves are not subject to the same frequent transfers as active-duty military personnel.
According to Watson, “homeschool participation rates among members of the Reserve and National Guard rival those of their active-duty military peers.” ” For instance, 11 % of their reserve and National Guard peers reported homeschooling in 2023 while 12 % of active-duty military families did the same,” said one source.
Despite having less worries about relocation and family separation, Watson didn’t speculate about why National Guard and reserve families share active-duty families ‘ preference for homeschooling. However, it’s likely that military personnel of all kinds have a few common beliefs and concerns that might cause them to make the same choices.
Military parents frequently argue with liberal school administrators about everything from curricula to gender studies because of these” common values.” A military parent who is already depressed over deployments and spouses serving in combat zones can be so much less stressed out by dropping traditional schools and keeping their kids at home.
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When parents have the freedom to choose where and how their children will be educated, they are no longer at the mercy of politicians and bureaucrats, according to Colleen Hroncich of the Cato Institute in 2022. That implies that when it comes to education, they don’t need to rely on political conflicts.
That view is applicable to both military and non-military families. The enrollment cratering in public schools is the evidence. Public school enrollment has been declining across the country. According to the data, 87 % of students attended public schools in 2022, up from almost 91 % in 2012. Between 2022 and 2031, according to research, the number will decrease by 2.7 million to reach 46.9 million.
People are casting their ballots with their feet. The defense department’s support to families with children, which enables them to educate their children in whatever way they choose, should be emulated all over the country.  ,
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