Think parents.

Think parents on the ball, proactively involved in their children’s education.

Because holding education districts accountable at the local level by asserting parental rights—can really work.

In late May, over 50 residents of Western Idaho stormed a local district board meeting to oppose the adoption of a math curriculum offered by Amplify, an education company that proudly boasts a commitment to “diversity, equity, inclusion” and to “make education, and thereby the world, more equitable and accessible.”

O-kay.

And?

Well, let us consider Tiffany Shurtz, a homeschooling parent who expressed criticism of the education company’s initiative:

“[W]ith other Amplify curriculum, there have been numerous complaints across the nation. … Amplify sexualizes and desensitizes children, undermines traditional values, as well as parents and their parental rights, refers children to harmful resources and violates natural age appropriateness. It does not represent true diversity and equity and is especially skewed toward non-Christian beliefs.”

Such harsh judgement that arguably needs to be justified.

Still, it is essential to highlight the significant impact of a group of individuals who come together in a community, and exert political pressure over a matter that contributes to the moral development of the next generation of young adults.

Imagine if such localized momentum from a group of patriots was consistently maintained and replicated throughout the entire country—and for reasons rooted in their Christian beliefs.

That momentum is underpinned by a sense of responsibility as a parent and patriot who cares about their country’s moral standing. They are choosing to hold their elected officials—or, in many cases, unelected bureaucrats—accountable for decision-making at the local level.

And it is the last sentence Shurtz expresses that deserves a little more probing: “It [Amplify] does not represent true diversity and equity and is especially skewed toward non-Christian beliefs.”

Really?

But, what on Earth is “diversity, equity and inclusion” in the first place?

What is the purpose of “diversity, equity and inclusion” within an organization?

A “diversity,” “equity,” and “inclusion” or DEI framework intends to address perceived unfairness against historically “marginalized” or “oppressed” groups pertaining to their ethnicity, religion, culture, disability, social position or concept of self.

Simply put, DEI describes three purported values embraced by organizations, including businesses, schools and government agencies, to hire and support people who typically deviate from a perceived socially privileged group within that organization.

Indeed, the DEI initiative can be traced to the 1960s U.S. civil rights movement and the concept of “affirmative action” initially used in “Executive Order No. 10925.” Signed by President John F. Kennedy, this proclamation requires government contractors to “take affirmative action to ensure that applicants are employed, and that employees are treated during employment, without regard to their race, creed, color or national origin.”

Defining terminology

Initially, “affirmative action” predominantly focused on racial discrimination in the workplace and has since expanded with the DEI strategy to include ethnicity or country of origin, religion, and of course—how could we possibly forget—identities relating to “gender” and “sexual orientation.”

• Thus, “diversity” in this context refers to actively representing people from various backgrounds at all organizational levels, including leadership, particularly those perceived as “marginalized” or “disadvantaged.” Again, to emphasize, think race, so-called “gender” or “sexual orientation,” disability, and religion.

• Next, “equity” refers to providing additional or alternative resources, such as compensation, to “marginalized” people so that everyone in an organization can reach comparable outcomes in, say, salary within their designated role, including corporate positions that form the leadership team of a business. For instance, consider “equity” as attempting to minimize financial and health disparities within that organization.

• Third, “inclusion” implies creating a sense of belonging through policies and practices that shape an organization’s culture. Coupled with promoting “diversity,” an “inclusive” environment strives to ensure that all members feel heard and their contributions valued—but practically speaking, typically those classified as “underrepresented” or “marginalized.” There is also an effort to implement “cultural sensitivity” and “anti-discrimination” training, so that those seemingly unaware of their “social privilege” or tendencies towards bigoted microaggressions experience a realization, and hopefully change their ways to support a more harmonious organizational culture.

Thus, it is now easier to understand Shurtz’s concern that the education company offering a K-5 math curriculum may not necessarily embody genuine DEI values. We can strive to define them with a Christian sense of fairness supported by Scripture, “For God shows no partiality” (Romans 2:11 ESV) and “Better is a little with righteousness than great revenues with injustice” (Proverbs 16:8 ESV.)

Attempting to define true DEI focused values

True diversity is the extent to which an organization, steeped in an ethos of equal opportunity, embraces a necessary pool of talent and expertise, and naturally attracts individuals from all walks of life without focusing on their personal backgrounds as part of the recruitment process.

Implementing true equity differs from equality in that it doesn’t provide the same resources to everyone within an organization. Implementing equity is underpinned by recognizing that some members may have limited access to opportunities and privileges taken for granted by others—for instance, due to a physical or cognitive disability. Such individuals may, therefore, need specific resources allocated to help them work independently and take fair advantage of opportunities as their non-disabled colleagues, such as accessibility for wheelchairs or restrooms and elevators in that organization.

Fostering true inclusion means demonstrating awareness and compassionate understanding toward some members of an organization who may need more attention than others due to, say, a physical disability, neurocognitive impairment, or emotional condition. Hence true equity can be achieved through true inclusion.

States dominated by Republicans address DEI programs

Across the nation, Idaho has definitely been making waves over the implementation of DEI policies within academia this year. Republican Gov. Brad Little signed a bill into law in late March, prohibiting public universities from requiring statements from prospective students or employees discussing their race, sex, ethnicity, or “sexual orientation,” as well as their opinions and contributions to DEI and matters on “social justice.”

The legislation for Senate Bill 1274, which took effect this month, passed the Idaho Senate in a 27-8 vote in late February before flying through the House of Representatives in a 59-11 vote.

Still, Idaho is one of nine other states with Republican and socially conservative legislators to have implemented restrictions on DEI programs, including Alabama, Florida, Indiana, North Carolina, North Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and Wyoming.

For example, Alabama’s “Our Students’ Education (CHOOSE) Act of 2024” restricts state funding from being used for DEI initiatives at public schools and universities, such as activities on college campuses.

Other states, such as Texas, have altogether banned DEI offices, programs, and training at public universities under Senate Bill 17. In Florida, public schools and private companies must adhere to regulations under House Bill 7, which prohibits employers from providing “diversity training” that might promote or aggravate discriminatory concepts based on race, ethnicity, or sex.

It can be argued that Republican-dominated states have a reputation for reacting to a socially liberal and authoritarian cultural push that is primarily supported by their Democratic counterparts.

We can note that DEI initiatives fixate on the individual, not as an autonomous human being but an entity belonging to a “group” classified in a hierarchical system; those at the highest level having access to prestige social privilege with miniscule or limited racial or ethnic discrimination, and those at the bottom constantly in a state of struggle to assert themselves and reach financial stability.

On average, Republican-led states attract donors and tend to embody a significant proportion of voters sympathetic to libertarian and socially conservative values—who do not subscribe to an outlook of institutionalized “group identities.”

The challenge for those of us who sincerely desire to take the bull of culture by the horns and steer the stubborn beast in a direction that favors individualism, and respect for meritocracy and equality opportunity, is the reality that Big Business and Big Banks have become heavily warped in DEI over the last five years.

Although recent reports suggest that major Wall Street institutions are tamping down on “diversity quotas” amid a conservative backlash and concerns about lawsuits for, well, discriminating against others who aren’t perceived as “minority,” “Black,” or “woman,” let us not get ahead of ourselves—and start celebrating.

We cannot underestimate the intense current of authoritarian and micromanaging ideologies pulsating through the United States and other comparable high-income countries, but particularly within the Anglosphere and European Union.

At the same time, We, the People, must remain firm as steel in a value system and vision for our children’s United States—one that promotes individual freedom and overall prosperity, and fierce meritocracy underpinned by a strong backbone of equal opportunity.

Ensuring that America’s youth receive an education that allows them to explore and nurture their natural talents, and later use their abilities, knowledge, and skills to become successful working professionals, is essential for building a thriving nation that is intellectually sharp and physically healthy.

Starting at a local level, educators and parents alike can deliver a K-12 curriculum in history, civics, English, mathematics, science, and various practical skills, including firearms, cookery, dressmaking, woodworking, and money management, all of which provide a solid foundation towards raising a member of American society who feels empowered, desires to make a meaningful contribution, hungry to reap their wealth and prosperity—and to secure this great nation for the next generation with a tremendous sense of purpose.

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How often do we learn about deportation from the United States? That may be the case for a family who immigrated from their native Germany after facing potential criminal prosecution for their homeschooling choices.

Why did the Romeike family move to the land of the free and the home of the brave?

In 2008, dad Uwe and mother Hannelore Romeike were spurred to seek asylum in the United States, where homeschooling has gained popularity in recent years—because this form of education is illegal in Germany.

The Romeikes had been subjected to criminal prosecution for raising their children outside the school system of the district of Ludwigsburg, Baden-Württemberg, where they faced $9,000 in fines, threats of a prison sentence and forced removal of their five children.

In 2010, U.S. Immigration Judge Lawrence Burman from Memphis granted the devoutly Christian family asylum in the United States. For the last 15 years, Uwe and Hannelore have lived in East Tennessee and homeschooled their children.

However, the Romeike family are now being threatened with deportation by the Biden administration, triggering outrage from advocates of religious freedom and homeschooling.

Despite residing in the United States for over a decade, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) reportedly informed the Romeikes in September to prepare for deportation from their adopted country, with a month to obtain passports to Germany.

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Not the first time to face deportation from the U.S.

In 2012, the Obama administration aimed to have the evangelical Christian family ousted from the United States. Former Attorney General Eric Holder at the U.S. Department of Justice pressed the Board of Immigration Appeals to repeal the decision to grant asylum.

“The goal in Germany is for an open, pluralistic society,” Holder’s Justice Department reportedly wrote in a legal brief opposing the family’s asylum. “Teaching tolerance to children of all backgrounds helps to develop the ability to interact as a fully functioning citizen of Germany.”

(Oh good. So that must mean there is “open, pluralistic” freedom in Germany to teach children to accept those who believe in the teachings of Jesus Christ, right? Ehm, no. Though homeschooling in Germany declined with the passing of mandatory schooling laws in 1918, it was outlawed by Adolf Hitler’s National Socialist German Workers’ Party in 1938.)

Following a lengthy legal battle, the Romeikes lost their appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court in 2014. Yet due to grassroots support from non-profit organizations advocating for religious freedom, including a petition amassing over 127,000 signatures, the Department of Homeland Security announced that same year “deferred action” on their case.

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Another Democratic administration wants to oust Christian family from America

Over the past 10 years, the Romeikes have continued to live in the United States. While Uwe is a pianist at First Baptist Church in Morristown and works as a piano instructor, Hammelore has since given birth to two more children—and two of the couple’s adult children are married to Americans.

During a routine check-in with the ICE, the family were told their status had been revoked and were given four weeks to apply for German passports, to deport themselves.

Speaking to Fox and Friends about the Biden administration’s decision, Uwe said that “They did not tell us anything. We don’t really know why. We wonder ourselves because we can’t understand.”

And in an interview with WBIR-TV, the father of nine homeschooled children added, “We don’t have any place to live there. I don’t have any work to provide for my family over there [in Germany].”

In defense of the evangelical Christian Romeike family

Kevin Boden is an attorney with the Homeschool Legal Defense Association (HLDA) and the director of HSLDA International. Representing the Romeikes while speaking to Fox and Friends, he said that the family had “a well-founded fear of persecution based on their participation in a particular social category, that being homeschoolers.”

Boden added: “I can tell you today, I talked to families today that have fear in Germany, and the fight there, the persecution there, is very real today as it was 15 years ago.”

As a non-profit group, the HLDA has launched a petition urging the Biden administration to allow the Romeike family to remain in the United States—a country they have chosen as home for nearly 15 years.

The petition states that:

“[I]n September 2023, without any prior warning or explanation, the Romeikes were told that they are being deported, and have four weeks to obtain passports to Germany. Germany’s opposition to homeschooling has only increased in the last 10 years, making criminal charges against this family all but certain upon their return.

President Biden and his administration have the authority to direct the Office of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to reinstate the Romeikes’ deferred status and save them from deportation.

Together, we can ask the Biden administration to do just that.”

The evangelical Christian family’s case highlights the pressures between American immigration policy, and the rights of individuals seeking asylum to pursue their chosen education form and religious freedom. The HLDA is asking supporters to reach out to their congressional representatives, and urge support for a bill from Republican Tennessee Rep. Diana Harshbarger that would allow the family to claim permanent resident status. 

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A country of two halves—of two systems?

After legally moving to the United States, Uwe and Hannelore had two more children, Sarah, 12, and Rebecca, 10. Five of their other children, Daniel, 26, Lydia, 25, Joshua, 23, Christian, 21, and Damaris, 18, were born in Germany, Bissingen, Baden-Württemberg, and are now facing deportation. Daniel and Lydia have since gone on to marry U.S. citizens.

The family’s appeal comes as record-breaking numbers of migrants from diverse nations, including those in Africa, Asia and Latin America, continue to be permitted to enter the United States via the southern border with Mexico.

This surge in migrants choosing to take, what is often a dangerous journey by foot or train to cross the southern border illegally into America, is linked to a multi-billion-dollar business network driven by Mexican-based “coyotes.”

The coyote assists a migrant in crossing the border for a fee, which could be anywhere between $5,000 and $15,000, and uses their knowledge of the passage from Mexico to the U.S. to profit from people hoping to start a new life in the shining city upon a hill.

As previously reported in a May 2022 article, both the coyotes and migrants cite the Biden administration’s “surge to the border” stance as an encouraging reason to seek asylum:

“In an interview with Univision, a group of coyotes responds to the question, ‘Is business booming right now?’ according to translated subtitles.

‘We just come here to earn our daily bread like everyone else. In all honesty, there are too many people [to help cross the border]. Believe me. With the benefits your new president [Biden] is now granting, people found the courage to come.’

‘It does [pay well], given the situation with people,’ another coyote said. Clearly, business operations are in full swing, and Biden’s open-border policy is even proving a handful for those involved in transportation logistics.

According to the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse immigration database from Syracuse University, over 2.3 million migrants have been granted Notices to Appear (NTAs) before an immigration court over the last three years—since the Biden administration took office.

NTAs are issued to people who arrive on U.S. soil, hand themselves into U.S. Border Patrol and claim asylum. Over 1.23 million of those NTAs have been issued in the Department of Homeland Security’s fiscal year 2023 alone, from October 1, 2022 through September 30, 2023.

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While migrants are flooding across the southern border, they might claim economic hardship or domestic violence for seeking asylum. Such individuals face seemingly minimal resistance from border enforcement security—if anything, a system of operation has been setup to facilitate the migrants into America as previously reported.

However, how many individuals, irrespective of their native country, are choosing to move to the United States for religious freedom—and would the current administration be remotely sympathetic to their cause if they happened to originate in a country with a comparably high GDP score?

Reality check: Although England renounced religious persecution in 1689, Protestants estranged from the Church of England still experienced political and social restrictions. We must never take for granted that the roots of America, this New World and Great Republic, represented a religious refuge that drove the early Pilgrim and Puritan settlers from England to the North American colonies.

For sure, those roots were interwoven with the seeds of ambitious entrepreneurial dreams and those seeking new economic opportunities in newly discovered land—underpinned by a virtually non-existent welfare state and a solid Christian moral framework.

But those roots of religious refuge are sawn deep into the foundation of American society, and any White House administration’s denial or rejection of those roots will backfire—one way or another.

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It’s a question that might burden those who actually care about upholding the U.S. Constitution.

But let’s start with the state of Arizona. Parents who want to homeschool their children, or send them to a private school, can apply for “allotted education dollars” through the Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) program offered through the Arizona Department of Education.

Thus, some parents are using the ESA to pay the expenses for their children who aren’t in public school—without which, they might see little option but to navigate the bureaucracy of the public school system and its growing progressive leftist ideology.

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How many states have ESA programs?

Eleven states offer ESA programs, which are proving popular among Republican lawmakers—and parents who view the public education system with a suspicious eye, and want to actively influence their children’s moral, social and academic development.

On March 27, Florida became the fourth state this year to pass an ESA policy available to all children in grades K-12. Since the start of 2021, nine states have passed an ESA equivalent program or expansion to a previous ESA policy.

More specifically, the following states offer ESA to date: Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Indiana, Iowa, Mississippi, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Tennessee, Utah and West Virginia.

How do ESA programs work?

Beginning in Arizona in 2011, ESA programs provide families access to “public funds” per child, so they can use them to pay for tuition to private schools or homeschooling resources.

Every state has different limits on funds parents can receive through an ESA program. Florida, for example, would provide around $7,500 per student, while the base amount for Arizona’s ESA is around $6,400, which is 90 percent of the state’s spending on public schools per student.

ESAs were initially limited to students from lower-income households or those with physical or learning disabilities. However, following the coronavirus lockdown, such programs grew in popularity as more and more parents opted for homeschooling or homeschool pods—and thus, more states opted for universal programs, allowing access to students across the entire socioeconomic spectrum.

Indeed, it can be argued that ESAs provide an opportunity—a breath of fresh air—for parents to tailor their children’s schooling while avoiding the many regulations of the public school system that they fundamentally oppose, both on religious and moral grounds or due to practical and logistical means.

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Legislation introduced to use federal education funding

Lawmakers in Congress have even proposed legislation this year to allow parents to use federal education funding to support their child’s K-12 private or home education, and these bills include:

1. H.R.463 and S.105, “Children Have Opportunities in Classrooms Everywhere Act” introduced January 24 and 26, respectively. These bills would allow “tax-exempt distributions from qualified tuition programs” to be used for additional educational expenses in connection with elementary or secondary school, including private and home education.

2. H.R.571, “SCHOOL Act of 2023” introduced January 26. Similarly, this bill would ensure that allocated federal funds “follows children, whether learning in person or remotely, to the public school, private school, or home school they attend.”

3. H.R.5, “Parents Bill of Rights Act” introduced March 1. This bill establishes various parental rights regarding their children’s elementary or secondary school education, and states that local educational agencies must “comply with the requirements of the bill in order to receive federal education funds.”

At first glance, such legislation might appeal to many parents or guardians, particularly those in Democratic or strongly Democratic-leaning states who cannot access ESA programs. But, might such bills, if successfully enacted into law, subsequently give rise to federal involvement—perhaps intrusion—in private and home education?

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What does the U.S. Constitution say about federal role in education?

The 10th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution declares that each state has the authority to handle educational standards instead of the federal government. More specifically, it states:

“The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.”

Therefore, perhaps Congress may want to introduce bills that limit the federal government’s role in education—as opposed to getting more involved and potentially intruding in a child’s learning with its funding?

Suppose parents committed to homeschooling or homeschool pods become conditioned to accept funding from the federal government. In that case, they could be required to deliver mandated lessons or curricula reflecting evolving sociopolitical beliefs that they adamantly reject.

Now if you thought the idea of ESAs is unique to America, you might want to think again—and think global.

The United Nations’ education agency supports tax money for private schools

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) released a report in December 2021 arguing the need for government tax subsidies for private schools and regulations to achieve “equity” among students.

A note, dear reader: the report just had to state that “the views and opinions expressed in this paper are those of the authors and should not be attributed” to UNESCO. Great. Never mind that the paper was commissioned by the Global Education Monitoring Report, which is an annual report published by UNESCO.

The report, entitled “Regulating Public-Private Partnerships, governing non-state schools: An equity perspective,” argues a “need to establish appropriate governance and regulatory frameworks” over private schools funded by a government. Citing UNESCO’s “Education 2030 Declaration and Framework for Action” towards achieving the UN’s “Sustainable Development Goal 4,” the report reveals an ideological disposition in which:

[T]the State remains the duty bearer of education as a public good, and that collaboration with the private sector requires regulatory and accountability measures to ensure it is line with the principle of education as a public good.

To this end, the report asserts that government testing “play a strategic role in promoting that all publicly-funded schools, independently of their ownership, are correctly aligned with quality standards and also with the equity goals and objectives set by the government.” Thus, might a traditional private sector school essentially transition to a state school once it accepts government-funded tax money—even if privately owned?

Even with all the good intentions, there is a grave concern about expanding government to support parents and guardians who want to take further responsibility for their loved one’s learning—which might be a justified reason towards enacting legislation that gets the federal government out of education.

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Congress introduces bill to shut down the Department of Education

In fact, Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie introduced legislation in February, H.R.899, “To terminate the Department of Education.” The bill has since been co-sponsored by 28 other lawmakers and reflects Massie’s statement that “there is no Constitutional authority for this federal bureaucracy to exist.”

The other lawmakers who joined Massie, to name just a few, include the former chairman of the House Freedom Caucus Reps. Andy Biggs from Arizona, Georgia’s Marjorie Taylor Greene, Matt Gaetz from Florida and South Carolina’s Ralph Norman.

Actually, Massie initially presented the bill in 2018, and then again in 2019 and 2021, but there weren’t as many cosponsors as the most recent. So how many rounds of Congress will it take to successfully pass the House of Representatives, push through the Senate and land on the president’s desk for a signature?

In the meantime, members of Congress who care about upholding and abiding by the Constitution might want to think carefully about the repercussions of H.R.463, S.105, H.R.571 and H.R.5 as enacted laws.

Here’s a personal suggestion—vote “nay.”

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The COVID-19 lockdowns were both a blessing and a curse.

The painful curse arose because many children and teenagers struggled—very hard. For example, the sudden isolation was traumatic for some while their parents were away at work as doctors helping to save lives. Moreover, the struggle to cope with the loneliness spurred many youngsters to form eating disorders and even binge drink.

The lockdowns were a blessing in the sense that many parents figured out what their children were actually learning through online ‘Zoom’ lessons. Alternatively, some parents structured their lives to homeschool their children and build the kind of rapport that would have been practically impossible when running errands from 9 to 5.

The arrival of homeschool pods

Of course, not all parents could stay at home. Thus, the concept of “homeschool pods” burst onto the school scene following the start of lockdown.

Generally, families in a local area pull together and bring 5 to 10 children of a similar age group into a homeschool pod. For many, pods are a great way to prioritize children’s safety while engaging in a trusted community and supporting in-person learning.

An example of excellent American ingenuity, homeschool pods didn’t precisely originate from the need for homeschooling because of school closures during the lockdown but, most certainly, became more popular.

Homeschool pods are also known as pods, learning pods, pandemic pods, micro-schools or homeschool co-ops. These pods, however, come in different forms.

In the case of a learning support pod, parents keep their children enrolled in their local school; these pods are designed to help students learn together, and parents can support individual learning needs. While supervised by a parent or multiple parents, students work together on lessons and assignments that their existing schools provide.

One of the challenges with this setup is the parents’ dependency on the school curriculum, especially if they share a mutual concern about the flawed history and civic lessons that fail to evoke a deep respect and love of country, and the current state of sex education.

Remembering the mid-2000s

Many parents across America might recall the introduction—sorry, the indoctrination—of sexual lifestyles other than heterosexual and monogamous creeping into their children’s lessons since the mid-2000s.

Delivered as carefully crafted lesson plans of “loving different,” this was all happening when public opinion around homosexualism was changing and gay marriage was becoming legalized state after state.

Organized lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) activism successfully condemned many outspoken school leaders and concerned parents into silence, and demonized them as having hateful, bigoted hearts for not openly accepting a “different lifestyle choice that isn’t harming anyone else.”

But if well-meaning parents thought these lessons were meant to tackle discrimination towards people in same-sex relationships and that the constant rhetoric about “gay rights” would eventually end, they were sadly mistaken.

It was never meant to end; it was just the beginning.

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The ultimate goal

In the last twenty years, we’ve seen the addition of the transgender ‘T’ and the queer or questioning ‘Q’, and most recently, the ‘+’ to represent other identities in LGBTQ+.

The aim: every sexual taboo has to be challenged, dismantled, normalized and promoted, and by doing so, destroy the remaining moral framework that is largely affiliated with Christianity from society.

Putting aside the published books for elementary school children that depict graphic sexual imagery of all orientations, and the acceptance of Drag Queen Story Hour into kindergarten and even Church, and the policies that allow middle school children to change their gender pronouns without their parental knowledge, the latest addition is a sex-ed animation instructing children that it’s ‘normal’ to watch pornography and then urges them to ogle at the intimate area of an animated man.

For parents who were adamant about raising a family in a socially conservative environment, the last straw may have come before their children were even born. For many, their tolerance grew shorter and thinner with every new promotion of sexual fetish behavior at a younger and younger age. For some parents, that last straw might have been today.

Any ‘inclusion’ and ‘diversity’ program that contributes to the breakdown of the traditional nuclear family, and actively diminishes the significance and celebration of manhood, womanhood and child-rearing, will be actively pushed into all schools across America. It’s not going to stop for as long as parents accept or feel they have no other option. It’s not going to stop until enough people who care enough about their children or their future family’s moral upbringing choose to end it.

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Pathway moving forward

In homeschool co-ops or a micro-school setting, parents are solely responsible for determining the curriculum, lesson planning and pedagogy, and teaching style in accordance with state laws and regulations.

These groups are usually run by one parent, who can stay at home, giving the other parents who have to work the ability to do so without much concern. In many cases, parents serve as educators, and in other circumstances, parents pull their resources to hire educators in their subjects of expertize.

Suppose families officially enroll in a micro-school and provide financial funding in exchange for a more formal education structure by hiring teaching services. Depending on the state, there might be a limit on the number of students who can learn together before the pod might be classified as a standalone private school.

In any case, homeschool pods can also function as remote learning programs where families regularly arrange to meet in person for specific lessons, allowing their children to develop much-needed communicational, social and team-building skills.

Homeschool pods are in-demand

Homeschooling skyrocketed during the lockdown as many students and their parents discovered the unexpected joys (and challenges) of flexible and personalized learning.

According to a U.S. Census Bureau survey, families homeschooling at least one child grew from 3.3 percent before the lockdown to 5.4 percent in spring 2020 and 11.1 percent in fall 2021. In California alone, homeschool applications of private school affidavits for five children or fewer nearly doubled from 2018-19 to the 2020-21 academic year.

There has also been an uptake in homeschool co-ops. According to the U.S. Department of Education, 43 percent of homeschoolers participated in co-ops in 2019 compared to around 33 percent in 2016.

This, in part, could be driven by some families’ frustrations with recent federal mandates that target their children’s bodily autonomy. Lorene Foster, who runs a local clearinghouse for homeschooling resources and events in Northern California, often checks her group’s Facebook page. “Anytime there’s a new mandate or vaccine requirement, there’s another big jump in membership.”

Moreover, there is growing dissatisfaction with the public school system that contradicts many parents’ social and religious beliefs and the values they wish to instill in their children. Foster added that:

Parents would homeschool not because you were against something but for something...You wanted the flexibility, or more time with your kids, or a religious education.

Parents are taking full responsibility

Growing numbers of families across America are considering homeschooling pods and deciding if it’s the best option for their children, especially if traditional homeschooling might be impractical under current circumstances.

Suppose parents are still keen to remove their children from the current school system, but homeschool pods might not be appropriate due to location or finance. In that case, they are encouraged to keep looking for other options until they find or create the right learning environment for their children. No doubt it’s not going to be easy.

The more parents choose to opt out of the public, charter or private school sector that are harmful to their children’s mental, social and emotional wellbeing, the louder is the signal to district leaders, state policymakers and the U.S. Department of Education. It is a very polite finger sign to the establishment that they are not accepting and trusting the state’s education system to inspire and nurture their children—the right way.

One can hope that state policymakers can gauge parents’ sentiments and draw valuable lessons from those homeschool pods in building a more supportive infrastructure for families choosing to learn outside of the traditional education system. Alternatively, better still, they could look for ways to guard students against moral degradation and purge lessons from schools that have driven many families across America to take schooling matters into their own hands.

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A quiet town in southern Michigan boasts the College Baptist Church as a Romanesque architecture-styled building. Standing near the church is a small private college with a 400-acre campus that caters to 1,400 students. Among the campus lies the “crown jewel” of Central Hall, a stunning Victorian-style building constructed in the late 19th century. Almost picturesque.

This academic institution tucked away in a leafy rural town made headlines when it released the “1776 Curriculum” in July of last year, a resource of American history and civics materials for kindergarten through 12th grade.

For many parents and educators, who were yearning for a traditional education fair to the core of America’s heritage, the arrival of this program was a relief. But, for skeptics, it may have been seen as the latest attempt to continue former President Donald Trump’s push for a “pro-American” education.

Hillsdale College, which describes itself as “a small, Christian, classical liberal arts college,” delivered an extraordinary collection comprising 2,425 pages of lesson guidance for educators, student assessments, and a wealth of material for homeschooling parents.

What does the 1776 Curriculum include?

The 45th President, during his last few weeks in office, appointed members to the “1776 Commission.” This advisory committee, led by Larry P. Arnn, Hillsdale College’s president, aimed to support Trump’s vision for a “patriotic education.” 

However, the Biden administration disbanded this panel, but they continued to meet nonetheless. Hillsdale’s assistant provost for K-12 education, Dr. Kathleen O’Toole, commented on the extensive program in a press release to RealClearEducation in July of last year:

Our curriculum was created by teachers and professors—not activists, not journalists, not bureaucrats...It comes from years of studying America, its history, and its founding principles, not some slap-dash journalistic scheme to achieve a partisan political end through students. It is a truly American education.

As of today, the biased opponents to the curriculum have only succeeded in tarnishing America’s historical challenges, triumphs and remarkable achievements and demoralized a not-so-insignificant number of students from respecting their nation, let alone cherishing their unique inheritance as Americans. A nation that might have never been. A nation that is unlike any other in the world. And a relatively young nation evolving with a strong “can-do” optimism that needs reminding of its history and heritage and how it became exceptional in the first place.

The 1776 Curriculum includes teaching resources on American civics, American founding and the Civil War. This collection of work plans to expand and include lessons on colonial America, the early timeline of the Republic, the Gilded Age and the Progressive Era, the Great Depression, World War I and II, and the Cold War and modern America.

In a statement to POLITICO, Hillsdale’s assistant provost added that:

Though no formal connection exists between the President’s Advisory 1776 Commission and The Hillsdale 1776 Curriculum, Hillsdale College was inspired by the Commission’s call for a restoration of American education grounded on a history that is “accurate, honest, unifying, inspiring, and ennobling.”

The curriculum offers students and educators a more patriotic approach to learning American history than The New York Times “1619 Project” sweeping across schools like a plague and claiming that America’s “founding ideals of liberty and equality were false when they were written.”

Indeed, Hillsdale College’s approach challenges the 1619 Project, a program scripted to convince uninformed American children that their nation’s founding did not occur in 1776 but, instead, in 1619, when the first slave ships reached the shores of the New World.

Unfortunately, 4,500 schools nationwide, including several school districts in Chicago and Buffalo, New York, have reportedly adopted curricula based on the project. Moreover, Hillsdale’s priceless resource arrived when teachers across the United States started to adopt Critical Race Theory precepts into their lesson planning.

When O’Toole was asked, by RealClearEducation, whether the 1776 Curriculum served as a counterweight to the 1619 Project, she said point-blank:

Unlike the 1619 Project and its politicized curricula, the Hillsdale 1776 Curriculum doesn’t use history as a weapon to fight current political battles. Instead, the Hillsdale 1776 Curriculum is a reflection of the honest study of history that has been going on at Hillsdale College and its dozens of affiliated K-12 schools for decades. It’s a content-rich curriculum covering American history, American government, and civics—the complete story of our nation that is honest, inspiring, and unifying.

Note the key word: unifying.

Hillsdale’s curriculum includes Trump’s 1776 Commission report as a resource for educators and high school students. The structure and content of the curriculum are generally praise-worthy, with the Republic hailed as an exceptional and high-spirited nation that also made sordid mistakes.

As a fair and balanced history program, the curriculum openly acknowledges where America failed to uphold the ideals enshrined in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. The question, in essence, isn’t whether to teach (or not to teach) the history of slavery and institutional racism but how to impart the truth within the context of America’s founding principles.

Furthermore, O’Toole told RealClearEducation that the curriculum is planned to cultivate an environment of student discussion by asking open-ended questions.

The beauty of our curriculum is that it respects the authority and the role of the teacher as the vehicle through which the students come to understand the material...Rather than giving teachers a script to read from—which is demoralizing to the teacher and fails to respect the dignity of the profession—we give teachers the tools to do their own studying and preparation. This ultimately comes to life in a classroom where the curriculum, the teacher, and the student join in pursuit of truth.

Indeed, the curriculum’s introduction begins with a thought-provoking question, “What ideas, words, and deeds have most significantly formed the world into which students were born?” This opening also contends that students learning history through the lens of race would “resurrect and reinforce in students that they ought to judge, value, and treat people differently.” It is most likely digestible for self-taught students and homeschooling parents—anything but a complex program packed with incomprehensible lingo.

An outstanding model for every school in America

Hillsdale College represents everything that is great and exceptional about America. With an unapologetically strong Christian ethos, this 178-year-old institution operates independently of government funding, reflecting its entrepreneurial mind and giving heart, to serve and inspire America’s youth. This selective, co-educational college is committed to delivering an education that welcomes students from all walks of life and stays true to the nation’s founding ideals. It has a remarkable ability to deliver the good (no, the brilliance), the bad (actually, the corruption), and the ugly truth about the United States in a candid and compassionate style, fostering a deep sense of gratitude and love of country.

As a liberal arts college, Hillsdale promotes intellectual curiosity, encourages critical thinking, and enables personal growth through rigorous academic challenges. The college values the distinct contribution of each unique individual rather than judging them not as individuals but as members of a group—whatever the nature of that group, be it socio-economic status, political leaning, religion, or race or ethnicity. This is not to say that these factors cannot influence a person’s character, outlook or natural aptitudes; it’s that the individual is held to a high set of standards and expected nothing less than their very best—the throbbing heartbeat of the American people.

Availability to the masses

According to Hillsdale’s Vice President of Washington operations Matthew Spalding, the 1776 Curriculum consists of 85 lessons, all publicly available. Speaking to Breitbart News Daily, he said, “It’s free to anybody who wants to use it: homeschoolers, private schools, public schools...It’s absolutely free to anybody who wants it.”

Spalding also remarked about the 1776 Curriculum serving as a response to an infamous, alternative curriculum:

[Those pushing the 1619 Project narrative] want to fight about race and public policy in America today. We actually want it to be a discussion about history because our curriculum in a K-12 education should be about America’s history, about its civics, about what the country means, about its principles, how those played out, flaws and all.

Hillsdale’s view of the importance of civic education was a key driver in making the curriculum free to download. Arguably, the future of the great American Republic begins at home and then at school. O’Toole told RealClearEducation that since today’s students are tomorrow’s future leaders, a robust civic education is necessary to ensure students can rise to the challenges:

They must also be properly equipped with the knowledge of not just their rights and freedoms in our republic, but their duties and responsibilities as well...Thankfully, this is precisely what our curriculum seeks to do.

The small quiet college in southern Michigan celebrates the pillars of Western Civilization underpinning American society, including Greco-Roman philosophy, Christian theology and modern science. Interwoven are the Magna Carta Libertatum and the writings of English philosopher John Locke, which influenced a parting from the Old World to create the Great Social Experiment and a revolutionary form of government: a Republic.

To quote Benjamin Franklin’s response to an anxious citizen outside Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, who asked, “Well, Doctor, what have we got, a republic or a monarchy?” And straight away, Franklin responded, “A republic, if you can keep it.”

Hillsdale College intends to keep it.

This writer intends to keep it.

How about you?

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Dear Rest Of America is currently free for all subscribers. If you enjoyed this post and value my writing, you can pledge a future paid subscription—you won’t be charged unless payments are enabled. Thank you.

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