Nonetheless, the leftist teachers' unions and their allies are doubling down and resisting all efforts at reform. In addition, they are demonizing parents who are seeking better options for their children.
At a recent book club event sponsored by the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), a New York University professor accused homeschooling parents of anti-democratic indoctrination!
Ruth Ben-Ghiat made this outrageous accusation at the event hosted by AFT President Randi Weingarten:
"One of the reasons that they [parents] all go after education and one of the reasons that schools are being targeted ... A big thing is to destroy liberal, democratic models of secular education—get everybody out of the system, put them in homeschools so they can be indoctrinated."
Professor Ben-Ghiat then played the race card with this smear of homeschooling:
"All of this is anathema to authoritarians who want the end of empathy, the end of solidarity. They don't want familiarity because racism is lessened when there is familiarity, when there is teamwork, when there is friendship."
Obviously, the professor is ignorant of the fact that the most significant growth in homeschooling is taking place among minority parents who want their children out of failing urban government schools.
Educational choice is spreading like wildfire across America. In the last five years, new school choice options have passed or been expanded in 20 states over the vehement opposition of the teachers' unions and radical progressive politicians. JDFI supports these reforms and will continue to fight for parental rights for families whose children remain in government schools.
