VOA教育报道2023--Some US Schools Operate outside State Education System

Some US Schools Operate outside State Education System

Nearly 9,000 private schools in the American state of Louisiana do not need state approval¹ to give high school diplomas.

Public schools, formal homeschooling programs and traditional private schools all need state approval. Nearly all of the schools lacking approval were created to serve a single homeschooling family. But some have buildings, classrooms, teachers and many students.

A small percentage of Louisiana's students have ties to unapproved schools. The schools are being called Louisiana's off-the-grid school system. Some observers³ say they are a growing example of the nation's continuing effects of COVID-19 because families appear to be leaving traditional education.

U.S. public school enrollment⁴ fell by more than 1.2 million students in the first two years of the pandemic. Many families sent their children to private school or told their state they were homeschooling. But the Associated Press (AP) and its partners say thousands of other students are unaccounted for.

The students in Louisiana's "off-the-grid" school system are not missing⁵. But there is no way to know what kind of education they are getting.

The AP and The Advocate, a Louisiana newspaper, say that over 21,000 students are enrolled⁶ in the state's unapproved schools. That is nearly double the number from before the pandemic.

Supporters of the system want to avoid state oversight⁷. They say Louisiana's unapproved schools are an extension⁸ of the idea of parental⁹ rights in education.

One such school in Louisiana is Springfield Preparatory School. The school calls itself an umbrella school for Christian¹⁰ homeschoolers. Most students there attend the school to get an education through classes or tutoring¹².

However, school leader Kitty Sibley Morrison is also willing to give a diploma to anyone whose parents say they were homeschooled, even years earlier.

"Sometimes it takes two or three times to explain to them that they are free," Sibley Morrison said. "Their parents are in charge of them, not the state."

A different choice for homeschooling

Sibley Morrison said she is not selling diplomas; she is selling lifetime services for homeschooling families.

"We're not here to make money," she said.

Yet a list of prices is placed on the front window of the school building: $250 for diploma services, a $50 application fee, $35 for a diploma cover and $130 to take part in a ceremony.

The number of students in unapproved schools like Springfield has nearly doubled. State records show there were 11,600 students in the 2017 to 2018 school year and over 21,000 in 2022 to 2023.

There is little information available about these schools. The state calls them "nonpublic schools not seeking state approval." To start one, an adult must only report their school's name and address, their contact information and how many students they have.

Most of the schools are small, single-family home schools. However, last year, 30 of Louisiana's unapproved schools reported they had at least 50 children enrolled.

Laura Hawkins says there is no way for the government to know whether the schools are safe, good, or even whether they exist. Hawkins is a former official of the Louisiana Department of Education who worked on its school choice efforts until 2020.

The department warns parents on its website that it cannot confirm whether these organizations even meet the legal definition¹³ of a school.

Louisiana has two options for homeschooling.

Parents who want their child to receive a state-recognized high school diploma can apply for the official home study program. They must apply using test scores or copies of the student's work. The work must show their child has received 180 days of schooling² of the same quality as a public school's.

The state-recognized diploma is more widely accepted by colleges. It also permits students to be considered for a popular in-state scholarship program.

Families can also choose to set up their own private school without asking for state approval. There are no requirements to prove a child is getting an education. The schools do not even have to provide the names of students who are attending.

At least two unapproved schools have had abuse¹⁴ scandals¹⁶. But the state Department of Education says it has no legal power to do anything.

Today, over 12 states permit families to open a private school as a form of homeschooling, including California, Illinois and Texas. Around half the states require those schools to teach basic subjects such as math and reading. Louisiana is not one of them.

‘I take their word for it'

Springfield Preparatory occupies two buildings on Springfield's main street. State records say 250 students attend, but Sibley Morrison said the school does not keep the number.

Some homeschooling families come for art or science. Others attend services like career guidance, test preparation and "explanation and support in their parental rights," said Sibley Morrison. Some, such as Arliya Martin, go straight for a diploma.

Martin was expelled¹⁷ from high school in 10th grade after getting in a fight. She tried a military-style program for at-risk youths but finished without her GED. The GED test provides what is equal to a high school diploma.

"At 17, I was already by myself. I had my son at 18, and it was just work, work, work," she said.

Within days of meeting Sibley Morrison, Martin visited her office and got a diploma.

The document was backdated to 2015, when she would have graduated high school. It also said she had completed a program for graduation "approved by the Louisiana Board of Education," which is not true. After questions from AP, Sibley Morrison said there had been a mistake and that the document would be corrected.

Signs at the school advertise "state-approved" diplomas although the state has not approved the school. Sibley Morrison said she can use those words because she pushes families in her program to also sign up for the state-approved home study program.

After learning¹⁸ that her diploma is not approved by the state and might not be accepted by some colleges, Martin said she did not feel bad. Friends and family members have gotten diplomas from the same school and have gone on to college and successful careers, she said.

Sibley Morrison said parents are the only people who can decide if and when someone is properly educated.

"When parents say, ‘My child is ready to go into the real world' — I take their word for it," Sibley Morrison said.

Words in This Story

off-the-grid — adj. (informal) not connected to a formal or official system

enrollment — adj. the process of getting accepted to an institution such as a school or college and providing all necessary documents

oversight — n. the act of overseeing and activity

umbrella — adj. describing a group that includes many other groups that might be quite different or in different places

option — n. a choice or possibility to do something

tutor¹¹ –v. to teach only one or a very small group of students

diploma — adj. a document that is given to people who complete their classes and course of study at a high school, college or university

scandal¹⁵ –n. something that happens because it is shocking, morally or legally wrong

1 approval   

n.赞成，同意；批准，认可

参考例句：

• The audience has expressed its approval.观众已经认可。
• The teacher signed his approval.老师做了手势表示同意。

2 schooling   

n.教育；正规学校教育

参考例句：

• A child's access to schooling varies greatly from area to area.孩子获得学校教育的机会因地区不同而大相径庭。
• Backward children need a special kind of schooling.天赋差的孩子需要特殊的教育。

3 observers   

n.观察者( observer的名词复数 )；遵守者；观测者；目击者

参考例句：

• According to observers, the plane exploded shortly after take-off. 据目击者说，飞机起飞后不久就爆炸了。
• Some military observers fear the US could get entangled in another war. 一些军事观察家担心美国会卷入另一场战争。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 enrollment   

n.注册或登记的人数；登记

参考例句：

• You will be given a reading list at enrollment.注册时你会收到一份阅读书目。
• I just got the enrollment notice from Fudan University.我刚刚接到复旦大学的入学通知书。

5 missing   

adj.遗失的，缺少的，失踪的

参考例句：

• Check the tools and see if anything is missing.检点一下工具，看有无丢失。
• All the others are here;he's the only one missing.别人都来了，就短他一个。

6 enrolled   

adj.入学登记了的v.[亦作enrol]( enroll的过去式和过去分词 )；登记，招收，使入伍（或入会、入学等），参加，成为成员；记入名册；卷起，包起

参考例句：

• They have been studying hard from the moment they enrolled. 从入学时起，他们就一直努力学习。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He enrolled with an employment agency for a teaching position. 他在职业介绍所登了记以谋求一个教师的职位。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 oversight   

n.勘漏，失察，疏忽

参考例句：

• I consider this a gross oversight on your part.我把这件事看作是你的一大疏忽。
• Your essay was not marked through an oversight on my part.由于我的疏忽你的文章没有打分。

8 extension   

n.伸长，扩大，伸展；延长，延期；延长部分，扩大部分；电话分机

参考例句：

• The pupils disliked the extension of the term.小学生们不愿延长学期。
• Our extension is nearly finished.我们的扩建部分已接近完工。

9 parental   

adj.父母的；父的；母的

参考例句：

• He encourages parental involvement in the running of school.他鼓励学生家长参与学校的管理。
• Children always revolt against parental disciplines.孩子们总是反抗父母的管束。

10 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

11 tutor   

n.家庭教师，导师，助教，监护人；vt.当…的教师，教，指导，约束

参考例句：

• I think you should get her a tutor.我认为你应该替她请个家教。
• What do you think of your tutor?你觉得你的家庭教师怎么样？

12 tutoring   

v.当家庭教师( tutor的现在分词 )；任大学导师；任课

参考例句：

• The teachers give individual tutoring to students who are having difficulties. 对有困难的学生，教师逐个进行辅导。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The old man was tutoring her in the stringed instruments. 那个老人在教她弹弦乐器。 来自辞典例句

13 definition   

n.定义；限定，确定；清晰度

参考例句：

• The book attempts a definition of his role in world politics.该书要阐明的是他在世界政局中的作用。
• I made a definition for this word.我给这个字下了定义。

14 abuse   

vt.滥用；辱骂；诋毁；n.滥用；恶习；弊端

参考例句：

• You can't make personal abuse on her.你不可对她进行人身攻击。
• She screamed abuse at me.她尖声责备我。

15 scandal   

n.丑事，丑闻，流言蜚语，反感，愤慨

参考例句：

• Scandal and gossip are meat and drink to him.各种丑闻和流言蜚语是他最感兴趣的事。
• His theft from the shop caused scandal in the village.他因偷商店的东西引起全村的公愤。

16 scandals   

丑事( scandal的名词复数 )； 流言蜚语； 闲话； 诽谤

参考例句：

• Recent financial scandals have necessitated changes in parliamentary procedures. 最近的金融丑闻使得议会程序必须改革。
• a series of sex scandals 一系列性丑闻

17 expelled   

驱逐( expel的过去式和过去分词 )； 赶走； 把…除名； 排出

参考例句：

• She was expelled from school at 15. 她15岁时被学校开除了。
• After the outbreak of fighting,all foreign journalists were expelled. 战斗开始后，所有的外国记者都被驱逐出境。

18 learning   

n.学问，学识，学习；动词learn的现在分词

参考例句：

• When you are learning to ride a bicycle,you often fall off.初学骑自行车时，常会从车上掉下来。
• Learning languages isn't just a matter of remembering words.学习语言不仅仅是记些单词的事。