Losing homeschool data

The Trump administration’s push to expand school choice contradicts its recent decision to terminate the primary federal survey tracking homeschooling. By canceling the contract for the National Household Education Survey and firing staff at the National Center for Education Statistics, the government has effectively silenced the most reliable source for data on home-based learning. This action prevents the release of crucial information about the growth and demographics of this rapidly evolving educational sector. Without this federal oversight, researchers and policymakers lose the ability to understand the diverse realities of homeschooling, including the rise of virtual schools and microschools. Experts argue that objective data is essential to dispel myths about the homeschooling population and to inform state-level policies, such as Education Savings Accounts. The absence of standardized national statistics leaves state and local officials "flying blind," unable to compare practices across jurisdictions or make evidence-based decisions regarding public funding for private education options. This development is critical to the open_data community because it demonstrates how political priorities can directly obstruct transparency and accountability in public education. When government entities dismantle data collection infrastructure, they erase historical records and hinder long-term analysis of educational trends. Protecting open data is not just about access; it is about maintaining the integrity of public information needed to evaluate policy effectiveness, ensure equitable resource distribution, and allow researchers to hold institutions accountable for their educational outcomes.

Source: hechingerreport.org
Published on 2025-03-29

Losing homeschool data

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