"More Black Families Homeschooling"

"More Black Families Homeschooling," reports the Washington Post:

Denise Armstrong decided to home school her daughter and two sons because she thought she could do a better job of instilling her values in her children than a public school could. And while she once found herself the lone black parent at home-education gatherings that usually were dominated by white Christian evangelicals, she's noticed more black parents joining the ranks.

"I've been delighted to be running into people in the African-American home-schooling community," Armstrong said. 

Home-school advocates say the apparent increase in black families opting to educate their children at home reflects a wider desire among families of all races to guide their children's moral upbringing, along with growing concerns about issues such as sub-par school conditions and preserving cultural heritage.

I'm inclined to think that home-schooling -- done right -- is the best way to raise and form a really well-educated young person.  I also know that I am not up to it.  Still, I think the freedom and right to home-school is essential -- it's something of a "canary in the coal mine" when it comes to gauging authentic freedom, it seems to me.  So, stories along the lines of "Home-schooling:  It's not just for 'fundamentalists' anymore" are welcome.  What is not welcome, though, are arguments like this:

Apple, the Wisconsin professor, said improving public education for the greatest number of students depends on mass mobilization by concerned parents, but he raises a cautionary note.

"They're trying as hard as they possibly can to protect their children, and for that they must be applauded," Apple said. "But in the long run, protecting their own children may even lead to worse conditions for the vast majority of students who stay in public schools, and that's a horrible dilemma."

I've never understood the appeal of the argument that poor children should be denied opportunities to escape (via vouchers, home-schooling, etc.) failing and failure-generating public schools because the departure of some kids would make things even worse for those kids who stayed behind.  More precisely, I have never been able to get past the gall of those who insist that other peoples' children have an obligation to stay in schools to which those making the argument would never condemn their own children.  (This is not, to be clear, to deny the importance of "solidarity.")