Harvard Magazine recently published an article attacking homeschooling and highlighting the work of Harvard Law Professor Elizabeth Bartholet, who calls for a presumptive ban on homeschooling because she says the practice denies children a “meaningful education” and potentially leads to more child abuse.
In response to the unfounded attacks on homeschooling, the Harvard Kennedy School of Government hosted a virtual, pro-homeschooling event that was open to the public. The event was called, “The Disinformation Campaign Against Homeschooling.”
I was invited to speak at the event along with six other prominent supporters of homeschooling. I used my time to respond to Bartholet’s unfounded attacks against homeschooling and the logical implications of her presumptive ban on the practice. Bartholet often failed to cite statistics to back up her claims, generalized extreme cases to the population, committed ad hominem, set up a strawman, appealed to anti-religious sentiment, and failed to recognize that the preponderance of the evidence is in favor of homeschooling.
Other speakers included Foundation for Economic Education’s Kerry McDonald, Boston College Professor Peter Gray, filmmaker Cevin Soling, education activist Patrick Farenga, Homeschool Legal Defense Association’s Michael Donnelly, and the National Youth Rights Association’s Brian Conner.