An Analysis on How the Right to Education Gives Form to the Lives of American and International Children

Kate Chered
4 min readFeb 11, 2024

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The learning methods and enforcement of the right to education vary significantly from one country to another, especially in the massive and teeming complexities of global education. The paper will examine the implications of these choices on the child’s access to school, the historical context of home education, and contrasting international educational practices through a focus on the United States.

How Does Withholding Formal Education Legally Affect Children and Parents?

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Such formal education to prepare children to live within the complex frameworks of the contemporary world is mandated by law in most countries. Unless a recognized form of alternative education is elected, child welfare agencies generally take action where children are not sent to school. In more severe cases, the result of such negligence is a deprivation of parents of their parental rights, and this measure emphasizes the intention of the state to provide education to every child in a concrete manner. For example, in Russia, the legal basis clearly defines that children have the right to free public education. This obligation, if not duly met by the person liable to fulfill it, shall involve administrative penalties for his parents to the extent of substantial failure up to such removal or restriction of his parental rights. Different versions worldwide mirror the tight position that the global recognition of education as a fundamental right is made. What pressure is there to observe educational standards? This is the case told by a Yekaterinburg inhabitant, where educators and law enforcers were asked to present documents about a child’s education in the place of its inhabitance. It goes on to tell us how a parent has a legal responsibility to ensure that a child accesses education as a fundamental human right of the child.

The History of Home Education: How Home Education Has Changed Over the Years

Home education is not necessarily a new idea; it has had a historical practice so profoundly embedded in many cultures. Home education was characteristic of wealthy families in pre-Soviet Russia, where children had private tutors, among whom were foreign educators and outstanding Russian literati. This method aimed at providing a well-rounded education, incorporating basic mathematics, literacy, foreign languages, and etiquette, which could allow the children to prepare for further academic endeavors. Traditional family education underlines a period when education was personalized and presented societal norms and family values. Mandatory school attendance represented a significant philosophical change in education-a shift mirrored the state’s assertion of control over curricula and the educative processes of its young.

Today, the revival of interest in home education is evocative of a contemporary movement amongst some parents to regain a more direct role in their children’s learning experiences. For example, in the search and cyclical return of historical, educational practices, though adjusted to current standards and expectations.

Home Education in the U.S. Compared to Other Nations

The United States has one of the most liberal approaches to home education globally. When American parents decide to homeschool their children, they must provide detailed records of their children’s studies concerning subjects to ensure their children’s further education. Since the system is very flexible, it offers an individualized education customized to suit the child’s specific needs and learning style. Home education is both accepted and regulated in diverse ways internationally. Some countries allow much freedom, mirroring the U.S. model; in others, it is tight control or not allowed at all. This diversity reflects different national priorities, cultural values, and educational philosophies.

Comparing the above approaches, it is clear that the U.S. is unique in emphasizing individual choice and parental responsibility in education. This model develops a diverse education landscape where innovation and personalization in learning are significant.

Consequently, the right to education is the right which is in the center of the development of society and personal growth. This may be through an organized setting like a school or home-based tuition. Still, in any case, a child has to be equipped with the competencies and capacity to tackle the issues and complexities of life in the contemporary world. Decisions therefore that parents make over what to choose regarding their children’s education are far-reaching in terms of its legality, societally. Going along, it is very vital that the above considerations are weighed with proper respect to parents’ rights and at the same time with a look at the basic right of every child to be given quality and complete education.

FAQs

How can parents go about legally homeschooling their children in the U.S.?

While it’s a parent’s choice in the U.S. to educate a child through homeschooling, there are still regulations, usually from state to state, that detail what the education plan must contain, as well as records that are kept of a child’s work and progress, so as to ensure a child’s homeschooling education is on par with a child learning through traditional means.

Where to get homeschooling resources for parents?

Homeschooling resource materials are more than abundant on the web and through community outreach for curriculum guides, educational materials, and support groups.

What could be the implication of not sending a child to school without any other educational arrangement?

In the absence of an approved alternative educational plan, the parents are in jeopardy of having legal actions taken against them from administrative penalties to, in serious instances, loss or curtailment of parental rights. The decision of whether to homeschool should be made after considering your child’s learning needs and the family’s resources and work involved in homeschooling. Moreover, there is a need to research state laws and regulations in relation to homeschooling.

How homeschooling compares to traditional schooling in terms of socialization

Other socialization activities that homeschoolers might engage in would include community-based learning activities, homeschool cooperatives, and other extracurricular programs in order to get intera

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