NationStates

From what I'm told, there has been nothing on freedom of education (let alone homeschooling), so I took it upon myself to write a successful resolution covering the topic. I already have the overall format down and the GA proposal right now looks like this:

The World Assembly,

Acknowledging that parents and legal guardians have the right to give their children the best available quality of education;

Aware that some children learn very differently than other children;

Further aware that some children struggle in public and/or private schools due to factors such as bullying, incompetent teachers, complicated curricula, etc;

Knowing that there has been no prior legislation in regards to homeschooling and freedom of education;

Knowing as well that public and private schools do not inherently provide a better standard of education than other schooling methods;

Alarmed by the fact that some members of the World Assembly do not allow for freedom of education and even exhibit hostility towards members who do allow for freedom of education;

Disturbed by the fact that some members of the World Assembly utilize in public and private schools curricula that teach subjects that are questionable at best in regards to values and beliefs about society, other members of the World Assembly and the world;

Hereby defines:

1. Freedom of education as the freedom of the parent(s) or legal guardian(s) to decide how their children are educated;

2. Public schools as schools operated and maintained by a nation's government;

3. Private schools as schools operated, maintained and financed by private owners, their employees, the parents involved in private schooling and the teachers hired by private owners;

4. Homeschooling as the home-based education of a child led by the parent(s), legal guardian(s) and/or private tutors;

Therefore mandates that:

1. All members of the World Assembly provide parents and legal guardians with freedom of education in the pursuit of the best quality of education for their children;

2. All members of the World Assembly allow homeschooling as an alternative to public and private schools;

3. All members of the World Assembly implement provisions to ensure that the homeschooling of children follows the basic curriculum without infringing upon freedom of education.

If there's anything I need to add, feel free to provide some input.

FYI: anything even remotely opposed to freedom of education will be ignored.

Kyundao wrote:Therefore mandates that: All members of the World Assembly provide homeschooling

Governments don't provide homeschooling - parents, carers and guardians do.

Tinhampton wrote:

Kyundao wrote:Therefore mandates that: All members of the World Assembly provide homeschooling

Governments don't provide homeschooling - parents, carers and guardians do.

That's been changed to this:

1. All members of the World Assembly allow homeschooling as an alternative to public and private schools and;

but... unrestricted freedom of education? Surely that means parents could teach their children... I don't know... underwater basketweaving but not mathematics? Or nothing at all, since it's the parents' choice?

Some changes have been made to the draft:

The World Assembly;

Knowing that parents have the right to give their children, biological or adopted, the best available quality of education;

Aware that some children learn much differently than other children;

Further aware that some children struggle in public and/or private schools due to factors such as bullying, incapable teachers, complicated curricula, etc;

Even more aware that there has been no approved prior legislation in regards to homeschooling and freedom of education;

Acknowledging that children who were homeschooled tend to fare far better than children who attend public and/or private schools not just in mental health, but also in the information they have learned;

Therefore mandates that:

1. All members of the World Assembly allow homeschooling as an alternative to public and private schools;

2. All members of the World Assembly provide parents freedom of education in the pursuit of the best available quality of education;

3. All members of the World Assembly implement provisions to ensure that the homeschooling of children follows the necessary requirements such as the completion of annual tests.

Kyundao wrote:Some changes have been made to the draft:

Traditional etiquette is to put your latest draft into the OP.

Tinhampton wrote:

Kyundao wrote:Some changes have been made to the draft:

Traditional etiquette is to put your latest draft into the OP.

Fixed that.

OOC:

Kyundao wrote:3. All members of the World Assembly implement provisions to ensure that the homeschooling of children follows the necessary requirements such as the completion of annual tests.

This section (emphasis mine) is pretty ambiguous. Given that this already exists, I suggest replacing the end of that clause with something like "... follows World Assembly requirements for standards of education."

Maowi wrote:OOC:

Kyundao wrote:3. All members of the World Assembly implement provisions to ensure that the homeschooling of children follows the necessary requirements such as the completion of annual tests.

This section (emphasis mine) is pretty ambiguous. Given that this already exists, I suggest replacing the end of that clause with something like "... follows World Assembly requirements for standards of education."

I'm pretty sure that falls under the House of Cards rule since it would be relying on previous resolutions.

Kyundao wrote:

Maowi wrote:OOC: This section (emphasis mine) is pretty ambiguous. Given that this already exists, I suggest replacing the end of that clause with something like "... follows World Assembly requirements for standards of education."

I'm pretty sure that falls under the House of Cards rule since it would be relying on previous resolutions.

As long as you don't specify the actual resolution, it should be legal. Your clause would still work, regardless of what WA legislation on education actually was.

If you also wanted to have something independent of WA legislation, you could mandate that member nations ensure that homeschooling meets the national standards for regular education.

Promotion of Basic Education, Res 80 only states that all citizens have a right to basic education. It does not specify where that education come from, be it government schools, private schools, internet, homeschooled, or meditation with the Great Auk.
So, why do we need something which only states “You can do it like this one specific way!”. In my eyes, this appears to be pointless duplication.

Grays Harbor wrote:Promotion of Basic Education, Res 80 only states that all citizens have a right to basic education. It does not specify where that education come from, be it government schools, private schools, internet, homeschooled, or meditation with the Great Auk.
So, why do we need something which only states “You can do it like this one specific way!”. In my eyes, this appears to be pointless duplication.

OOC: Couldn't this be interpreted as a blocker for a future resolution banning homeschooling? If that is a correct view of it, it would also probably need to take more substantive action of some sort to be legal, afaik

Maowi wrote:

Grays Harbor wrote:Promotion of Basic Education, Res 80 only states that all citizens have a right to basic education. It does not specify where that education come from, be it government schools, private schools, internet, homeschooled, or meditation with the Great Auk.
So, why do we need something which only states “You can do it like this one specific way!”. In my eyes, this appears to be pointless duplication.

OOC: Couldn't this be interpreted as a blocker for a future resolution banning homeschooling? If that is a correct view of it, it would also probably need to take more substantive action of some sort to be legal, afaik

How is what going to block homeschooling? #80? It says nothing about blocking any god damned thing.

GH, Maowi is referring to this proposal here blocking a future blocker for homeschooling.

That said, more broadly to everyone else, I'd be more interested in a resolution explicitly permitting member nations the authority to require student attendance at state schools. Hilariously, the last time this came up, CD called me a fascist.

OOC: What about vocational schools, which usually require students to do hands-on training?

Imperium Anglorum wrote:GH, Maowi is referring to this proposal here blocking a future blocker for homeschooling.

That said, more broadly to everyone else, I'd be more interested in a resolution explicitly permitting member nations the authority to require student attendance at state schools. Hilariously, the last time this came up, CD called me a fascist.

The goal of my proposal is to guarantee freedom of education as well as the parents' right to homeschool their children, all within WA member nations. Replacing this with your idea is not happening.

Terttia wrote:OOC: What about vocational schools, which usually require students to do hands-on training?

Vocational schools have been included in the draft.

Kyundao wrote:

Terttia wrote:OOC: What about vocational schools, which usually require students to do hands-on training?

Vocational schools have been included in the draft.

OOC: I think that you misunderstood what I meant. You see, students in vocational school require (at least according to my friends that have been to vocational school) a rather great deal of supervision. Do you expect instructors to reasonably monitor students when they’re homeschooled? Also, a lot of tools (again, according to those friends) are shared. That would nearly logistically impossible to transport tools to each student’s house.

Terttia wrote:

Kyundao wrote:
Vocational schools have been included in the draft.

OOC: I think that you misunderstood what I meant. You see, students in vocational school require (at least according to my friends that have been to vocational school) a rather great deal of supervision. Do you expect instructors to reasonably monitor students when they’re homeschooled? Also, a lot of tools (again, according to those friends) are shared. That would nearly logistically impossible to transport tools to each student’s house.

The revision says that homeschooling should be an alternative to public, private AND vocational schools. Homeschooled students obviously don't have to do what you're alluding to.

Kyundao wrote:

Terttia wrote:OOC: I think that you misunderstood what I meant. You see, students in vocational school require (at least according to my friends that have been to vocational school) a rather great deal of supervision. Do you expect instructors to reasonably monitor students when they’re homeschooled? Also, a lot of tools (again, according to those friends) are shared. That would nearly logistically impossible to transport tools to each student’s house.

The revision says that homeschooling should be an alternative to public, private AND vocational schools. Homeschooled students obviously don't have to do what you're alluding to.

OOC: What are any alternatives to professionally learning technical skills, apart from attending a vocational school?

Also, clause 3 states, “3. All members of the World Assembly implement [sic] provisions to ensure that the homeschooling of children meets the necessary requirements such as the completion of annual tests.” If homeschooling is an alternative in a curriculum sense, how are member nations supposed to comply with that clause since the standards are, according to you, different?

Terttia wrote:

Kyundao wrote:
The revision says that homeschooling should be an alternative to public, private AND vocational schools. Homeschooled students obviously don't have to do what you're alluding to.

OOC: What are any alternatives to professionally learning technical skills, apart from attending a vocational school?

Also, clause 3 states, “3. All members of the World Assembly implement [sic] provisions to ensure that the homeschooling of children meets the necessary requirements such as the completion of annual tests.” If homeschooling is an alternative in a curriculum sense, how are member nations supposed to comply with that clause since the standards are, according to you, different?

Some public schools teach things such as finances and investing. As for your take on clause 3, I never mentioned differences (in other words you're strawmanning), but now that you brought them up, I may as well purposely leave differences between WA nations out in order to give them enough leeway to enforce this resolution should it pass.

Kyundao wrote:Some public schools teach things such as finances and investing.

All OOC: I never did bring public schools into the conversation albeit many if not most vocational schools in the U.S. are owned by the government.

Kyundao wrote:As for your take on clause 3, I never mentioned differences (in other words you're strawmanning), but now that you brought them up, I may as well purposely leave differences between WA nations out in order to give them enough leeway to enforce this resolution should it pass.

On the basis that I was speaking of vocational schools, students that attend them go there to professionally learn a skill. As I stated earlier, most students have to be on campus to actually learn something, for they’re learning a skill that require hands-on learning. If most of those students are not able to access the tools from their home due to some reason, it would be difficult to satisfy clause 3. Perhaps adding something to the effect of “where feasible” in clause 1 would solve the problem.

Edit (OOC): In much simpler terms, how is one supposed to learn without the proper tools and resources to do so?

IC: Phantomson states, “This is no international issue.”

Guys, I think the draft is now fine as is. Before I submit it, let me know what you'd like to add or change.

Kyundao wrote:Guys, I think the draft is now fine as is. Before I submit it, let me know what you'd like to add or change.

Barely 24 hours of drafting? Seriously?

Grays Harbor wrote:

Kyundao wrote:Guys, I think the draft is now fine as is. Before I submit it, let me know what you'd like to add or change.

Barely 24 hours of drafting? Seriously?

Without further input from others, pretty much.