ENROLLED
2021 Regular Session
HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 82
BY REPRESENTATIVE AMEDEE
A RESOLUTION
To designate Thursday, May 13, 2021, as Homeschool Day at the state capitol.
WHEREAS, it is the fundamental, unalienable right of parents to direct the
upbringing, care, and education of their children; and
WHEREAS, every individual and each family has the unalienable right to act and
order their life according to their conscience; and
WHEREAS, the United States recognizes it is a legal and philosophical right of
parents to home educate their children; and
WHEREAS, in essence, homeschooling is private, parent-led, home-based education,
and is an age-old educational practice that a decade ago appeared to be cutting-edge and
alternative but is now bordering on mainstream in the United States; and
WHEREAS, there are about 2.4 million home-educated students in the United States,
and the homeschool population continues to grow; according to a recent census survey, prior
to COVID, the homeschool population had grown at an estimated two to eight percent per
annum and after COVID, families who chose to homeschool nearly doubled; and
WHEREAS, according to the Louisiana Department of Education, there are almost
40,000 K-12 homeschool students in Louisiana in the spring of 2021; and
WHEREAS, most parents and youth decide to homeschool for more than one reason;
and
WHEREAS, the most common reasons given for choosing home-based education
include the desire to customize or individualize the curriculum and learning environment for
each child; to enhance family relationships between children and parents and among
siblings; to teach and impart a particular set of values, beliefs, and worldviews to children
and youth, among other reasons; and
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WHEREAS, a 2019 data analysis revealed that Louisiana private homeschool
students are scoring at the 80th to 86th percentile across the subjects of reading, language,
math, science, and social studies on standardized academic achievement tests, which is thirty
to thirty-six percentile points above the U.S. public school average; and
WHEREAS, according to studies, homeschool students are doing well, typically
above average, on measures of social, emotional, and psychological development and are
regularly engaged in multiple social and educational activities outside their homes and with
people other than their nuclear-family members; and
WHEREAS, the research base of adults who were homeschooled is growing, and
thus far research shows homeschool graduates are quite successful in adulthood and go on
to succeed at college at an equal or higher rate than the general population, participate in
local community service more frequently than the general population, and vote and attend
public meetings more frequently than the general population, among other indices.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the House of Representatives of the
Legislature of Louisiana does hereby designate Thursday, May 13, 2021, as Homeschool
Day at the state capitol; does hereby extend sincere gratitude to the parents who choose to
homeschool for their pedagogical efforts on behalf of their children; and does hereby salute
the homeschooled children whose academic and personal excellence are of immense benefit
to the great state of Louisiana.
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
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