Rebels of the best kind

As educational structures change, keep your eyes on the homeschoolers | Joel Belz

What special interest group in American society right now may be most effective at lobbying the U.S. Congress? If you guessed that it's a band of educators, you'd be right. But if you picked the National Education Association-the very liberal union of public school teachers that is so active in public affairs-you might well be wrong these days. For according to Rep. William Goodling (R-Pa.), a 22-year veteran of Congress and chairman now of the influential Education and Labor Committee, the homeschoolers of our country, and especially those associated with the Home School Legal Defense Association, have developed more expertise than any other group in getting the attention of our nation's lawmakers.

It's a notable compliment. For although homeschooling has roots that go far back in our society's history, it's been only in the last 20 years that the idea has really caught hold in a modern context. Estimates are that between 1 and 1.5 million children are being educated by their parents at home. And there is evidence the movement may be growing as fast as 15 percent annually.