Some US Schools Operate outside State Education System

Some US Schools Operate outside State Education System

一些美国学校在州教育体系之外运营

【原文听力】

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　　By Dan Novak

　　05 December 2023

　　Nearly 9,000 private schools in the American state of Louisiana do not need state approval to give high school diplomas.

　　Public schools, formal homeschooling programs and traditional private schools all need state approval. Nearly all of the schools lacking approval were created to serve a single homeschooling family. But some have buildings, classrooms, teachers and many students.

　　A small percentage of Louisiana's students have ties to unapproved schools. The schools are being called Louisiana's off-the-grid school system. Some observers say they are a growing example of the nation's continuing effects of COVID-19 because families appear to be leaving traditional education.

　　U.S. public school enrollment fell by more than 1.2 million students in the first two years of the pandemic. Many families sent their children to private school or told their state they were homeschooling. But the Associated Press (AP) and its partners say thousands of other students are unaccounted for.

　　The students in Louisiana's "off-the-grid" school system are not missing. But there is no way to know what kind of education they are getting.

　　The AP and The Advocate, a Louisiana newspaper, say that over 21,000 students are enrolled in the state's unapproved schools. That is nearly double the number from before the pandemic.

　　Supporters of the system want to avoid state oversight. They say Louisiana's unapproved schools are an extension of the idea of parental rights in education.

　　One such school in Louisiana is Springfield Preparatory School. The school calls itself an umbrella school for Christian homeschoolers. Most students there attend the school to get an education through classes or tutoring.

　　However, school leader Kitty Sibley Morrison is also willing to give a diploma to anyone whose parents say they were homeschooled, even years earlier.

　　"Sometimes it takes two or three times to explain to them that they are free," Sibley Morrison said. "Their parents are in charge of them, not the state."

　　A different choice for homeschooling

　　Sibley Morrison said she is not selling diplomas; she is selling lifetime services for homeschooling families.

　　"We're not here to make money," she said.

　　Yet a list of prices is placed on the front window of the school building: $250 for diploma services, a $50 application fee, $35 for a diploma cover and $130 to take part in a ceremony.

　　The number of students in unapproved schools like Springfield has nearly doubled. State records show there were 11,600 students in the 2017 to 2018 school year and over 21,000 in 2022 to 2023.

　　There is little information available about these schools. The state calls them "nonpublic schools not seeking state approval." To start one, an adult must only report their school's name and address, their contact information and how many students they have.

　　Most of the schools are small, single-family home schools. However, last year, 30 of Louisiana's unapproved schools reported they had at least 50 children enrolled.

　　Laura Hawkins says there is no way for the government to know whether the schools are safe, good, or even whether they exist. Hawkins is a former official of the Louisiana Department of Education who worked on its school choice efforts until 2020.

　　The department warns parents on its website that it cannot confirm whether these organizations even meet the legal definition of a school.

　　Louisiana has two options for homeschooling.

　　Parents who want their child to receive a state-recognized high school diploma can apply for the official home study program. They must apply using test scores or copies of the student's work. The work must show their child has received 180 days of schooling of the same quality as a public school's.

　　The state-recognized diploma is more widely accepted by colleges. It also permits students to be considered for a popular in-state scholarship program.

　　Families can also choose to set up their own private school without asking for state approval. There are no requirements to prove a child is getting an education. The schools do not even have to provide the names of students who are attending.

　　At least two unapproved schools have had abuse scandals. But the state Department of Education says it has no legal power to do anything.

　　Today, over 12 states permit families to open a private school as a form of homeschooling, including California, Illinois and Texas. Around half the states require those schools to teach basic subjects such as math and reading. Louisiana is not one of them.

　　‘I take their word for it'

　　Springfield Preparatory occupies two buildings on Springfield's main street. State records say 250 students attend, but Sibley Morrison said the school does not keep the number.

　　Some homeschooling families come for art or science. Others attend services like career guidance, test preparation and "explanation and support in their parental rights," said Sibley Morrison. Some, such as Arliya Martin, go straight for a diploma.

　　Martin was expelled from high school in 10th grade after getting in a fight. She tried a military-style program for at-risk youths but finished without her GED. The GED test provides what is equal to a high school diploma.

　　"At 17, I was already by myself. I had my son at 18, and it was just work, work, work," she said.

　　Within days of meeting Sibley Morrison, Martin visited her office and got a diploma.

　　The document was backdated to 2015, when she would have graduated high school. It also said she had completed a program for graduation "approved by the Louisiana Board of Education," which is not true. After questions from AP, Sibley Morrison said there had been a mistake and that the document would be corrected.

　　Signs at the school advertise "state-approved" diplomas although the state has not approved the school. Sibley Morrison said she can use those words because she pushes families in her program to also sign up for the state-approved home study program.

　　After learning that her diploma is not approved by the state and might not be accepted by some colleges, Martin said she did not feel bad. Friends and family members have gotten diplomas from the same school and have gone on to college and successful careers, she said.

　　Sibley Morrison said parents are the only people who can decide if and when someone is properly educated.

　　"When parents say, ‘My child is ready to go into the real world' — I take their word for it," Sibley Morrison said.

　　I'm Dan Novak.

　　And I'm Ashley Thompson.

　　Sharon Lurye reported this story for the Associated Press. Charles Lussier contributed to it. Dan Novak adapted this story for VOA Learning English.

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　　作者：Dan Novak

　　2023年12月5日

　　在美国路易斯安那州，近9000所私立学校不需要州政府的批准就可以颁发高中文凭。

　　公立学校、正规的家庭教育项目和传统的私立学校都需要州政府的批准。几乎所有缺乏批准的学校都是为了服务一个家庭教育家庭而创建的。但是，有些学校有建筑、教室、教师和许多学生。

　　路易斯安那州只有一小部分学生与未经批准的学校有关。这些学校被称为路易斯安那州的离网学校系统。一些观察者表示，他们是全国因COVID-19持续影响而增长的例子，因为家庭似乎正在离开传统教育。

　　在疫情的前两年，美国公立学校的入学人数减少了超过120万。许多家庭将他们的孩子送到私立学校，或者告诉他们的州政府他们正在进行家庭教育。但是，美联社（AP）及其合作伙伴表示，还有数千名其他学生的情况未知。

　　路易斯安那州的“离网”学校系统中的学生并没有失踪。但是，我们无法知道他们接受的是什么样的教育。

　　美联社和路易斯安那州的一家报纸《The Advocate》表示，超过21,000名学生在该州的未经批准的学校中就读。这几乎是疫情前的两倍。

　　这个系统的支持者希望避免州政府的监管。他们说，路易斯安那州的未经批准的学校是教育中家长权利观念的延伸。

　　路易斯安那州的一所学校，春田预备学校，就是这样的例子。该学校自称是基督教家庭教育者的保护伞学校。大多数学生在那里通过课堂或辅导接受教育。

　　然而，学校领导者Kitty Sibley Morrison也愿意给任何父母说他们接受过家庭教育的人颁发文凭，即使是在几年前。

　　“有时候需要解释两三次，他们才明白他们是自由的，" Sibley Morrison说，"他们的父母是他们的主管，而不是州政府。”

　　对于家庭教育的另一种选择

　　Sibley Morrison说，她并不是在卖文凭；她是在为家庭教育家庭提供终身服务。

　　“我们并不是为了赚钱，”她说。

　　然而，学校大楼的前窗上贴着一份价格表：文凭服务250美元，申请费50美元，文凭封面35美元，参加毕业典礼130美元。

　　像春田这样的未经批准的学校的学生人数几乎翻了一番。州记录显示，2017至2018学年有11,600名学生，2022至2023学年有超过21,000名学生。

　　关于这些学校的信息很少。州政府称他们为“不寻求州政府批准的非公立学校”。要开办一所这样的学校，一个成年人只需报告他们学校的名字和地址，他们的联系信息以及他们有多少学生。

　　大多数学校都是小型的，单一家庭的家庭学校。然而，去年，路易斯安那州的30所未经批准的学校报告说他们至少有50名儿童入学。

　　Laura Hawkins说，政府无法知道这些学校是否安全，是否优秀，甚至是否存在。Hawkins是路易斯安那州教育部的前官员，直到2020年都在参与其学校选择的工作。

　　教育部在其网站上警告家长，它无法确认这些组织是否甚至符合学校的法定定义。

　　路易斯安那州有两种家庭教育的选择。

　　希望他们的孩子获得州政府认可的高中文凭的父母可以申请官方的家庭学习计划。他们必须使用测试成绩或学生作品的副本申请。作品必须显示他们的孩子已经接受了与公立学校同等质量的180天的教育。

　　州政府认可的文凭被更多的大学接受。它还允许学生被考虑为一个受欢迎的州内奖学金计划。

　　家庭也可以选择设立自己的私立学校，而无需寻求州政府的批准。没有要求证明孩子正在接受教育。学校甚至不必提供正在上学的学生的名字。

　　至少有两所未经批准的学校发生过虐待丑闻。但是，州教育部表示，它没有法律权力采取任何行动。

　　如今，超过12个州允许家庭以开设私立学校的形式进行家庭教育，包括加利福尼亚州、伊利诺伊州和德克萨斯州。大约一半的州要求这些学校教授基础科目，如数学和阅读。路易斯安那州不在其中。

　　“我相信他们的话，”

　　春田预备学校位于春田的主街上的两栋建筑中。州记录显示有250名学生在校，但Sibley Morrison表示学校并未保留这个数字。

　　一些家庭教育家庭来这里学习艺术或科学。其他人参加诸如职业指导、考试准备以及“在他们的家长权利中提供解释和支持”的服务，Sibley Morrison说。有些人，如Arliya Martin，直接去拿文凭。

　　Martin在10年级时因打架被高中开除。她尝试了一个针对风险青少年的军事风格的项目，但是没有拿到她的GED。GED测试提供的等同于高中文凭的资格。

　　“在17岁的时候，我已经独立了。我在18岁的时候有了我的儿子，然后就是工作，工作，工作，”她说。

　　在见到Sibley Morrison几天后，Martin去了她的办公室并拿到了文凭。

　　这份文件的日期被回溯到2015年，也就是她本应该从高中毕业的时候。它还写着她已经完成了一个“得到路易斯安那州教育委员会批准”的毕业项目，这并不是真的。在AP的提问后，Sibley Morrison说这是一个错误，这份文件将被更正。

　　学校的标志上宣传着“州政府批准”的文凭，尽管州政府并未批准这所学校。Sibley Morrison说，她可以使用这些词，因为她推动参加她的项目的家庭也报名参加州政府批准的家庭学习计划。

　　在得知她的文凭并未得到州政府的批准，可能不被一些大学接受后，Martin说她并不感到难过。她说，她的朋友和家庭成员从同一所学校获得了文凭，并且已经上了大学，有了成功的职业。

　　Sibley Morrison表示，只有父母才能决定何时何地某人受到了适当的教育。

　　“当父母说，‘我的孩子已经准备好进入现实世界’——我会相信他们的话，”Sibley Morrison说。

　　我是Dan Novak。

　　我是Ashley Thompson。

　　这个故事是由Sharon Lurye为美联社报道的。Charles Lussier对此做出了贡献。Dan Novak为VOA学习英语改编了这个故事。

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　　这个故事中的词汇

　　off-the-grid — adj.（非正式）未连接到正式或官方系统

　　enrollment — n. 被接纳到学校或大学等机构并提供所有必要文件的过程

　　oversight — n. 监督和活动的行为

　　umbrella — adj. 描述包括许多可能相当不同或在不同地方的其他组织的群体

　　option — n. 做某事的选择或可能性

　　tutor –v. 教授只有一个或很少一组的学生

　　diploma — n. 给完成高中、大学或大学的课程和学习的人的文件

　　scandal –n. 因为它令人震惊，道德或法律上错误而发生的事情