• Rediscovering the Power of Family in Education

    Recently on the Schoolhouse Rocked podcast, host Yvette Hampton had an enlightening conversation with Alex Newman and Leigh Bortins on the Declaration of Educational Independence, and about the urgent need to redefine education in America. This thought-provoking interview discusses the reasons behind the growing recognition that the current public school system is failing our children and proposes an alternative approach rooted in the fundamental principles of family government. Recognizing the Problem: As the communication delved into the issue of government involvement in education, both Newman and Bortins stressed the importance of defining the end goal and principles underlying the educational system. As Newman states, “We need an end goal. We…

  • Rescuing Our Children: An Urgent Call to Take Back Education

    “Parents must understand that sending their children into the public school system without adequate training is like sending them into a spiritual war unarmed.” Alex Newman In March, we had the privilege of having Alex Newman join us as a speaker for the Homegrown Generation Family Expo, with a session titled “Rescuing Our Children.” In that session, Alex hit upon a topic that is crucial to parents. Alex argues that parents have the sole responsibility of educating their children, and using government funding to provide that education jeopardizes not only the quality of education but also religious freedom. He presents a passionate plea to parents to reclaim their rightful role…

  • Equal Poverty For All: A Miserable Goal for Education

    Yvette and I got to do one of our favorite things over the weekend. We attended a homeschool conference in Moore, Oklahoma where we showed Schoolhouse Rocked and spoke on a few panels. More importantly, we got to connect with homeschooling families. We always leave these conferences encouraged and energized. We were once again struck by how many NEW homeschooling families were there. One of the most important things that COVID-19 did was open millions of parents’ eyes to how desperately public schools were failing. And many parents chose to bring their children home for good! By What Measure? But is the public school system actually failing? From the consumer perspective…

  • Hope Starts at Home

    “No matter how bad it gets down here, no matter if everything comes crashing down, we know who wins in the end…” Alex Newman Alex Newman recently joined Yvette Hampton and Aby Rinella on The Schoolhouse Rocked Podcast and even in the face of all of the challenges of 2020 he was able to bring a message of hope. In this short excerpt Alex Reminds us that God is sovereign and Christian Parents have an important role in raising up leaders for revival. Yvette Hampton:           Alex. Can you just offer some hope? Because this stuff is so heavy and it’s scary to look at our nation around us and know that…

  • Phonics or Sight Words: What is the Best Method for Teaching Reading?

    Recently, Alex Newman, was a guest on The Schoolhouse Rocked Podcast, with Yvette Hampton and Aby Rinella, to address the current state of education in our nation. During that conversation Alex covered the very important topic of teaching reading through phonics or sight words (also called “look say,” “see say,” whole-word, or whole-language method). Yvette Hampton:           I want to go back to something that you talked about just a little while ago. You were talking about phonics versus other methods of teaching reading. Talk about that a little bit, because I know that’s something that you’ve studied, and I understand the difference between the two, but I’ve never actually heard anyone explain how has that…

  • Coronavirus and Common Core: The Future (and Past) of Public Education

    2020 has been a year of critical changes in education. Will virtual school and social distancing be the new normal? Will the millions of students who have begun homeschooling due to the COVID-19 pandemic continue as classroom learning returns to normal? Should they? One of the major effects of millions of students doing public school at home is that the heart of public school education is being revealed to parents who are paying attention to their children’s Zoom lessons. At the same time, our culture has been in a state of upheaval, in near civil war, and the roots of this culture war have been nourished in the public schools.…