UNESCO reports nearly half of all school-age children worldwide have lost at least two-thirds of their school year because of the COVID-19 pandemic and millions of children are being home-schooled by their parents. But rather than highlight the possibilities that home schooling offers, its 2020 Global Education Report gives short shrift to the millions of families worldwide who are finding a home in this practical and rewarding educational option.

UNESCO’s suspicion of parent-directed education is obvious in the title of the short description, “Homeschooling expands but also tests the limits of inclusion.” The report says, “Educating children at home is illegal in many countries, especially in Europe,” and quotes the European Court of Human Rights, which sided with Germany in its ban of homeschooling because of its unsupported concern that homeschooling might contribute to the rise of “parallel societies.” The report grudgingly acknowledges that “some countries are increasingly making the option available under relatively simple conditions.”