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What do actress Felicia Day, athlete Tim Tebow, author Christopher Paolini have in common?

All three were educated in the quietly rising tide of homeschooling. 

The total proportion of school aged children being educated at home is still relatively small: about 3.4 % in 2012. However, considering that only half that proportion of students were homeschooled in 1999, it is clear that homeschooling is on the rise. 

While the trend may be obvious, the cause varies. New homeschoolers increasingly fall outside the conservative, religious,”Nineteen-Kids-and-Counting” stereotype. 

According to The Atlantic, Black families are increasingly turning to homeschooling to avoid “Euro-centric” curriculum, bullying, and “labeling” of Black students by teachers. 

Likewise, Wired reports on members tech industry channeling maker culture into do-it-yourself education.  These homeschoolers tend to prize education that encourages students to be “creative” and “entrepreneurial,” the same characteristics valued by many tech businesses. 

 Homeschooling’s rapid growth, however, means that we still have much to learn about the trend’s effects on both students and society.

In fact, given the wide range of experiences reported by homeschooling alumni, few generalizations can be accurate. Perhaps Felicia Day summarizes it best when she states:

“I’m used to being an outsider. I was homeschooled. I don’t think like other people do.” 

What remains to be seen is if, and how,  this different thinking will change education. 

Since 9/11, the relationship between Islam and terrorism has been subject to intense debate. The War on Terror’s unfortunate legacy has at times included the misinformed equating of all Muslims with terrorist inclinations or extremist ideologies.

The concern over the actions of emergent threats like ISIS only add fuel to the rhetorical fire on both sides. U.S. President Obama is finding that out the hard way.

At Wednesday’s White House Summit on Countering Violent Extremism, Obama declared that the U.S. was not at war with Islam, but with extremists who have twisted Muslim doctrines to serve their agendas. He has also pointedly referred to groups like ISIS as “violent extremists” rather than “radical Muslims.”

Those remarks have already elicited sharp criticism. To some, Obama is being too soft in his policies and his rhetoric on Muslim terrorists.

Former New York mayor Rudy Guliani has openly questioned Obama’s love for America and accused him of cowardice. Texas Senator Ted Cruz accused Obama of being an “apologist” for radical Islam.

Yet terror groups that profess Islamic doctrines aren’t the only sources of violent extremism.

As Peter Beinart points out in The Atlantic, a number of notorious terror attacks against the U.S. have been committed by “committed by radical environmentalists, right-wing extremists, and Puerto Rican nationalists.” Muslim terrorists, in fact, comprise only a small sliver of previous terrorist acts against the U.S.

So maybe Obama’s preference for “violent extremism” over “radical Islam” is more than political correctness. Perhaps it’s an effort to remind us to not neglect the other potential threats to American security.

Is Obamacare fulfilling its promises?

Whether you like him or not, President Obama will be known for his controversial health care reform. After 2014′s enrollment period for health insurance, USDemocrazy chimed in on how the reform panned out.  

Now we’re back for 2015 with some new insights. 

As of February 2015, 11.5 million people signed up for health insurance through the online marketplace. This is 3 million more people than 2014. Obamacare supporters also like to mention how the uninsured rate for Americans is now at 13.4%. This is significant given the rate was 18% at the end of 2013. 

It’s also worth noting that for the first time, hospital prices saw a decrease. While there are many factors to this, Modern Healthcare notes that the Affordable Care Act put new pressure on lowering prices

Everyone loves looking at those improved numbers, but has the overall health of our nation improved? That is probably something we will not see for awhile but early research is promising. The Commonwealth Fund shows that more than three-quarters of adults are satisfied with their new coverage.

But Obamacare-supporters, don’t get too excited! The constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act will reach the Supreme Court in early March. It will all depend on how the court interprets the text. 

So what is your verdict on Obamacare?