Even with homeschooling there are still mandated standardized tests to make sure children are being taught at an equivalent grade level, or portfolio reviews required to be performed by a licensed teacher to go over schoolwork the child did for the entire year prior. W

It's a little disingenuous to make the claim that homeschooling is "backwards" somehow, as in areas of the country with terribly funded public schools, if parents are committed, they can absolutely provide a better education than their children would receive otherwise. This situation is the exception, not the rule.