Homeschooling

Homeschooling ( also called home education), home learning or homeschool – is the education of children at home, typically by parents or guardians, rather than in a public or private school.

Although prior to the introduction of compulsory school attendance laws, most childhood education occurred within the family or community, homeschooling in the modern sense is an alternative in developed countries to formal education.

In many places homeschooling is a legal option for parents who wish to provide their children with a different learning environment than exists in nearby schools. These motivations range from a dissatisfaction with the schools in their area to the dissatisfaction of modern schools in general. It is also an alternative for families living in isolated rural locations and those who choose, for practical or personal reasons, not to have their children attend school.

Homeschooling may also refer to instruction in the home under the supervision of correspondence schools or umbrella schools. In some places, an approved curriculum is legally required if children are to be home-schooled. A curriculum-free philosophy of homeschooling may be called unschooling, a term coined in 1977 by American educator John Holt in his magazine Growing Without Schooling.

History

Frontispiece to Fireside Education, Samuel Griswold (Goodrich).

For much of history, enlisting professional teachers (whether as tutors or in an formal academic setting) was an option avalable only to a small elite. Thus, until relatively recently, the vast majority of people were schooled at home during early childhood, followed by an apprenticeship or other training that would prepare them for adult life. The earliest compulsory education in the West began in the late 17th century and early 18th century in the German states of Gotha, Calemberg and, particularly, Prussia. Since that time, formal schooling in a classroom setting has become the norm and standard throughout the world, especially in developed countries.

Notable home-educated individuals

Numerous historical and current public figures were home-educated:

• Thomas Edison, United States, scientist and inventor
• Andrew Wyeth, United States, Artist
• Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Germany, theologian, Hitler assassination conspirator
• Dakota Fanning, United States, actress
• Lynx and Lamb Gaede, United States, racialist musicians
• Pierre-Gilles de Gennes, France, physicist
• Hilary Duff, United States, Actress/Singer
• Charles Evans Hughes, United States, Governor of New York, United States Secretary of State, and Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court
• Jon, Peter, and Dann Hume, New Zealand, musicians
• Brooke Hogan, United States, Singer
• Chad Kennedy, United States, publisher and editor-in-chief of Teen Scene Magazine
• Ruth Lawrence, Israel/United Kingdom/United States, mathematician
• Bode Miller, United States, champion skier
• The Moffatts, Canada, Band
• Evelyn De Morgan, United Kingdom, artist
• Clara Muhammad, United States, Nation of Islam leader
• Frankie Muniz, United States, Actor
• Chauntelle, Sherri, Weston, Stacy and Garron DuPree, United States, musicians
• Christopher Paolini, United States, author
• Rosa Parks, United States, civil rights activist
• Susan La Flesche Picotte, United States, first American Indian woman physician
• John T. Plecnik, United States, syndicated columnist
• Emerson Spartz, United States, internet entrepreneur
• Konstantin Tsiolkovsky, Russia, rocket scientist and pioneer of cosmonautics
• Roman Vishniac, Russia/United States, photographer, biologist, and polyglot
• Stanisław Ignacy Witkiewicz, Poland, author and artist
• Sho Yano, United States, child prodigy
• Woodrow Wilson, United States, the only United States President to hold a Ph.D.
• George Washington, United States, First United States President
• Abraham Lincoln, United States, President during American Civil War
• Brett Dennen, United States, singer-songwriter

Pioneers in Homeschool Philosophy

John Holt

Main article: John Holt (educator)

In 1964, John Caldwell Holt, a former World War II submariner with no professional training in education, published a book entitled How Children Fail which criticized traditional schools. The book was based on a theory he had developed as a teacher and an observer of children and education; that the academic failure of schoolchildren was caused by pressure placed on children in schools. The book became controversial, and Holt began making appearances on major TV talk shows and writing book reviews for Life magazine. He also appeared as a guest on the To Tell The Truth TV game show. In his follow-up work, How Children Learn, 1967, he tried to demonstrate the learning process of children and why he believed school short circuits this process.

In these books, Holt had not suggested any alternative to institutional schooling; he had hoped to initiate a profound rethinking of education to make schools friendlier toward children. As the years passed he became convinced that the way schools were was what society wanted, and that a serious re-examination was not going to happen in his lifetime.

Leaving teaching to publicize his ideas about education full time, he encountered books by other authors questioning the premises and efficacy of compulsory schooling, like Deschooling Society by Ivan Illich, 1970, and No More Public School by Harold Bennet, 1972. Then, in 1976, he published Instead of Education; Ways to Help People Do Things Better. In its conclusion he called for a "Children's Underground Railroad" to help children escape compulsory schooling. In response, Holt was contacted by families from around the U.S. to tell him that they were educating their children at home. In 1977, after corresponding with a number of these families, Holt began producing a magazine dedicated to home education: Growing Without Schooling.

Holt later wrote a book about homeschooling, Teach Your Own, in 1981, and continued to hope for more expansive reform within education until his death in 1985.

Holt's said: "... the human animal is a learning animal; we like to learn; we are good at it; we don't need to be shown how or made to do it. What kills the processes are the people interfering with it or trying to regulate it or control it.". Holt later said, in 1980, "I want to make it clear that I don’t see homeschooling as some kind of answer to badness of schools. I think that the home is the proper base for the exploration of the world which we call learning or education. Home would be the best base no matter how good the schools were."

Raymond and Dorothy Moore

In the late 1960s and early 1970s, educational professionals Raymond and Dorothy Moore began to research the academic validity of the rapidly growing Early Childhood Education movement. This research included independent studies by other researchers and a review of over 8,000 studies bearing on Early Childhood Education and the physical and mental development of children.

They asserted that formal schooling before ages 8—12 not only lacked the anticipated effectiveness, but was actually harmful to children. The Moores began to publish their view that formal schooling was damaging young children academically, socially, mentally, and even physiologically. They presented evidence that childhood problems such as juvenile delinquency, nearsightedness increased enrollment of students in special education classes, and behavioral problems were the result of increasingly earlier enrollment of students. The Moores cited studies demonstrating that orphans who were given surrogate mothers were measurably more intelligent, with superior long term effects – even though the mothers were mentally retarded teenagers – and that illiterate tribal mothers in Africa produced children who were socially and emotionally more advanced than typical western children, by western standards of measurement.

Their primary assertion was that the bonds and emotional development made at home with parents during these years produced critical long term results that were cut short by enrollment in schools, and could neither be replaced nor afterward corrected in an institutional setting. Recognizing a necessity for early out-of-home care for some children — particularly special needs and starkly impoverished children, and children from exceptionally inferior homes — they maintained that the vast majority of children are far better situated at home — even with mediocre parents — than with the most gifted and motivated teachers in a school setting (assuming that the child has a gifted and motivated teacher). They described the difference as follows: "This is like saying, if you can help a child by taking him off the cold street and housing him in a warm tent, then warm tents should be provided for all children — when obviously most children already have even more secure housing."

Similar to Holt, the Moores embraced homeschooling after the publication of their first work, Better Late Than Early, 1975, and went on to become important homeschool advocates and consultants with the publication of books like Home Grown Kids, 1981, Home School Burnout, and others.

One common theme in the homeschool philosophies of both Holt and the Moores is that home education should not be an attempt to bring the school construct into the home, or a view of education as an academic preliminary to life. They viewed it as a natural, experiential aspect of life that occurs as the members of the family are involved with one another in daily living.

Methodology

Homescholees use a wide variety of methods and materials. There are different type of educational philosophy that families adopt a particular such as a Charlotte Mason education, Classical education (including Trivium, Quadrivium), Montessori method, Theory of multiple intelligences, Unschooling, Waldorf education, School-at-home, and A Thomas Jefferson Education

However, most choose a mixed, eclectic approach. For sources of curricula and books, "Homeschooling in the United States: 2003" found that 78 percent utilized "a public library"; 77 percent used "a homeschooling catalog, publisher, or individual specialist"; 68 percent used "retail bookstore or other store"; 60 percent used "an education publisher that was not affiliated with homeschooling." "Approximately half" used curriculum or books from "a homeschooling organization", 37 percent from a "church, synagogue or other religious institution" and 23 percent from "their local public school or district." 41 percent in 2003 utilized some sort of distance learning, approximately 20 percent by "television, video or radio"; 19 percent via "Internet, e-mail, or the World Wide Web"; and 15 percent taking a "correspondence course by mail designed specifically for homeschoolers."

Because laws vary according to individual government statutes, official curriculum requirements vary.

Educational games

Both parents homeschooled children and schoolteachers may use educational games, covering a variety of subjects, with the intention of making learning fun. They hope to give children a positive attitude towards learning and self-motivation.

Free online schools, including colleges have made homeschooling an easier transition from compulsory education. Free job training is offered online, a service that many who can't afford college tuition or who live far from schools often take advantage of.

Unit studies

The unit study method incorporates several subjects — such as art, history, math, science, geography and Bible or theology — around the context of one topical theme – like water, animals, American slavery, or ancient Rome. For example, a unit study of Native Americans could combine age-appropriate lessons in: social studies, how different tribes lived prior to colonization vs. today; art, making Native American clothing; history (of Native Americans in the U.S.); reading from a special reading list; and the science of plants used by Native Americans. The next unit study subject could change to some other broad topic.

Unit study advocates assert that children retain 45% more information following this approach.

All-in-one curricula

"All-in-one" curricula, sometimes called a "school in a box", are comprehensive packages covering many subjects; usually an entire year's worth. They contain all needed books and materials, including pencils and writing paper. Most such curricula were developed for isolated families who lack access to public schools, libraries and shops.

Typically, these materials recreate the school environment in the home and are based on the same subject-area expectations as publicly run schools, allowing an easy transition into school. They are among the more expensive options, but are easy to use and require minimal preparation. The guides are usually extensive, with step-by-step instructions. These programs may include standardized tests and remote examinations to yield an accredited school diploma.

Student-paced learning

Similar to All-in-one curricula are learner paced curriculum packages. These workbooks allow the student to progress at their own speed.

Community resources

Homeschoolees often take advantage of educational opportunities at museums, community centers, athletic clubs, after-school programs, churches, science preserves, parks, and other community resources. Secondary school level students may take classes at community colleges, which typically have open admission policies.

Groups of homeschooling families often join together to create Homeschool co-ops. These groups typically meet once a week and provide a classroom environment. These are family-centered support groups whose members seek to pool their talents and resources in a collected effort to broaden the scope of their children's education. They provide a classroom environment where students can do hands-on and group learning such as: performing, science experiments, art projects, spelling bees, discussions, etc. All parents whose children take classes serve in volunteer roles to make the program a success.

Certain states, such as Maine, have laws that permit homeschooled families to take advantage of school resources. In such cases, children can be members of sports teams, be members of the school band, can take art classes, and utilize services such as speech therapy all while maintaining their homeschooled lifestyle.

Unschooling

"Unschooling" is a term that can be used with two distinct meanings.

Some people use the term "unschooling" to describe methods of education that do not resemble schools, primarily indicating that they do not rely heavily on textbooks or spend much time at desks. The parents actively conduct the children's education, using a variety of resources.

The term "unschooling" as coined by John Holt indicates that parents do not authoritatively direct the child's education, but interact with the child following the child's own interests, leaving them free to explore and learn as their interests lead. "Unschooling" does not indicate that the child is not being educated, but that the child is not being "schooled", or educated in a rigid school-type manner.

"Unschooling" should not be confused with "deschooling," which may be used to indicate an anti-"institutional school" philosophy, or a period or form of deprogramming for children or parents who have previously been schooled.

Holt asserted that children learn through the experiences of life, and he encouraged parents to live their lives with their child. Also known as interest-led or child-led learning, unschooling attempts to follow opportunities as they arise in real life, through which a child will learn without coercion. An unschooled child may utilize texts or classroom instruction, but these are not considered central to education. Holt asserted that there is no specific body of knowledge that is, or should be, required of a child.

Unschooling advocates believe that children learn best by doing; a child may learn reading to further an interest about history or other cultures, or math skills by operating a small business or sharing in family finances. They may learn animal husbandry keeping dairy goats or meat rabbits, botany tending a kitchen garden, chemistry to understand the operation of firearms or the internal combustion engine, or politics and local history by following a zoning or historical-status dispute. While any type of homeschoolers may also use these methods, the unschooled child initiates these learning activities.

Homeschooling and College Admissions

The lack of formal records and transcripts can be a problem for home-schooled students that wish to enter college. However, US colleges and universities are becoming increasingly open to accepting students from diverse backgrounds, including home-schooled students.

Motivations

Reason for homeschooling	Number of homeschooled students	Percent	s.e.
Can give child better education at home	415,000	48.9	3.79
Religious reason	327,000	38.4	4.44
Poor learning environment at school	218,000	25.6	3.44
Family reasons	143,000	16.8	2.79
To develop character/morality	128,000	15.1	3.39
Object to what school teaches	103,000	12.1	2.11
School does not challenge child	98,000	11.6	2.39
Other problems with available schools	76,000	9.0	2.40
Child has special needs/disability	69,000	8.2	1.89
Transportation/convenience	23,000	2.7	1.48
Child not old enough to enter school	15,000	1.8	1.13
Parent's career	12,000	1.5	0.80
Could not get into desired school	12,000	1.5	0.99
Other reasons*	189,000	22.2	2.90

According to a 2003 U.S. Census survey, 33% of homeschooling households cited religion as a factor in their choice. The same study found that 30% felt school had a poor learning environment, 14% objected to what the school teaches, 11% felt their children were not being challenged at school, and 9% cited morality.

According to the U.S. DOE's "Homeschooling in the United States: 2003", 85 percent of homeschooling parents cited "the social environments of other forms of schooling" (including safety, drugs, bullying and negative peer-pressure) as an important reason why they homeschool. 72 percent cited "to provide religious or moral instruction" as an important reason, and 68 percent cited "dissatisfaction with academic instruction at other schools." 7 percent cited "Child has physical or mental health problem", 7 percent cited "Child has other special needs", 9 percent cited "Other reasons" (including "child's choice," "allows parents more control of learning" and "flexibility").

Other reasons include more flexibility in educational practices for children with learning disabilities or illnesses, or for children of missionaries, military families, or otherwise traveling parents. Homeschooling is sometimes opted for the gifted student who is accelerated, when a child has a significant career hobby (such as acting, circus performance, dancing or violin), or for families who wish to abstain from mandatory immunizations.

International status and statistics

  (Green) Legal

  (Yellow) Mostly Legal; may be disputed in most political subdivisions

  (Orange) Generally considered illegal, but untested legally

  (Red) Illegal

Homeschooling is legal in many countries. Countries with the most prevalent home education movements include Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Some countries have highly regulated home education programs as an extension of the compulsory school system; others, such as Germany and Brazil, have outlawed it entirely. In other countries, while not restricted by law, homeschooling is not socially acceptable or considered undesirable and is virtually non-existent.

Europe

Germany

Further information: Homeschooling in Germany

Status: Illegal

Homeschooling is illegal in Germany. The requirement to attend school has been upheld, on challenge from parents, by the Federal Constitutional Court of Germany. Parents violating the law have most prominently included devout Christians who want to give their children a more Christian education than what's offered by the schools. Penalties against these parents have included fines (around €5,000), successful legal actions to take away the parents' custody of their children, and jail time for the parents.

Austria

Status: Legal

Homeschooling is legal in Austria

France

Further information: Homeschooling in France

Status: Legal

Home education or home schooling in France is legal and requires the child to be registered with two authorities, the 'Inspection Académique' and the local town hall (Mairie). An inspection is carried out twice yearly once a child reaches the age of six (it is obligatory from the age of eight). This is normally in French, however it can occasionally be in English if the parents request it and the local Inspection Academique is amenable.

The inspection involves written tests in both French and Mathematics, the first of which is used as a benchmark to check what level the child is. The tests are carried out with the anticipation that the child will progress in ability as she/he ages, thus they are designed to measure development with age, rather than as a comparison to say a school child of a similar age.

Ireland

Status: Legal

From 2004 to 2006, 225 children had been officially registered with Ireland's National Education Welfare Board, which estimated there may be as many as 1500 - 2000 more unregistered homeschoolers. The right to a home education is guaranteed in the constitution of Ireland.

Slovenia

Status: Legal

The number of people homeschooling in Slovenia has been increasing over the years. The Slovenian term is for homeschooling is "izobraževanje na domu".

Scotland

See also: Schoolhouse Home Education Association

England and Wales

See also: Education Otherwise

Status: Legal

Roland Meighan's 1995 estimate of homeschoolers in the United Kingdom was "almost 10,000", and in 1996 the London Evening Standard stated that 15,000 families home-educating in Britain was a 50 percent increase from the previous year.

One home-education advocate estimated 50,000 children being home-educated in 2005.

Asia and the Pacific

Australia

Status: Legal

The Australian census does not track homeschooling families, but Philip Strange of Home Education Association, Inc. very roughly estimates 15,000. In 1995, Roland Meighan of Nottingham School of Education estimated some 20,000 families homeschooling in Australia.

China

Status: Disputed (currently considered illegal)

There are no accurate statistics of home schooling in China. However, increasing reports of homeschooling in the media suggest that the number is growing. The Compulsory Education Law states that the community, schools and families shall safeguard the right to compulsory education of school-age children and adolescents, and compulsory education is defined as schooling, therefore homeschooling is illegal.

New Zealand

Status: Legal

Karl M. Bunday cites the New Zealand TV program "Sixty Minutes" (unrelated to the U.S. program), as stating in 1996 that there were 7,000 school-age children being homeschooled. Philip Strange of the Australian Home Education Association Inc. quotes "5274 registered home educated students in 3001 families" in 1998 from the New Zealand Ministry of Education.

Americas

Canada

Status: Legal

Meighan estimated the total number of homeschoolers, in 1995, to be 10,000 official and 20,000 unofficial. Karl M. Bunday estimated, in 1995, based on journalistic reports, that about 1 percent of school-age children were homeschooled. In April 2005, the total number of registered homeschool students in British Columbia was 3,068. In Manitoba, homeschoolers are required to register with Manitoba Education, Citizenship and Youth. The number of homeschoolers is noted at over 1,500 in 2006; 0.5% of students enrolled in the public system.

United States

Further information: Homeschooling in the United States

Status: Legal (Note: California in dispute)

Public schools were gradually introduced into the United States during the course of the 19th century. The first state to issue a compulsory education law was Massachusetts, in 1789, but not until 1852 did the state establish a "true comprehensive statewide, modern system of compulsory schooling."

Prior to the introduction of public schools, many children were educated in private schools or in the home. During this period illiteracy was common and many children were never properly educated. It was common for literate parents to use books dedicated to educating children such as Fireside Education, Griswold, 1828, Warren Burton's Helps to Education in the Homes of Our Country, 1863, and the popular McGuffey Readers, sometimes bolstered by local or itinerant teachers, as means and opportunity allowed. In contrast, Raymond Moore asserted that the United States was at the height of its national literacy under this informal system of tutelage.

After the establishment of the Massachusetts system, other states and localities gradually began to provide public schools and to make attendance mandatory. In 1912 A.A. Berle of Tufts University, (not to be confused with the Adolf Berle who was a delegate to the Paris Peace Conference) asserted in his book The School in Your Home that the previous 20 years of mass education had been a failure and that he had been asked by hundreds of parents how they could teach their children at home.

Statistically, the typical American homeschooling parents are married, homeschool their children primarily for religious or moral reasons, and are almost twice as likely to be Evangelical than the national average. They average three or more children, and typically the mother stays home to care for them.

Atypical homeschools may even be found in single parent homes, also known as single parent homeschooling. According to the peer review journal Education Policy Analysis, based on the findings of the National Household Education Survey, of the National Center of Educational Statistics, as early as 1994, 11% of United States homeschools were being led by a single parent, and by 1999, 20.6% were so being led. However, this phenomenon seems to be flying under the radar as the movement does not seem to have significant advocacy from any national agency or organization and the statistics tracking single parent homeschools have currently not yet been posted on the websites of the DOE, the NHERI, or The Barna Group. There is online advocacy at The Single Parent Home School Website [1]. The website is sponsored by Morningstar Educational Network.

According to United States Department of Education report NCES 2003-42, "Homeschooling in the United States: 2003", there was an increase in homeschooled students in the U.S. from 850,000 students in 1999 (1.7 percent of the total student population) to 1.1 million students in 2003 (2.2 percent of the total student population).

According to an unsourced National Home Education Research Institute statement, an estimated 1.9 to 2.4 million children were home educated during 2005-2006.

During this time, homeschooling rates increased among students whose parents have high school or lower education, 1.6 to 2.4 percent among student in grades 6-8; and 0.7 to 1.4 percent among students with only one parent.

As in 1999, rates were highest in families with three or more children (3.1 percent), and higher in families with two children (1.5 percent) than only one child (1.4 percent). There were more homeschool students from families with two parents (2.5 percent) than only one parent (1.5 percent), and students from two parent families where only one parent worked were more than twice as likely to be homeschooled (5.6 percent).

According to a 2000-2001 Barna survey, , home school parents are 39 percent less likely to be college graduates, 21 percent more likely to be married, 28 percent less likely to have experienced a divorce, and that the household income is 10% below the national average. Barna found that homeschoolers in the U.S. live predominantly in the Mid-Atlantic, the South-Atlantic, and the Pacific states. It found that homeschoolers are almost twice as likely to be evangelical as the national average (15 percent vs 8 percent), and that 91 percent describe themselves as Christian, although only 49 percent can be classified as "born again Christians." It found they were five times more likely to describe themselves as "mostly conservative" on political matters than as "mostly liberal," although only about 37 percent chose "mostly conservative", and were "notably" more likely than the national average to have a high view of the Bible and hold orthodox Christian beliefs.

Distribution of Home School Students and Students Nationally Classified by Parent Academic Attainment: 1999, Education Policy Analysis Archives.

	Did not finish high school	High school graduate only	Some college, no degree	Associate degree	Bachelors degree	Masters degree	Doctorate
Home school fathers	1.2%	9.3%	16.4%	6.9%	37.6%	19.8%	8.8%
Males nationally	18.1	32.0	19.5	6.4	15.6	5.4	3.1
Home school mothers	0.5	11.3	21.8	9.7	47.2	8.8	0.7
Females nationally	17.2	34.2	20.2	7.7	14.8	4.5	1.3

In contrast, Lawrence Rudner's (University of Maryland) study shows that homeschool parents have a higher income than average (1.4 times by one estimate), and are more likely to have an advanced education.

By 2001, according to the Canadian based Fraser Institute, Muslim Americans were the fastest growing subgroup in the American homeschool movement, and were predicted to double in number every year for the following eight years after.

Supportive research

Test results

File:Homeschool grades chart.gif

Figure 2. Home School Students Compared to the National Norm Group in Grade Equivalent Units, Scholastic Achievement and Demographic Characteristics of Home School Students in 1998, Lawrence M. Rudner, University of Maryland, College Park. From Education Policy Analysis Archives

File:Homeschool academic scores.jpg

Figure 1. Academic Achievement of Home School, Catholic/Private and the Nation's Students, Scholastic Achievement and Demographic Characteristics of Home School Students in 1998, Lawrence M. Rudner, University of Maryland, College Park. From Education Policy Analysis Archives

Home Schooling Achievement, a study conducted by National Home Education Research Institute (NHERI), supported the academic integrity of homeschooling. Among the homeschooled students who took the tests, the average homeschooled student outperformed his public school peers by 30 to 37 percentile points across all subjects. The study also indicates that public school performance gaps between minorities and genders were virtually non-existent among the homeschooled students who took the tests.

New evidence has been found that home schooled children are learning more and are getting higher scores on the ACT and SAT tests. A study at Wheaton College in Illinois showed that the freshmen that were home schooled for high school scored fifty-eight points higher on their SAT scores than those of kids that went to a normal school. Most colleges look at the ACT and SAT scores of home schooled children when considering them for acceptance to a college. On average, home schooled children scores eighty-one points higher than the national average on the SAT scores. Home schooled children also scored twenty-two point eight on the ACT which is higher than the national average of twenty-one.

Social research

In the 1970s Raymond S. and Dorothy N. Moore conducted four federally funded analyses of more than 8,000 early childhood studies, from which they published their original findings in Better Late Than Early, 1975. This was followed by School Can Wait, a repackaging of these same findings designed specifically for educational professionals. Their analysis concluded that, "where possible, children should be withheld from formal schooling until at least ages eight – ten."

Their reason was that children, "are not mature enough for formal school programs until their senses, coordination, neurological development and cognition are ready." They concluded that the outcome of forcing children into formal schooling is a sequence of "1) uncertainty as the child leaves the family nest early for a less secure environment, 2) puzzlement at the new pressures and restrictions of the classroom, 3) frustration because unready learning tools — senses, cognition, brain hemispheres, coordination — cannot handle the regimentation of formal lessons and the pressures they bring, 4) hyperactivity growing out of nerves and jitter, from frustration, 5) failure which quite naturally flows from the four experiences above, and 6) delinquency which is failure’s twin and apparently for the same reason." According to the Moores, "early formal schooling is burning out our children. Teachers who attempt to cope with these youngsters also are burning out." Aside from academic performance, they think early formal schooling also destroys "positive sociability", encourages peer dependence, and discourages self worth, optimism, respect for parents, and trust in peers. They believe this situation is particularly acute for boys because of their delay in maturity. The Moore's cited a Smithsonian Report on the development of genius, indicating a requirement for "1) much time spent with warm, responsive parents and other adults, 2) very little time spent with peers, and 3) a great deal of free exploration under parental guidance." Their analysis suggested that children need "more of home and less of formal school" "more free exploration with...parents, and fewer limits of classroom and books," and "more old fashioned chores – children working with parents – and less attention to rivalry sports and amusements."

John Taylor later found, using the Piers-Harris Children's Self-Concept Scale, "while half of the conventionally schooled children scored at or below the 50th percentile (in self-concept), only 10.3% of the home-schooling children did so." He further stated that "the self-concept of home-schooling children is significantly higher (and very much so statistically) than that of children attending the conventional school. This has implications in the areas of academic achievement and socialization, to mention only two. These areas have been found to parallel self-concept. Regarding socialization, Taylor's results would mean that very few home-schooling children are socially deprived. He claims that critics who speak out against home schooling on the basis of social deprivation are actually addressing an area which favors home schoolers.

In 2003, the National Home Education Research Institute conducted a survey of 7,300 U.S. adults who had been homeschooled (5,000 for more than seven years). Their findings included:

• Homeschool graduates are active and involved in their communities. 71% participate in an ongoing community service activity, like coaching a sports team, volunteering at a school, or working with a church or neighborhood association, compared with 37% of U.S. adults of similar ages from a traditional education background.

• Homeschool graduates are more involved in civic affairs and vote in much higher percentages than their peers. 76% of those surveyed between the ages of 18 and 24 voted within the last five years, compared with only 29% of the corresponding U.S. populace. The numbers are even greater in older age groups, with voting levels not falling below 95%, compared with a high of 53% for the corresponding U.S. populace.

• 58.9% report that they are "very happy" with life, compared with 27.6% for the general U.S. population. 73.2% find life "exciting", compared with 47.3%.

Criticism

Philosophical and political opposition

Opposition comes from varied sources, including organizations of teachers and school districts. The National Education Association, a United States professional association and union representing teachers, opposes homeschooling, although in recent years it has not been as outspoken. The NEA has, in turn, been criticized for its opposition of homeschooling by putting its own interests ahead of students.

Opponents state concerns falling into several categories: academic quality and completeness; reduced funding for public schools; lack of socialization with peers of different ethnic and religious backgrounds; fear of religious or social extremism; that homeschool curricula often exclude critical subjects; that parents are sheltering their children, or denying them opportunities that are their right such as social development, or providing an unfair advantage over students whose parents lack the time or money to homeschool; existence of parallel societies not fitting into standards of citizenship and national community.

Some scholars see potential civic dangers in certain forms of homeschooling. Rob Reich, author of "Educational Leadership", for example, writes that homeschool can potentially give students a very one-sided view of things, as their parents may, even unwittingly, block or diminish all points of view but their own in teaching. This may make students unable to think for themselves or to adapt to multiple points of view. He also argues that part of being a citizen is having something in common with fellow citizens, and homeschool diminishes that by reducing students' contact with peers. In short, while homeschooling can be good, Reich warns that those practicing it must avoid these dangers.

Gallup polls of American voters have shown a significant change in attitude in the last twenty years, from 73% opposed to home education in 1985 to 54% opposed in 2001.

Criticism of supportive achievement studies

Although there are studies that conclude that homeschooled students on average do well on standardized tests, these studies generally compare voluntary homeschool testing with mandatory public-school testing. The study organizers cannot require testing. Homeschooled students are not subject to the testing requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act. Some states require testing for homeschooled students and some do not; many that do require testing let homeschooling parents choose from more than one evaluation method. Since testing is not required, homeschoolees taking the tests are self-selected, which biases the statistical results. Therefore, the progress of homeschooled students cannot be compared with that of students in public schools.

The demographics of homeschooling are difficult to compare to traditional schools, or even to define. Agencies, parents, and studies may disagree as to which students "count" as homeschooled. Some people have argued that homeschooled students, especially those who are likely to be tested, are an atypical group whose parents care strongly about their education and would also do well in a conventional school.

Financial obligations

Studies have shown the majority of homeschooling families exclude one parent from labor force. This can mean higher costs for home schooled children when compared with public education.

A report from the NCES with data over 1999 and 2003 has shown four out of five two parent families leave one parent at home. Another 1998 study by Lawrence M. Rudner shows similar results: for 77% of the home schooling families the mother stays at home, and for 2% the father. A third study by Dr. Clive Belfield also states the average homeschooling parent is a woman, with an average income of $38,000 per year.

Although it is possible the families have other sources of income, nothing about this is written in the known studies.

On the costs for educational materials and extra tutoring the study by Lawrence M. Rudner states the median amount of money spent was about $400 over 1997. The study by Dr. Clive Belfield with 2001 data states that the estimates for parents who keep a careful accounting is about $2,500 per child.

The cost per child in a public school environment over the school year 1997-98 was $6,198, for 2001-02 it was $7,727. According to the study by Dr. Clive Belfield about a third of this money is used for materials and physical resources.

While the study by Lawrence M. Rudner shows many individual families can spend less on educational material, the largest factor that may mean home schooling is more expensive comes from the high rate of parents being excluded from labor force.

Child abuse

An argument against homeschooling is that child abuse can occur in an environment closed to the outside world. Despite examples in the media and statistics showing parents are responsible for the majority of child abuse, there are no studies available that show a direct correlation for homeschooling resulting in an higher amount of child abuse.

During October 2003 CBS News posted two articles reporting on cases in which home schooling parents killed their children, and one suicide case. Marcia Herman-Giddes, a member of the North Carolina task force reviewing the cases, concluded that home school laws "allow persons who maltreat children to maintain social isolation in order for the abuse and neglect to remain undetected". The advocate for one of the families stated not seeing a connection that would require the government to step in. Another notable February 2005 case on child abuse resulted the Arizona state Governor Janet Napolitano to comment she would examine the state's laws on homeschooling.

Statistics on child abuse in the United States show a number of 3.3 million referrals from 6.0 million children were made to Child Protective Services agencies during 2006. During the same year 1530 children died from abuse or neglect. According to the report, nearly 83 percent of victims were abused by a parent acting alone or with another person. Professionals submitted more than one-half of the reports, being teachers, lawyers or police officers and social services staff for the most part. On physical abuse the study shows almost 25% from the reports came from school teachers.

See also

• Alternative education
• Calvert School
• Home School Legal Defense Association
• Mary Pride
• Schoolhouse Home Education Association
• Unschooling
• John Taylor Gatto

External links

• More information about Ivan Illich and his philosophy.
• A history of the modern homeschool movement, from the Cato Institute.
• Holt Associates Inc's website John Holt's writings and legacy
• moorefoundation.com The Moore Formula from the Official Website of the Moore Foundation.
• National Home Education Research Institute NHERI produces research about homeschooling and sponsors the peer-reviewed academic journal Home School Researcher.
• Home Education Network of Victoria, Australia