Homeschooling has grown over the past several decades. It is estimated that 923,700 to 1,275,098 children will be homeschooled by the 2001-02 school year. Homeschooling families come from all major ethnic, cultural, and religious backgrounds and all income levels. Homeschooling parents are commonly active in their communities and join community…

Data from state education agencies show that homeschooling has more than doubled, and possibly tripled, in the 5 years between the 1990-1991 school year and the 1995-1996 school year. By the 1995-1996 school year, from 1% to 2% of the total school-aged population were in homeschooling. Homeschooling has become a major sector of the private…

The rapidly growing homeschooling movement has been around for centuries. No definitive data exist on the scope of homeschooling, but limited data note that homeschooling families are generally religious, conservative, middle income, educated whites. People often consider homeschooling after disappointments with public school quality. Homeschooled…

Examines state laws and the actions of various courts on home instruction and unauthorized educational programs. Suggests reforming the regulation of private education through legislative action that requires periodic testing as an alternative to compulsory school attendance. (Author/MLF)

Increasing numbers of children are meeting state compulsory education requirements at home rather than at school. Although home instruction was once the mainstay of frontier American education, some educators now regard the practice as suspect. This paper hopes to reconcile opposing views by examining home schooling, including numbers of children,…

This brochure highlights educational materials for parents who teach their children at home. Many of the sources are available through libraries, public schools, government agencies, nonprofit institutions, and online services. The pamphlet lists 12 magazines and newsletters now available to homeschooling families, 8 electronic sources, and 17…

Discusses rapid growth of underground educational movements, particularly of unapproved home schooling and fundamentalist Christian schools. Reviews existing state regulation of private education, its constitutional and policy implications, and offers alternative recommendations concerning compulsory attendance laws. An appendix lists basic…

A small but increasing number of school-aged children are engaging in home schooling--pursuing learning at home or elsewhere in the community. This digest summarizes research findings on and issues around home schooling. It describes the historical roots of home schooling, the estimated number of participants, the constitutionality and legal…