Should school be a place where children go because they want to go? Yes. Should school be a place where children only go if they want to? Yes. This paper questions the way that we educate our children, taking evidence, not from a school based perspective, but from research (Rothermel 1999a) into those families who choose not to use the system…

In view of the fact that in the past decade parents have increasingly begun to educate their children at home, this paper aims to provide an overview of home schooling in the United States. The paper reviews the history of home schooling, describes the characteristics of families involved in home schooling, and discusses the future of home…

Traces the development of John Holt's educational philosophy. His initial realization that forcing children to learn stifled their initiative and creativity led to efforts at school reform that were not welcomed by the school establishment. The idea that education is a community function rather than an institutional function moved him to…

Beginning with a brief history of homeschooling in America, this paper discusses literature describing today's population of homeschoolers. Although older, the binary typology offered by Van Galen (1987, 1991) to categorize the motivations of homeschoolers is still utilized in much of the homeschooling literature. Van Galen breaks homeschoolers…

This paper, the third in a series, explores some of the implications of compulsory education for public schools, private schools, and home instruction. Based on prior studies and on interviews with 120 education leaders in 15 states, the paper reviews compulsory education policies throughout the nation. It concludes with a recommendation that…

Maintains that the past two decades have seen a remarkable growth in alternative education options, particularly home schooling. Asserts that the parents' religious and moral beliefs are primary reasons for the home schooling movement. Reviews research on home schooling and calls for more relevant lines of inquiry. (CFR)

The purpose of this policy report is to bring coherence to discussions about school reform and to encourage policymakers to use a consistent metric when judging whether reform proposals are serving the needs of children and the nation. The current confusion and policy debates over what is a public school--brought about by recent educational…