Examines the educational beliefs of John Gatto, a former award-winning teacher, now author and lecturer, whose classroom experiences convinced him that public schools must go. He believes that public education dumbs down students, makes them morally incomplete, and extends childhood far beyond natural bounds. Gatto recommends that families take…

Highlights educational opportunities for homeschooling. Suggests visiting learning facilities such as museums, aquaria, zoos, and parks which provide access to natural areas, live animals, and self-directed, hands-on exhibits. Describes learning opportunities at the Tennessee Aquarium. (SAH)

Presents one family's experience with home schooling, explaining that no two home schools are alike, which is both a strength and a weakness of the movement. The paper discusses the parent's educational philosophy and the family's personal curriculum and pedagogical choices. It concludes by examining the growing trend in home schooling. (SM)

Describes the first college for home-schooled students, which requires that students adhere to a strict social code (including attendance at daily chapel services, a ban on alcohol, and limits on casual dating). An apprenticeship program during the junior and senior years revolves around writing policy papers on issues raised by politicians.…

Discusses the use that homeschoolers make of public libraries and offers suggestion for library services that target homeschoolers. Highlights include having a staff contact person; a homeschooling notebook for the reference desk; pamphlet files for homeschooling curriculum catalogs; a brochure of library services; and orientation programs. (LRW)

Describes origins, membership criteria, activities, and publications of the Scottish branches of six educational societies: British Association of Early Childhood Education, British Psychological Society, National Association for Gifted Children, National Council for Special Education, United Kingdom Reading Association, and Education Otherwise.…

This article defines and describes teaching strategies used in homeschooling. It reviews several research and other literature sources from the homeschool community. It finds four themes from relevant research that inform the practices and seven major strategies used in the home-based education. Recommendations are made to parents who choose…

Assistant executive director of the Pennsylvania School Boards Association argues that local school districts, not the state legislature, should develop policies to allow home-schooled students to participate in extracurricular activities. (PKP)

Home-schooling students in the Cupertino Union School District, California, are enrolled at one alternative school. Each home-schooling family is assigned a resource teacher who is responsible for meeting with students and parents at least once a month. The district provides a variety of materials and services. (MLF)

If home education is not just school in another place, how can we conceptualise it and how does it work? This paper considers the peculiar set of relationships that characterise home-educating families and traces their extension out into the wider community. It further shows how, through the ongoing family conversation, experiences gained from…

A study by the U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) found that in 2003, the number of students being homeschooled was about 1.1 million. That's a whopping 29 percent increase from 1999, when the department first collected information on the subject. In this article, the author shares her experience being a…

In 1991, the Iowa legislature enacted dual-enrollment legislation allowing Iowa's home-schooling students to enroll in their district for academic programs, participate in extracurricular activities, and use the area education agency's services. This article tells how a home-schooling parent worked with a principal to create a program serving 37…

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…

Among trends in American education, homeschooling stands as one of the most complex and contentious--and least understood. Indeed, the U.S. Department of Education (USDOE) did not issue the first comprehensive estimates and analysis of the homeschool population until 2001. As the body of knowledge about homeschooling expands and the movement grows…

In this article, the authors explore the life history and home education of Lu Wei, a top student in the 2004 Guangdong Province College entrance examination. The authors argue that the following issues of Lu's home education played an important role in Lu's success: emphasis and nurture of intellectual development in the early years of life,…