The pendulum has swung from strong parent involvement in the home- and community-based schools of the agrarian 17th century to the bureaucratic factory-model schools of the industrial revolution. Today's parents are making inroads. The tension between professional educators and parents is being expressed in open forums such as…

Discusses characteristics and trends of home schools and workplaces. Use of computers and computer applications (CD-ROMS, interactive software, and networking) in home schooling provides a compatible environment for future home-based businesses and telecommuting trends. Sidebars include information on home schools on line; standardized test…

Defines and discusses alternatives to traditional public schooling, including private and home schools, contract schools, charter schools, and school-based finance systems. Implications for principals are reflected in a drive for more rigorous state tests and standards and the growing use of technology, which stresses independent study. Charter…

States vary considerably in how they choose to monitor home school families. Policies range from no involvement to requiring yearly portfolios detailing the student's achievement and academic progress. Respecting the right of parents to choose how they wish to educate their children while holding parents accountable for the education their…

Uses the home-education policy arena as a lens through which to view changing beliefs and practices about student assessment. The home-education policies of 10 states illustrate issues relating to accountability in public and private schools and the use of standardized tests. (SLD)

Whether the constructs of value consistency and social capital can be used to explain the achievement outcomes of home education is explored. It is evident that children exposed to home schooling experience a high degree of value consistency. The values to which such children are exposed in education are those of their families. This would seem to…

U.S. students now have four choices of schooling: public schooling, private-religious schooling, private-independent schooling, and home-schooling. Of these, home-schooling is the most novel: since legalization across the states in the last few decades, it has grown in importance and legitimacy as an alternative choice. Thus, it is now possible to…

Examines the history of the homeschooling movement in the United States, the reasons parents choose to homeschool their children, the general profile of homeschoolers, and the responsibility that public libraries and librarians have in serving the homeschooling population. Suggests ways librarians can better serve homeschoolers. (AEF)

Considers state and national policies directed toward the homeless. Problems with policies for immunization and vaccination requirements, transportation, parent participation, domestic violence, and home schooling are discussed. Alternative solutions that may be more conducive to the education of the homeless are offered. (SLD)

The remarkable spread of home education needs to be considered in light of the arguments driving its growth. While acknowledging that there are many good reasons for individuals to choose home education, this analysis examines some of the most prominent assumptions and claims that advance the practice as a mass movement. Specifically, arguments…

Acknowledging the growing trend to educate school-aged children at home, this book provides a detailed account of home schooling, providing a vision of home education that reflects its multidimensional nature. The book consists of seven chapters: (1) "Learning about Home Schools" describes the research study from which this book is drawn…

A set of concerns related to home education that is infrequently studied, namely, the content and direction of research in education, is examined. Issues surrounding home education have not been given adequate attention. A sample of home education researchers was gathered by compiling a list of authors who had published in the "Home School…

The requirement that home schooled students score at or above the 40th percentile on a nationally standardized test runs counter to several widely accepted principles of measurement. A single score should not be used alone in decision making, and there is no evidence that this is a valid use of the test. In addition, the 40th percentile is not an…

Though conventional public schools enroll the vast majority of difficult-to-educate students, many such students who are not accepted by public schools end up at private schools. This report describes the role of private institutions in educating these students, incorporating case studies and analyzing various institutional arrangements. Part 1…

Home-schooling is a growing movement that rejects many practices and premises of public education. District attitudes are softening toward the movement; home-schoolers are increasingly allowed to participate in physical education, music programs, and other courses. Programs in Palm Beach County, Florida, and Des Moines, Iowa, are profiled. (MLH)