This paper describes home schooling in Alabama from the perspectives of public-school superintendents and home-schooling families. It is based on a study that investigated the extent, causes, and experiences of home schooling; concerns about the practice of home schooling; and the relationship between home schoolers and public-school systems. Home schooling is defined as: "parents providing their children educational opportunities in the home and community in place of attending schools," and includes those students who are enrolled in, but not physically attending, church or "cover" schools. The article reports the results of a study based on 64 superintendent surveys and 12 interviews with home-schooling families. Superintendents claimed that protecting children from negative social influences and the explicit teaching of morals and values were the most commonly espoused reasons for home schooling. Parents expressed similar concerns and also placed high importance on providing individual attention to their children and raising confident, caring, and well-rounded people. However, superintendents consistently felt that these issues were not the main concerns of home schoolers. Home-schooling parents found the quality of education, the quality of life, and the quality of socialization to be lacking in public and private schools. (Contains 25 references.) (RJM)