A national survey of American families was conducted to ascertain the extent of interest in self-directed education (SDE) in the United States. Our research took place in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic--a moment when we required a much better understanding of what parents need from the US education system. Data were gathered using an online…

This paper presents a constructivist grounded theory on the decision-making process that UK home and alternative educators undertake and the related influencing factors. Twenty-one participants from a diverse range of backgrounds were interviewed between one and three times over a two-year period. Some were current home and alternative educators…

This article theorizes how crises and markets shape the responses of consumers and producer organizations. We advance four propositions: 1) if a crisis requires major revisions in operational rules, less-exit sensitive (i.e., monopoly-like) organizations shall revise to aggregate preferences of organized producers; and more-exit sensitive…

Thousands of children are diagnosed with cancer each year and are unable to participate in normative developmental and cultural contexts such as school. Little is known about how children with cancer perceive attending school in alternative settings, such as the home and hospital, while receiving treatment. This study coded the drawings of 10…

In the summer of 2020, it became clear to growing numbers of families and community organizations that COVID-19's unprecedented disruptions to public education would not subside in time for the coming school year. Facing the prospect of continued school closures and uncertain public health safeguards, families were forced to make new childcare…

In times of pandemic-related university shutdowns and a shift of teaching to homeschooling, alternative educational methods are more in demand than ever. The class peer-review (CPR) method offers the opportunity for students to evaluate each other and share knowledge during their private learning time. This study reports on a CPR which was…

Using data from the 2015-16 round of the Private School Universe Survey, I examine the types of private schools that decide to participate in school voucher programs in seven locations: Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Indiana, Ohio, Louisiana, D.C., and North Carolina. Regression analysis indicates that more specialized private schools tend to be less…

Home education support groups and associations are increasingly becoming hubs for home learning communities to share resources and knowledge. This literature review examined (a) motivations for joining homeschool groups; (b) values and beliefs that led to the formation of homeschool groups; and (c) how the culture of homeschool groups aids in…

Unschooling is a form of homeschooling in which parents allow children to self-direct their education. To determine if there was any evidence of unschoolers attending to the goals of multicultural education, we conducted a content analysis of a germinal resource--the 1977-1981 issues of "Growing Without Schooling"("GWS"). Our…

In 2008, 41 states in the United States had created charter school laws. Charter school laws provide the guidelines for creating independent public schools by educators, parents, community leaders, or educational entrepreneurs. The basic goal of charter schools is to create better educational opportunities for students. These schools provide an…

The state of Connecticut detained 1,444 children and youth and committed approximately 270 to the Department of Children and Families for out of home placement in the 2007-2008 calendar year. A significant number of children and youth have special education needs that are often unidentified by home school districts. State and federal law mandate…

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…

Studied the reasons Canadian parents choose to home school their children through interviews with 23 home-schooling families and compared findings with those from previous studies in the United States. Findings suggest that Canadian home schoolers have very different reasons from those of their U.S. counterparts. (SLD)

Described are practices of 70 home-schooling families who resided in southwestern lower Michigan in Fall, 1987. A literature review discusses: (1) philosophical roots of the home education movement; (2) concern for the socialization of home-educated children; (3) reasons why home-schooling is considered a good educational alternative; (4) state…

This paper analyzes whether certain events in society influence educational choice, in particular, the choice to home school children. Using an epidemiological approach, the article analyzes the perceptions of home-school leaders and others involved in the movement, focusing on the substantive influence of events on the home-schooling movement. It…