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…

One manifestation of the demand for educational reform over the last 30 years has been the removal of children from public schools by their parents. This document looks at the history of early home schooling in the United States and presents demographic information concerning those families who have chosen this option. The academic achievement of…

This digest highlights some of the findings of the largest study of home schooling conducted to date (L. Rudner, 1999). For this study, 20,760 students in 11,930 families provided useable questionnaires and corresponding achievement test data. Home schooling parents had more formal education than parents in the general population, and many had…

To study the characteristics and academic achievement of home schooled students, data were compiled for 20,760 students in 11,930 families. Families chose to participate before they knew their children's test scores, reducing the possibility of reporting higher scores while leaving lower scores out of the analysis. All students took the Iowa Tests…

This article discusses home schooling gifted children, including reasons families choose to home school their children, laws regulating home schooling, the educational background of parents who home school, and curriculum options. Advantages and disadvantages of home schooling are explored, along with data indicating the higher achievement of home…

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…

The Ohio Department of Education estimates that 15,000 children were being home-schooled in Ohio, based on a 1991 survey of school superintendents. This document presents an overview of home schooling and describes the nature and extent of home schooling in Ohio. Data are based on a review of literature, information received from national and…

This document consists of five issues of the "Home School Researcher," a quarterly newsletter dedicated to research on instruction in the home. Volume 4, number 3 reports findings of a comparative study of the reasoning abilities of home-educated children. Also included are profiles of four categories of home schoolers: new age,…

The political and religious characteristics of parents in four western states who educate their children at home are examined. The relation of those characteristics to parents' decisions to circumvent state-sponsored education services are also considered. Additional discussion focuses on the relevance of the findings for public policy. The target…

Homeschooling, one of the fastest growing educational alternatives, is enjoying increasing respect from educators and parents alike. This is partly because homeschooling children score as well and often better on standardized tests than their publicly schooled counterparts. However, the vast majority of homeschooled students come from the…

A nationwide sample of home-schooling parents and their children was surveyed in a study of: (1) the characteristics of home-schooling families; (2) variations in instructional approaches used by home-schooling parents; and (3) the possible relation of creativity of home-schooled children to differences in family characteristics or instructional…

The available evidence indicates that home school youth of compulsory education age have been scoring equal or better than their conventional school peers on measures of cognitive achievement and desirable affective traits; the significance of this is discussed. (BJV)

Reviews the following historical phases of the recent home school movement: (1) parents' contentions about public schools; (2) home school parents' confrontations with schools and the courts; (3) cooperation between public schools and home schools; and (4) consolidation of home schools. Introduces the other articles in this issue. (BJV)

Home school research studies--surveys, case studies, and comparison studies--have primarily focused on the immediate environment of the home. Future investigations should expand to include the characteristics of other surrounding environments that may influence the home schooling process. (BJV)

Analysis of a state-wide survey and in-depth interviews with 15 home school families in Oregon reveals that the impetus for home schooling may be tied to the effects of contemporary culture on personal belief. Characteristics of religious and New Age home school families are discussed. (BJV)