Describes different home-schooling options available to children with disabilities. Services of a special-education consultant are reviewed, along with services of the Home School Legal Defense Association, an umbrella school that provides consulting services to home-schooling families, and a public school home-instruction program. (CR)

Discusses the growing array of school choice options, including: magnet schools; schools-within-schools; alternative schools; charter schools; and school voucher programs. The paper examines the impact of and potential problems with school choice and recommends that public school advocates recognize the need for public schools to continue to…

Examines the issue of balance between community rules and personal freedom as it relates to who should control the education of children in Norway. Reviews the historical development of alternative education in Norway, including the growth of private schools and home schooling. Comments on future educational needs and the provision of good…

This synopsis provides highlights of a national home schooling survey of 1,516 families in the United States. The study explored five fundamental questions: (1) What are home education families' demographic and educational characteristics? (2) To what extent have home-schooling families been engaged in legal matters regarding their involvement in…

This chapter discusses the issues involved in home education as they relate to state compulsory school attendance laws. The authors first examine the purpose and context of compulsory attendance, then the public or private school alternatives. The statutory and case laws providing for home education are explored and some of the constitutional…

Observations and interviews conducted in three different series over an 18-month period provided data about the operation of one family's home school. When combined with data from observations conducted in two other home schools, the information led to a number of conclusions concerning both potential strengths of home schools as learning…

This paper presents selected results of some initial attempts to describe and understand the home school phenomenon. Two types of research activities investigating the nature of family curricula are reviewed: (1) informal descriptions of home schools and their participants' reflections as already published, and (2) several case studies of families…

This publication was put together by the Washington State Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction in response to questions about laws concerning home-based instruction passed in 1985. Part 1 contains responses to questions relating to Chapter 28A.225 RCW and Chapter 28A.200 RCW; topics covered include regulations governing compulsory school…

Noting that children bear a natural curiosity and urge to learn about the world around them, and that the nature of compulsory schooling is at odds with this inclination, this book explores why parents remove their children from schools to teach them at home and provides step-by-step guidance for parents who want to home school their children.…

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…

Offers reasons why public schools should cooperate with local families educating their children at home: opposing home schooling is rarely fruitful; supporting home schoolers can improve public relations; home schooling offers otherwise unobtainable insights into child learning; and home-schooled students participating in district programs may…

This study examined attitudes toward physical fitness of parents who home school their children, noting the relationship with children's physical activity levels. Questionnaires (11% returned) indicated parents felt positively about fitness, but children were not physically active. A low correlation existed between mothers' attitudes and…

The article describes how one Hawaiian couple came to the decision to home school their son, explaining the educational habits and patterns they established in their lives from the time he was an infant that eventually led into home preschool education. (SM)

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…

Findings from a study of 19 families in rural Pennsylvania who educate their children at home show that, overall, these home educators are asserting their historical option of cultural agency and schooling. Their decisions have implications for the reform of public education. (SLD)