Internationally, there continues to be a rise in the popularity of home-schooling. Although the growth in the numbers of families choosing this alternative approach was evident prior to the COVID-19 Pandemic school closures, it appears to have impacted on the decision for some to home-school permanently. Using a scoping review of the literature,…

Purpose: From the in-group status as a former homeschool parent, the goal is to problematize the entanglement of neoliberalism within self-directed education (SDE) pedagogies. Further and importantly, this study aims to bring attention to and examine the neoliberal resistant practices found in Black homeschooling. Design/methodology/approach: A…

"Wild Learning" answers a call in the educational community for practical, easy-to-implement activities that bring core curriculum out of the classroom and into the outdoors. Outdoor learning has risen in popularity in recent years, and it has tremendous benefits. Being outside is healthier, helps children form a strong connection to the…

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…

Every year in Riverside School District, a pseudonym, children face the prospect of not attaining a prekindergarten school admission. Riverside has a large population of Black and Brown students and Haitian second language learners. The school also has a high percentage, 89.4%, of families who are considered to be low-income (School and District…

Homeschooled students are unique in a college environment. Without adhering to a traditional school system, homeschooled students possess various learning opportunities outside of the classroom. However, because they lack the formal educational prerequisites held by traditional students, their achievements and experiences may differ. Stereotypes…

Alternative schooling has been staunchly advocated for by groups disillusioned by government-sponsored public schooling that want to take personal control of their children's education. There are concerns, however, about nontraditional schooling options that do not meet standards that apply to public schools. The "United Nations Convention on…

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…

Education improvement has become a national imperative. Low graduation rates, standardized test failures, and overall success rates falling significantly behind in global competition have forced the dialogue towards alternatives to public education (Stewart, 2012). As the United States continues to trail other countries in educational success, it…

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…

In 1988, Van Galen proposed two distinct categories to describe homeschooling parents -- ideologues and pedagogues. Her model has been widely cited in the homeschooling literature. In the 30 years since the introduction of these identifiers, homeschooling in the United States has experienced tremendous growth due to a number of intersecting…

This poll was conducted between December 14-December 21, 2021 among a sample of 435 Black school parents. The interviews were conducted online. Results based on the Black school parents sample have a measure of precision of plus or minus 5.2 percentage points. Among the key findings are: (1) Black, white, and Hispanic parents all have similar…