Eric Premack grew up in Minneapolis; graduated from Washburn High School. After graduate school in public policy he went to California; worked initially with the Office of the Legislative Analyst where he was assigned to education finance; then worked as a consultant in the field. In 1991 he began making people in California aware of the…

School choice improves parents' satisfaction with their children's schools, and public schools that face competition have shown improved performance, yet opponents continue to oppose reforms that give parents the opportunity to choose their children's schools. State and federal policymakers should reform existing education policies to give all…

Examines the legal issues regarding participation of home-schooled students in the extracurricular-activities program of the public schools. Concludes that parents could attempt to influence state legislatures to enact statutes specifically opening public school programs, including extracurricular activities, to home-schooled students. (70…

The number of parents who have chosen to educate their children at home has increased dramatically in recent years. Moreover, although less than one percent of school-aged children in the United States are schooled at home, a combination of judicial challenges and legislative activism have allowed advocates of home schooling to make major…

The growth of home schooling over the last 20 years in Maine and across the nation, state responses, and current controversies are described in this paper. Following an introduction, the first part provides definitions and discusses legal concerns of home schooling. The next part provides a historical overview that examines public school…

This primer for state legislators discusses reasons for the current increase in home schooling and describes legislative actions regulating home schooling. In regards to guidelines for making workable laws regarding home schooling, attention is given to: (1) requiring communication between parent and school; (2) establishing minimum standards for…

Examines state laws and the actions of various courts on home instruction and unauthorized educational programs. Suggests reforming the regulation of private education through legislative action that requires periodic testing as an alternative to compulsory school attendance. (Author/MLF)

Many parents critical of public education have removed their children from public schools and are schooling them at home. Home schooling has generated a number of lawsuits. Controversies have arisen over the definitions of "school" and of "equivalent instruction," parents' qualifications to teach, and religious exemptions from…

Explores the constitutional argument surrounding home school students gaining limited access to the public schools, and examines legislative efforts to address the issue. (80 footnotes) (MLF)

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 controversy over whether parents should have the right to determine in detail the type and scope of their children's education harks back to colonial times and has been manifested more recently in court cases considering home instruction in lieu of public school attendance. This first chapter of a book on school law objectively examines both…

Progress on school choice in the statehouse and courtroom during 2002 set the stage for ambitious 2003 legislative agendas in many states and the U.S. Congress. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that voucher programs do not violate the Constitution, even when participating schools are overwhelmingly religious. Research supporting choice has grown…

Based on the alleged growth in the number of families seeking unapproved alternative schooling arrangements, this paper reviews related state legislation and court litigation. Both home schooling and small, unapproved private schools are discussed. According to the paper, in virtually every state, enforcement of minimum standards for private…

Home schooling, practiced as an alternative to both public and private schooling, is on the increase. This booklet provides an overview of the home schooling movement's statistical and demographic background. It also describes the legal context in states across the United States; the advocacy groups that are involved; the reasons why parents home…

A compendium of proposals for model state laws intended to restore parental and local control and to improve teaching and discipline in elementary and secondary education is presented in this report. The proposals, together with explanatory passages, are presented in three categories: (1) parents' role in education, (2) teachers' role in…