Addresses two questions: (1) What is a charter school?; and (2) What does the creation of these schools mean for music teachers and music-education programs? Defines charter schools, discusses their emergence, and describes three charter-school music programs. (DSK)

Traces the history of parental rights in education since the landmark case Pierce vs. the Society of Sisters (1925), when the existence of private schools was validated. States that initiatives promoting parental choice include : (1) tax relief/credits; (2) vouchers or scholarships; (3) public school choice; and (4) home schooling. Provides a…

Asserts that all parents should have a choice in where they send their children to school. Urges public policy makers to take into consideration that funding needs to be offered equally to all of society in order to fully achieve school choice. Emphasizes the need for parent advocacy to be heightened to gain more funding and maintain parental…

Reports on a group of advocates for school choice that took its cause to Capitol Hill and met with mixed response. States that the issue of church-state separation repeatedly comes up in arguments against school choice. Emphasizes that parents must have the freedom to choose what learning environments are best for their children. (CJW)

States that the future of the school choice movement depends upon Catholic educators working in partnership with parents, politicians, and business leaders. Reiterates Pope John Paul II's statement that parents have the right to choose their children's education according to their beliefs, and calls for special advocacy for the rights of…

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)

An exploratory study that involved two male and two female elementary students with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) was carried out in homeschools and public schools. The general purpose of the study was to determine whether parents could provide instructional environments that facilitated the acquisition of their children's basic…

Home education emerged as a deviant practice in the USA in the late 1970s and became an acceptable alternative to conventional schooling in a remarkably short period of time. This paper argues that the trajectory of normalisation has been shaped by cultural and institutional features peculiar to the US national context. The paper also offers…

Home educators are often stereotyped by concerned professionals and others who make statements based upon their beliefs rather than research. Characteristics such as eccentric, arrogant, ignorant, middle-class and hippy are often associated with home educators. Increasingly too, they are represented as a potential danger to their children, either…

Choosing to homeschool or to educate a child traditionally is often a difficult and confusing decision for parents and guardians. To help them make the best possible choice, this brochure answers basic questions about homeschooling and suggests other useful sources of information. The questions include the following: (1) Do families have a right…

School board members are often faced with situations in which their positions of power and influence present opportunities for inappropriate gain. Sometimes the goals of the district conflict with personal agendas. The feature article of this publication describes how to recognize the situations that have the potential to jeopardize board members'…

Research has documented that the self-esteem of girls plunges at adolescence. Whether this is true for girls educated outside the school system was studied through interviews with 20 homeschooled girls, a questionnaire completed by 20 more, and tape-recorded responses of 5 others. Subjects were asked to describe themselves and their interests,…

This paper discusses MIKSIKE, an interdisciplinary study program integrating Web technology designed to serve elementary schools and home-schooling families. Developed by a small Estonian company, MIKSIKE is divided into cross-curricular study cycles that last 3 to 5 weeks. The online program works with a standard Web browser and has three areas:…

Issues surrounding parental decisions to privatize their children's education are examined in this paper, which focuses on three issues: (1) the declining credibility of state-sponsored education; (2) the nature and causes of privatized education as a viable alternative; and (3) the context in which this option occurs. The first section discusses…