This book offers step-by-step advice for parents on how to choose among available schools for their children. It identifies factors to consider in making the choice, and it offers information on options for parents who do not like any of the available schools, including teaching children at home and working to create new options. After an…

Myths concerning home-based education in England are discussed. These include the myths that schooling is compulsory, that there is one right approach in education, that there is such a thing as professionalism, that local education authorities have the right to access and cooperation, and that there is consensus among home educators. (RM)

Examines the legal context of home schooling. Briefly explains why parents educate their children at home, reviews the history of the phenomenon; considers compulsory attendance laws, and analyzes the legal status of home schooling in the United States. (10 references) (LMI)

Participants who attended three national alternative education conferences in Japan, Indiana, and Israel report on their experiences at the conferences and issues addressed, including freedom versus license, responsibility to poor children, funding for alternative education programs, democratic education, government role, and varying and…

Compared to conventionally schooled children, home-schooled children do as well or better academically; they are well adjusted socially, find employment, and go on to further education. Communication technologies allow children to learn academic foundations at home. Discusses parents' reasons for choosing home schooling, legal status in various…

Maslow's (1971) theory of primary creativeness is used as the basis for a self-actualization model of education. Examples of how to use the model in creative homeschooling are provided. Key elements include digressive and immersion learning, self-directed learning, and the integration of work and play. Teaching suggestions are provided. (Contains…

Meetings of home schoolers were observed to determine parents' attitudes toward traditional education. Many parents, over time, grew to question the validity of their previous assumptions but remained firm in their belief that schools are not neutral and meritocratic dispensers of knowledge. (BJV)

Describes the changing role of schools and schooling among Dutch middle and upper middle class adolescents in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Discusses the evolution from home schooling in the early 1800s to boarding schools for a small portion of the school-age population to secondary girls' schools for most females between 1867 and 1900.…

An interview with a mother and daughter living in an intentional community in New Hampshire explores how their choices about lifestyle have shaped them, how homeschooling worked for them, the role of other community adults in raising children, why the daughter left and later returned, and how community is more than proximity to other people. (TD)

A husband and wife team of Montessori-trained teachers started a private school in Brewster (New York) that also serves as a home school resource center. Their practices include mixed-age grouping, learner-centered instruction, optional standardized tests, parents in the classrooms, and frequent field trips. They endured 3 years of dealing with…

Investigated the undergraduate success of college graduates from three high school settings (home schools, private schools, and public schools) nationwide. Data included 40 indicators of college success reflecting five domains of learning outcome (achievement, leadership, professional aptitude, social behavior, and physical activity). Overall,…

Overviews the development of a California homeschooling support group into a successful charter homeschooling program. Currently, the HomeBased Partnership has 72 enrolled children ages 5-14 and 3 staff members. The program encompasses 2 "open days," each 5 hours long, in which children of all ages meet with friends, use classroom…

Discusses the various definitions of home education and how the term can give rise to misinterpretations. Covers recent changes to legislation and policy relating to home education in some European countries, such as France and Ireland. Argues that governments should conduct well reasoned, objective research before considering measures to limit…

U.S. students now have four choices of schooling: public schooling, private-religious schooling, private-independent schooling, and home-schooling. Of these, home-schooling is the most novel: since legalization across the states in the last few decades, it has grown in importance and legitimacy as an alternative choice. Thus, it is now possible to…

This paper presents the results of a survey of 127 seniors in a diverse suburban high school to determine the impact of the subjects' perceptions of parent involvement on their levels of achievement as measured by the standardized national ACT test. Independent-samples t tests were then used to assess whether there were any differences in…