While the legal question of what constitutes a private school--and whether home schools can continue to operate as such--remains a matter to be resolved by the courts or further legislation, a separate question remains: What should be the role and relationship of home schools to the educational network of the future? Economically and technologically, home schools are already a viable alternative to centralized school systems in rural Appalachia. Educational policy is needed which permits home schools to realize their potential as educational settings. This paper begins with background information about West Virginia noting that the values and lifestyles of recent inmigrants, combined with changes in the compulsory school attendance laws in 1983, stimulated an interest in home schooling in the rural areas of the state. The bulk of the paper relates the experience of a family who moved to a small farm in Mineral County, West Virginia, in 1976. Emphasis is on family values, especially as they relate to the choice to teach children at home. Academic achievement requirements are discussed and standardized scores are reported for the two oldest children. The family's use of educational television and personal computer are outlined. (JHZ)