This report represents the latest survey information from the National Center for Education Statistics on the prevalence of homeschooling in the United States. This document uses the Parent and Family Involvement Survey of the 2003 National Household Education Surveys Program (NHES) to estimate the number and percentage of homeschooled students in…

This article examines the history and the concept of the common school from the Common School Movement reformers of the 1850s to the present. These reformers envisioned schools that were to be tuition free and open to everyone, places where rich and poor met and learned together on equal terms. Central to the concept of the common school is its…

Although an established alternative form of American education, the concept of home schooling is just beginning to surface in China. Few Chinese have knowledge of home schooling yet alone consider this form of education. However, graduate students studying in the field of education are aware of this unusual alternative to traditional schooling,…

A study by the U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) found that in 2003, the number of students being homeschooled was about 1.1 million. That's a whopping 29 percent increase from 1999, when the department first collected information on the subject. In this article, the author shares her experience being a…

A fundamental change in Americans' devotion to competition and/or cooperation is unlikely. The article suggests ways to identify and eliminate unhealthy forms of competition and describes various political philosophies which foster alternative socialization processes. (JL)

Describes origins, membership criteria, activities, and publications of the Scottish branches of six educational societies: British Association of Early Childhood Education, British Psychological Society, National Association for Gifted Children, National Council for Special Education, United Kingdom Reading Association, and Education Otherwise.…

Should school be a place where children go because they want to go? Yes. Should school be a place where children only go if they want to? Yes. This paper questions the way that we educate our children, taking evidence, not from a school based perspective, but from research (Rothermel 1999a) into those families who choose not to use the system…

This article defines and describes teaching strategies used in homeschooling. It reviews several research and other literature sources from the homeschool community. It finds four themes from relevant research that inform the practices and seven major strategies used in the home-based education. Recommendations are made to parents who choose…

The widespread acceptance of home schooling has persisted long enough to address the question of how well home-schooled children do later in life. In this book, 20 interviews investigate the long-term effects of home schooling in Britain. In the 1980s, the author conducted interviews with several of the same students, when most were teenagers…

The principal is responsible for establishing a positive image for the school and communicating effectively with all constituents, including home schooling parents. Besides becoming familiar with laws, policies, and guidelines, principals should involve teachers in cooperative efforts, view parents as educators, initiate meetings to discuss how…

Assistant executive director of the Pennsylvania School Boards Association argues that local school districts, not the state legislature, should develop policies to allow home-schooled students to participate in extracurricular activities. (PKP)

Discusses the problem of state and local annual achievement testing of children whose parents choose to teach them at home. Discusses test security and administration. Suggests that parents need clear guidelines on state and local testing requirements. (NH)

Examines aspects of the adult lives of wholly or partly home-educated people. Found that all who attempted higher education were successful, that there was no evidence of prejudice regarding employment, and that the socialization of home-educated students was often better than that of their schooled peers. (JOW)

Religious conservatives and political libertarians share a family-centered vision of home schooling. Conservatives' home-schooling plans are usually based on Christian ethics and feature a core group of subjects--reading, writing, mathematics, science, religious studies, and history. The author and his wife, both certified teachers and…

Surveyed 40 families in Mississippi that home school their children. The majority of families consisted of above-average educated parents in the middle income range. The mother is the primary educator, and a religious-affiliated curriculum is the most popular. Religious-affiliated classes or meetings are the most popular choice for peer…