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Homeschooling

The term homeschooling refers to the practice of educating a child or youth at home rather than at a public or private school. Prior to the advent of compulsory education, homeschooling was the primary method of teaching a child. The National Home Education Research Institute estimates there are approximately 2.3 million homeschooled students in the United States, with a growth rate of 2%–8% per year from 2010 to 2015. Homeschoolers are a diverse population of various races and ethnicities and with differing religious and political views. This entry first looks at the reasons for homeschooling, its history and legality in the United States, and the methods used in homeschooling. It then discusses the academic performance of homeschoolers, their socialization, and the advantages and disadvantages of homeschooling.

There are two main ideas behind the practice of homeschooling; one contends that children learn better in a natural setting where they can control the depth and pace of their learning; the other emphasizes homeschooling as the best way to instill values and beliefs in children. Many homeschooling families share common beliefs about public schools: that they devote insufficient attention to academic instruction, that they reflect a decline in moral and religious values, and that the learning environment in them is increasingly erratic. In an era of accountability and school choice, homeschooling is perhaps the fastest growing form of alternative education.

History and Legality

The modern homeschooling movement started in the 1970s when American educator and school reformer John Holt began arguing that traditional education institutions focused too much on rote learning, rather than allowing children to learn naturally. Holt encouraged parents to free their children from formal education and instead school them at home. Holt used the word unschooling to describe child-directed learning where children are allowed to explore and learn on their own without criticism from adults. Holt’s followers connected through his newsletter, Growing Without Schooling, founded in 1977.

In the 1980s, educational theorists Dorothy and Raymond Moore advocated delaying academics for children until they were developmentally ready. The Moores believed children should be schooled at home until age eight or nine in order to give them a firm educational, psychological, and moral foundation. The Moores’ 1981 Home Grown Kids became the most popular book among new homeschoolers.

By the mid-1980s, thousands of evangelical Christians, concerned that public schools were teaching a narrow and secular worldview different than their own, started homeschooling their children. As more and more parents removed their children from public schools, relationships between homeschoolers and local schools grew contentious. The Home School Legal Defense Association was established in 1983, with a mission to legalize homeschooling and protect the constitutional right of parents to direct the education of their children. By 1993, homeschooling became legal in all 50 states.

Homeschooling laws vary from state to state. Eleven states require no notice of intent to homeschool. Fifteen states require parents to notify state or local education officials. Other states have a moderate to high degree of regulation of homeschooling; these states’ requirements may include that parents produce test scores or submit a professional evaluation of student progress, that curriculum be approved by the state, or that state officials conduct home visits.

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