Homeschooling (also called home education) is the education of children at home and in the community, in contrast to education in an institution such as a public or parochial school. In the United States, homeschooling is the focus of a substantial minority movement among parents who wish to provide their children with a custom or more complete education which they feel is unattainable in most public or even private schools.

Contents

1 Overview 2 Methods 2.1 Unit Studies 2.2 Special Materials 2.3 All-in-one curricula 2.4 Eclectic Curricula 2.5 Unschooling 3 Arguments in Favor 3.1 Academic Quality 3.2 Superior Character Development and Socialization 3.3 Gifted Children 3.4 Well Received at College 3.5 Official Support by Government 4 Opposition 4.1 Academic quality 4.2 Socialization of Children with Peers 4.3 Fear of religious or social extremism 5 See also 6 Footnote 7 Resources 8 External links

Overview

Homeschooling was originally the primary form of education in the United States. For example, presidents Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln were self-educated or had tutors growing up.

Interesting options are available to homeschooling families. The family education is usually integrated with vacations, religious activities, community organizations, reading and other family activities. Education can proceed flexibly, at students' own paces, year-around, even with frequent traveling. Religion, ethics, and character topics are frequently taught. Some families teach a Classical education, or the Trivium, including Latin and even Greek. Homeschooled children may study a second language. Geography, art and music are often included. Money-management and business studies may be integrated with the family business. Those who use structured math programs usually terminate in Calculus for high-school students.

Most homeschooling families make what many in American culture would consider substantial economic sacrifices to educate their children at home. One parent, usually the mother, refrains from working in order to supervise the children's education.

If there are preschool children, homeschooling can be a better economic use of a parent's time than combining low-paying work with child care and public schooling. Recent research has shown that it is economically viable to school children at home, often with the expenses of school being saved (eg. uniform, transport).

Many homeschooling parents say that the additional time they spend with their children is precious to them.

There is substantial controversy about homeschooling. These arguments are often based on opinion and incompatible values. Some controversies are unlikely to be resolved through purely logical debate, even with additional research. (See below)

Although estimates vary, roughly 1 to 2 million children are homeschooled in the United States. Estimates are not available for other countries.

Methods

A family interested in homeschooling should first decide what their educational goals are, and then research options and resources through the Internet and the public library. Because homeschool laws vary widely according to state statutes, homeschoolers in one's own state are the best single resource for accurate and complete information on legalities. It is not necessary to buy "legal insurance" for homeschooling. It can be helpful to attend homeschooling events to meet homeschoolers, learn about various topics and inspect educational materials. Curriculum shops, Web sites and mail-order houses can help locate conventions and conferences, as can a search of the Internet. Most families find a trip to a homeschooling convention fascinating, because of the number and scope of options. Some find the options overwhelming and do better by finding a local homeschool group and learning from experienced homeschoolers.

There is a wide variety of homeschooling methods and materials; there are as many ways to homeschool as there are families homeschooling, and no particular way is the only right way. There are a few basic types of homeschooling methods: unit-studies, special materials, all-in-one curricula, eclectic and unschooling.

Unit Studies

Unit studies teach most subjects in combination around central subjects. For example, a unit study of Native Americans would combine age-appropriate lessons in social studies (how different tribes lived), art (making Native American clothing), history (the history of Native Americans in the U.S.), Reading (usually by a reading list), science (plants used by Native Americans). Next month, the unit-study subject would change to "Construction," or some other broad topic of study.

Supporters say unit studies make excellent use of student time by combining several fields into one study time, and permit students to follow personal interests. This motivates students and they remember the things they learn more. Unit studies also permit a family to study together. For example, in a Native American unit, a 10th-grade student might make a deer-skin coat for an art project, while a 1st-grade student might make construction-paper tipis.

Unit studies require an organized, motivated teacher, and active students. Unit studies require parental preparation of materials. Homeschoolers often purchase unit-study guides that suggest materials, projects and shopping lists, and supplement them with specialized curricula for math, and sometimes reading and writing.

Special Materials

Special materials are used to improve skills, and are generally easy to prepare. Often a homeschooling individual will use complete, prepared curriculum, or supplement it with information from a public library or the internet.

Special materials usually consist of workbooks, possibly with textbooks and a teachers' guide. Often the teachers' guide will give exact words for a teacher to say—which may sound phony to students. However, parents may alter or skip wording. Many specialized subjects are only available in this form. Special materials are frequently used for math and primary reading.

Students often find special materials boring. Also, some parents may over-focus on skills while excluding Social Studies, Science, Art, History and other fields that help children learn their place in the world.

All-in-one curricula

All-in-one curricula arrive in a box. Some call them "school in a box." They usually cover an entire year. They contain all needed books and materials, including pencils and writing paper. Most such curricula were developed for isolated families who lack access to public schools, libraries and shops.

These materials essentially recreate school in the home, offering little flexibility or individuation of the curriculum. They are among the most expensive options for homeschoolers.

All-in-one curricula are easy to purchase and use, and require minimal preparation. The teacher's guides are usually extensive, with step-by-step instructions. They are usually designed around standard grade-levels, so that home-schooled students can return to public school with minimal friction. These programs are usually academically excellent, and may include nationally-normed tests, and remote examinations to yield an accredited private-school diploma.

Some parents prefer them because they feel they need a detailed plan, or they want to maintain their children's options. Experienced homeschoolers often suggest purchasing these programs second-hand if possible. These programs are often available for sale, used, at curriculum fairs.

All-in-ones are criticized for lack of freedom for children to pursue personal interests. The curricula tend to be generic, with limited resources, and often more repetition and less outside reading than other forms. There is often an intimidating schedule, and a high work-load. Some purchasers of all-in-one programs find they outgrow or tire of them quickly.

Eclectic Curricula

The majority of today's homeschoolers use an eclectic mix of materials. For instance, they might use a pre-designed program for language arts or math, and fill in history with reading and field trips, art with classes at a community center, science through a homeschool science club, PE with membership in local sports teams, and so on. The family may draw from standardized curricula, unit studies, or any other method or material that suits their needs.

Eclectic homeschooling is flexible to meet the needs of the family and individual child. Subject matter can be taught on whatever grade level the child is working. Children can work at different grade levels for different subjects. Often, materials are purchased second-hand, downloaded from the Internet, or traded among friends or support groups. This saves a great deal of money, and permits families to reject materials that don't suit a child, and experiment with other materials.

Unschooling

Unschooling is a fast growing area of education where students learn by their own volition and through doing, rather than by listening to a teacher. Also known as interest-led, child-led, or delight-led learning, unschooling allows learning to occur according to the child's interest and style. Unschoolers consider life as learning, and rely on children's inborn curiosity to spark learning. Unschooling does not mean "un-parenting," nor does it include shunning textbooks. Unschooled children sometimes choose to use texts. With unschooling, children follow their interests and integrate them into every subject.

A child may learn reading and math skills from playing card games like Yu-Gi-Oh! or Pokémon. She may learn better spelling by using the spell check feature before she sends out e-mails. Or he might learn grammar and other writing skills because he's inspired to write a science fiction novel. There are several books and at least one major Web site about unschooling.

Arguments in Favor

Proponents invoke parental responsibility and classical liberal arguments for personal freedom from government intrusion. They do not advocate that homeschooling should be the dominant social policy, or even that a socially-significant fraction of families should homeschool.

Many advocates are individual parents or children of families that have either been abused by the public education system, or who fear abuse by it. Many are religious conservatives that see non-religious, non-morality-teaching public schools as attacks against their traditional moral or religious systems. Many do not believe these attacks to be intentional or personal by opponents or officials.

Some advocates of homeschooling say that opponents' real issue is to preserve a political patronage system that benefits school boards, public-school teachers, teachers' unions, textbook publishers and school contractors.

Academic Quality

Studies show that teachers' credentials do not correlate with tested outcomes. In the U.S. in 1999, homeschoolers scored about 27 percent higher than public-schooled children on refereed nationally-normed tests. Research in the UK from Durham University by Paula Rothermel also shows that the parent's own education level did not correlate with outcomes for their home educated children.

Many advocates say that serious academic study should originate with primary sources, rather than with textbooks of questionable quality and possible bias.

Many advocates say that homeschooled students learn academic skills superior to those from an institutional school.

Superior Character Development and Socialization

Many people with direct experience with homeschooled children believe them to be better socialized than their school-attending peers. Most large employers find homeschooled persons work with less need for supervision, and have adjusted their hiring policies.

Many homeschooling families address socialization concerns by joining numerous organizations, including private, campusless independent study programs, and specialized enrichment groups for PE, Art, Music, and Debate. Most are also active in five to seven community groups, as opposed to the one to three common in other families. Homeschooled children generally socialize with other children the same way that school children do: outside of school, in personal visits and through sports teams, clubs and religious groups.

Proponents argue that therefore, most homeschoolers have a wider experience of society than public-schooled children.

Homeschoolers offer several responses against common socialization criticisms:

1. That in institutional schools, socialization may mean eradicating individuality and creativity.
2. That in institutional schools, children are also held to the academic and behavioral standards of the lowest common denominator, and are thereby prevented from achieving their highest potential. Gifted children are most adversely affected by this.
3. That children learn to become productive adults by interacting with productive adults, not by interacting primarily with inexperienced, same-aged children.
4. That the homeschool environment is more like real life than is the institutional school environment. Homeschooled children interact with the entire community, rather than being restricted to interaction with same-aged peers.
5. That homeschooled children are at least as involved with the outside world as are their traditionally schooled peers. They participate at statistically higher rates in youth organizations, church organizations, and sports. They also tend to find employment at comparative (or younger) ages, and enter college at significantly higher rates than their government-schooled peers.
6. That children should be shielded from, not exposed to, the socialization of public schools, which notoriously involves bullying, drug use, early sexuality, defiance, criminality, materialism, and eating disorders.
7. That some families chose to homeschool because they want to teach their children tolerance of people, cultures, ideas and opinions that differ from themselves, which they feel are not presented accurately or positively in school settings.
8. That many parents want to let their children develop an independent understanding of themselves and their role in the world, with the freedom to reject or approve convential holdings, freedom to chose their activities and interests, and to be treated with respect and consideration instead of being ridiculed or dismissed.
9. That until recently all children were schooled at home and through natural learning opportunties presented by life and society was not worse for it, in fact many great literary, scientific, and political contributions were made by persons who were never taught at a formal institution.

Gifted Children

Gifted children often stand a very good chance of being enriched through a home-education program. In the atmosphere without as much pressure, the child will often pursue their own academic studies, in their free time. their encouraged interest may lead them to surpass their parent's knowledge of the subject by the time they are 11 or 12. While clubs and other groups for homeschooled students are often difficult to find, they may talk to others with similar interests through the internet, homeschooling groups and even public-school clubs and groups.

Well Received at College

Homeschooled children's access to higher education is not severely restricted, and many colleges see them as desirable students. In 2001, public school grades are deprecated by many college-entrance procedures, and a GED taken at less than 18 years of age, combined with good scores on the SAT and ACT tests permit entrance to most colleges and apprenticeships. The individualized instruction and customized curricula may compensate for other disadvantages.

Official Support by Government

In the U.S., opponents to homeschooling must overcome a basic legal problem. The U.S. Supreme Court (Wisconsin v. Yoder, 406 U.S. 205 (1972)) placed the responsibility for this education on parents, and further defined the proper governmental goal for education as "literacy and self-sufficiency," that is, an educated, not a socialized child was recognized as the essential goal for the U.S.'s democratic government. This official decision removed the responsibility for children's educations from public officials, and placed it with the children's guardians. This crucial legal test occurred during an attempt to sue public school officials for malpractice, in a case in which illiterates graduated from a public high school. The decision was seen to favor the defendants, the public officials accused of malpractice, but necessarily gives parents broad rights to choose their children's educations.

In the UK there is no such controversy. The responsibility for a child's education lies firmly with the parent. Section 7 of the Education Act, 1996 states:*

 The parent of every child of compulsory school age
 shall cause him to receive efficient full-time education suitable:
      a) to his age, ability and aptitude, and
      b) to any special educational needs he may have,
 either by regular attendance at school or otherwise.

The confusion comes with the term "compulsory school age" which is widely used and which only serves to perpetuate the myth that school is compulsory, whereas the above quote clearly shows that it is not.

Opposition

Most homeschool opponents support social policies to reduce variation in educational policy and individual outcomes, often with the stated goal of increasing social stability and reducing risks to individual students.

The opposition is from varied sources, including organizations of teachers and school districts. Opponents' stated concerns fall into several broad categories: academic quality and completeness; socialization of children with peers; and fear of religious or social extremism. Opponents sometimes say that homeschoolers are sheltering their children and denying them opportunities that are their children's right.

Academic quality

A major criticism of homeschooling is that the nonstandard curricula may not thoroughly educate students. Opponents say that homeschool curricula offer up the possibility of an education that would present a skewed view of life to students.

In the United States, many homeschooling parents are conservative Christians who distrust the secular curricula of public schools and wish to give their children an education with a "Christian worldview." From about 1975 to 2000 these were the most visible homeschoolers, but now a more diverse spectrum of parents are finding homeschooling a viable option for their child.

Socialization of Children with Peers

One of the primary objections to homeschooling is the fear that without traditional schooling, children won't be socialized.

Opponents of homeschooling offer the following counter-arguments concerned with socialization:

1. Homeschooling may prevent children from being exposed to ideas unacceptable or foreign to their parents/teachers, which can lead to insulation and separation from their peers and the community at large. If children are not exposed to outside ideas, this may prevent any personal growth and independence on the part of the students.
2. Homeschooling is not necessary because at almost all institutional schools, allowances can be made for those with different learning styles or abilities. AP and Honors courses can challenge most children, and the highly gifted can be grade-accelerated.
3. Interaction with productive adults is necessary, but so is interaction with peers and the different social groups in any school. Productive adult interaction can be had outside of school, without the disadvantageous limitation of peer contact.
4. Schools are a unique environment that provide students with necessary social networking skills that help them succeed in the workplace and in the politics of high-level business. Real life includes school as well.
5. These statistics are misleading. Homeschooling indicates that the parent is involved with the student's education and actively takes a role in it. Involvement is the key factor, not homeschooling.
6. If children are insulated from life, then they will be left unprepared when they are inevitably left to make their own way in the world. Children should be allowed to live and learn from their mistakes rather than sheltered from reality.

Fear of religious or social extremism

Some persons oppose homeschooling because they fear that children in such homes could be trapped into a cultic atmosphere and raised entirely without a view of the larger social world. These persons say that there is a pronounced risk that religious or social extremism could be taught to children in the sheltered environment of a homeschool.

See also

• Autodidacticism
• Educational philosophies, education reform
• Catherine Baker
• Charlotte Mason
• Unschooling

Footnote

• The extract from the Education Act is Crown Copyright, 1996. Reproduced from Her Majesty's Stationary Office, United Kingdom http://www.hmso.gov.uk/ .

Resources

• Teach Your Own by John Holt and Patrick Farenga
• The Well-Trained Mind by Susan Wise Bauer and Jessie Wise
• The Teenage Liberation Handbook by Grace Llewellyn
• The Homeschooling Handbook by Mary Griffith
• by David Guterson

External links

• Home Education Magazine http://www.homeedmag.com/ The oldest, most respected homeschool magazine in the US. Many excellent articles online.
• Categorised profiles of over 900 relevant websites http://zeal.com/category/preview.jhtml?cid=54184
• National Home Education Network (NHEN) http://www.NHEN.org/
• The Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA) http://www.hslda.org/
• Patrick Henry College http://www.phc.edu/ - Conservative Christian college founded by HSLDA founder, Michael Farris.
• "More Information About HSLDA (Home School Legal Defense Association): what you need to know before you write that check" http://www.homeschoolingislegal.info/ critical look at HSLDA
• HomeSchoolBuzz.com http://www.HomeSchoolBuzz.com/ , current and updated homeschooling in the news
• The Well-Trained Mind, a classical homeschooling site http://www.welltrainedmind.com/
• Peace Hill Press http://www.peacehillpress.com/ , a homeschooling publisher
• Home Education UK http://www.home-education.org.uk/ with links to UK, US, European and Australian home education organizations
• How Parents of Home Schooled Students Can Get Their Children to Use the Library http://www.libraryinstruction.com/homeschooled.html
• Home Schooling and Socialization of Children. ERIC Digest http://www.ericdigests.org/1995-1/home.htm
• The Scholastic Achievement of Home School Students. ERIC/AE Digest http://www.ericdigests.org/2000-3/home.htm
• Home Schooling. ERIC Digest. http://www.ericdigests.org/1996-1/home.htm
• Canadian Home Based Learning links http://www.flora.org/homeschool-ca/canada.html
• Diversity-Otherwise http://www.diversity-otherwise.tk/ , UK multi-cultural home education
• National African-American Homeschoolers Alliance (NAAHA) http://www.naaha.com/ The largest and most comprehensive website and organization for African-American home schooling families.
• Homeschool Happenings http://www.homeschoolhappenings.com/ Homeschooling news, discussion, journals, and events.
• Homescholar Books http://www.homescholarbooks.com/ A publisher of homeschool literature curriculum.
• The Old Schoolhouse Magazine http://www.theoldhomeschoolhouse.com/ One the largest and most diverse homeschooling magazines available for international distribution.

• Annotated bibliography of research on homeschooling. http://geocities.com/nelstomlinson/research.bibliography.html