Here's How Home Schooling Is Changing in America

Recent statistics indicate that 1.5 million children were home-schooled in the United
States in 2007. This is up significantly from 1.1 million children in 2003 and 850,000 children in
1999.

The homeschooling movement first emerged in earnest during the 1980s. Back then it
was largely led by evangelical Christians. But as the movement has grown, it has also changed.
Today's home-schooling families may increasingly welcome cooperation with their local public
school districts. In my own research, I have seen how diverse home-schoolers now are. This
diversity challenges any simplistic understanding of what homeschooling is and what impact it
will have on the public school system.

So how do we understand this evolution in American education?

Early Trends

In fact, home schooling was common up until the late 19th century. Most children
received a substantial part of their education within the home. In the late 19th century, states
started passing compulsory attendance laws. These laws compelled all children to attend public
schools or a private alternative. In this way, education outside the home became the norm for
children.

It was in the 1970s that American educator John Holt emerged as a proponent of
homeschooling. He challenged the notion that the formal school system provided the best place
for children to learn. Slowly, small groups of parents began to remove their children from the
public schools.

By the 1980s, homeschooling families had emerged as an organized public movement.

During that decade, more than 20 states legalized homeschooling. For the most part, evangelical
Christians led these battles. Organizations such as the Home School Legal Defense Association,
founded in 1983, provided the necessary legal and financial backing for these families.

At the time, home-schooling was seen to be in conflict with secular school systems.
Religious parents came to define the public face of the home schooling.

Reasons for Home Schooling

Today, home schooling is becoming part of the mainstream. It is legal in all 50 states. In
addition, a growing number of states are making attempts to engage the home-schooled
population for at least part of the day.

For example, 28 states do not prevent home-schooled students from participating in

public school interscholastic sports. At least 15 more states are considering "Tim Tebow Laws"
named after the home-schooled athlete that would allow home schoolers access to school
sports.

The overall home school movement is also much more diverse. For example,
sociologists Philip Q. Yang and Nihan Kayaardi argue that the home school population does not
significantly differ from the general U.S. population. Put another way, it is not really possible to
assume anything about the religious beliefs, political affiliations or financial status of home
schooling families anymore.

Data from the National Center for Educational Statistics (NCES) provide further
corroboration. In 2008, the NCES found that only 36 percent of the homeschooling families in
their survey chose "the desire for religious or moral instruction" as their primary reason for their
decision to home school. At the same time, other reasons, such as a concern about the school
environment, were just as important to many home school families.

A New Generation of Home-Schooled Children

So, what are the reasons behind this expansion of the home school movement?

My research shows that this has been fueled, at least in part, by changes in the public
school system. For example, changes in technology have brought about the rise of online charter
schools, which utilize remote online instruction to serve their students.

This means that more students are educated in their home at public expense. California,
Ohio and Pennsylvania have led the way in this regard. In 2006, it was estimated that 11 percent
of Pennsylvania's charter schools had online instruction. What is noteworthy is that 60 percent of
the students in these schools had previously been home-schooled.

In addition, home-schoolers in states such as Michigan have access to public school

interscholastic sports. That's not all. They can, in addition, opt to take certain public school
offerings.

For example, home-schoolers can choose to attend school for part of the day, and take
Advanced Placement courses in any range of subjects. Such courses are popular with many
families because they allow students to earn college credit while still in high school.

Changing Face of Home-Schoolers

Discussions about whether home schooling is good for children can be emotionally
charged. Some scholars are critical about the increasing number of home-schoolers, while some
others view homeschooling in a different light.

They believe that home schooling families are more responsive to a child's individual
needs and interests. They may be better at taking advantage of learning experiences that naturally
arise in home and community life.
 Indeed, in my own work as a teacher educator, I have come across parents who have
chosen to home school their children for reasons that are not entirely religious. These include
two public school teachers with whom I work. Reasons for parents could range from concern
over food allergies, special needs, racism or just that their child might be interested in a career in
athletics or the arts.

Given all these changes, it may be time for public educators and policymakers both so
desperate to increase parental participation to reassess who and what represents the
homeschooling movement of today.