Home schooling

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[edit] Descriptions, definitions, synonyms, organizer terms, types of

Homeschooling: To educate a student outside of the traditional, institutional school setting, especially at home through parent supervision.

See the article by Larry and Susan Kaseman (1997), "Hanging On To What Makes Homeschooling Distinctive" for a discussion on how homeschooling is unique as well as the Occasional Paper No. 88 - Home-Schooling in the US by Clive R. Belfield (January 2004) which distinguishes between home-schooling and home-based education. Clive R. Belfield's (January 2004) also indicates the difficulty with identifying numbers of students being homeschooled due to the variation is the duration of the homeschooling. While some children are only homeschooled during primary grades or for a limited duration other children are homeschooled throughout the ages of compulsary education.

Homeschooling is allowed by all states, but each state regulates home schooling differently. (Belfield, January 2004) See Ann Zeise's web page (1997-2005) on A to Z Home's Cool Homeschooling>USA Regional Homeschooling Laws and Support for more links on state by state differences. Parents should review local laws and consult other homeschooling parents for further information. Parents will be expected to at least notify a state or local education agency that they intend to home school. Parents may be required to submit proposed curricula or states may have educational requirements. (Lines, 1995)

Reasons for Homeschooling usually revolve around two issues: "either they [the parents] did not agree with what was taught in public schools or felt they could do a better job of educating their children themselves." (Belfield, January 2004, p. 6) Other issues related to reasons why parents choose homeschooling follow:

  • Strengthen family and parent-child relationship.
  • Dissatisfaction/frustration with public education - disciplinary issues (group punishments)/social philosophy.
  • Concerns regarding safety and/or long commutes.
  • Shelter child from abuse (social, emotional, physical).
  • Control academic (curriculum) goals - dissatisfaction with traditional education curricula/social promotion without mastery.
  • Able to better meet special needs/health issues or individual learning styles - allows children to progress at own pace.
  • Opportunity to teach character and values and religious beliefs.
  • Flexibility of schedule - allows for longer periods for travel.

Since many states have no official requirement for reporting the number of students being home schooled, there is no accurate count of the number of homeschooled students. At best the indication is the numbers of students being homeschooled is increasing. (Lines, 1999) (Bunday, 1995). Clive R. Belfield's (January 2004) Home-Schooling in the US, Occasional Paper No. 88 from the Center for the Study of Privatization in Education, Teachers College, Columbia University contains a table with estimates of numbers of students by state. For a collection of continuing data and other websites try accessing Ann Zeise's web page (1997-2005) A to Z Home's Cool Homeschooling>Thoughts & Opinions>Demographics - Numbers and Growth.

As identified by Belfield (January 2004) typically homeschooling families are more religious, conservative, white, somewhat more affluent, and headed by parents with somewhat more educational background as compared to public school families.

Factors to Consider

  • Does your child want to be homeschooled?
  • What is the current level of success or difficulties in the present educational program?
  • Consider the impact on your family's circumstances (job(s), finances, other children and family members).
  • Consider your level of patience, teaching skills, and knowledge.
  • What resources will be available for you to use (textbooks, technology, library)

[edit] Application in classrooms and similar settings

Homeschooling can follow a daily routine approach, similar to a traditional school, following scheduled curriculum, or can follow a child-led learning which parents supervise. Below is a listing of various approaches quoted from Ann Zeise's and Carol Moxley's "Homeshooling Guide" (1997-2005) from A to Z Home's Cool Homeschooling>Feature Articles.

  • Structured - Sometimes called school at home, it can also include those who just like to have a very organized, goal-oriented day: A DayRunner School!
  • Interest-initiated - Some call this approach "unschooling." These families learn from real life experiences. Kids pursue their interests with encouragement and resources provided by their parents. These families might have a monthly calendar with a few key events noted on it.
  • Learning-style - Learning materials and activities are chosen based on how their children learn best.
  • Philosophical - These homeschools are structured around educational philosophies studied by the parents.
  • Accelerated - Resentful of being called "pushy," these parents feel their children have special talents that deserve intense, daily focus. The children may also have determined goals to reach.
  • Accommodating - Some families need to structure their homeschooling around the special needs of one or more people in their family.
  • Unit-based - AKA the unit study approach, all learning is focused on a particular topic for for a period of time, each child learning at their own level of understanding.
  • Community - Community activities:  religious involvement, a youth organizations, volunteer work: group situations that they or others like them have organized.  Families spend a significant portion of their time learning from involvement outside the home.
  • Eclectic - Any combination of the above! Families pick and choose from all the wonderful options available to them and alter their course as needed.

(Zeise & Moxley, 1997-2005)


"Potentially, home-schooling could revolutionize education in the U.S.: instead of regimented, standardized provision delivered within a detailed set of rules and regulatons, learning could be much more diverse, open, and flexibly tailored to a childs requirements and responsive to his or her individual development. Some education will take place in a schoolhouse, but increasing proportions may not, as children become integrated into more adult social milieux." (Belfield, January 2004, p. 19)


[edit] Evidence of effectiveness

"It is difficult to obtain a representative sample of homeschooled children, and researchers cannot say for certain whether these children would do better or worse in a public or private school. Scores of homeschoolers who have taken state-mandated tests or who have provided their results to researchers indicate that while some homeschoolers test below average, a larger number test above that mark." (Lines, 1995)


The following is quoted from the response to FAQ 2003 "What are Home-schools?" posed to the National Center for the Study of Privatization in Education, Teachers College, Columbia University[1]:

What are the possible advantages of home-schooling?
  • Individual Attention - Unlike in a large classroom setting, home-schooled children receive the full attention of their parental teacher.
  • Greater flexibility - With limited students, a parent can design a curriculum that addresses the specific talents and needs of each child.
  • Reduced Peer Pressure - Public education often encourages unhealthy forms of competition among students. Home-schooling allows students to focus on learning.
  • Promotes Family - Many people believe parents have the right to promote core beliefs and values in their children. Home-schooling enables this process.[2]


[edit] Critics and their rationale

The following is quoted from the response to FAQ 2003 "What are Home-schools?" posed to the National Center for the Study of Privatization in Education, Teachers College, Columbia University[3]:

What are the possible disadvantages of home-schooling?
  • Greater Costs - Home-schooling usually requires the family to absorb the total cost of their childs education, including classroom materials and technology unless provided through charter school provision.
  • Poor Civic Participation - Learning in a group promotes social learning and values of citizenship. An isolated home-schooled child does not encounter the diverse perspectives needed to develop shared values.
  • Lost Social Services - Public schools not only educate, but also provide many social services through trained workers. Home-school families lack such expertise and resources.
  • Lack of Quality Control - If education is privatized through the family, it becomes difficult to ensure that competent instruction is provided or that a student is engaged in learning. Only a few states require home-school students to be tested.[4]


One aspect of homeschooling that is often criticized is the isolation, lack of social interaction with peers and other adults that may hinder development of social skills. Parents who choose to home school need to make the effort and arrangments for their children to participate in extra curricular activities, through the school and community, so as to develop appropriate social skills. (Bruno, 1998) "Research has not found that homeschooling harms children's social or psychological development. On the contrary, these children often demonstrate better social adjustment than their traditionally schooled peers." (Lines, 1995)

The National Parent Teachers Association opposes home schooling as does the National Education Association [5] and the National Association for Elementary School Principals. (Lines, 1995)

For a "tongue-in-cheek" look at the issues most often critisized about homeschooling go to Mipitas Mom's Favorite Jokes and click on the links for discussions of each of the issues.

Occasional Paper No. 88 - Home-Schooling in the US by Clive R. Belfield (January 2004) sets up a framework for evaluating homeschooling based on four criteria: freedom of choice, efficieny, equity, and social cohesion. Belfield (January 2004) presents the trade-offs for each criteria both for and against homeschooling.

There is a need for policies for homeschooling, namely: regulations, finance, and support services for students. While homeschoolers may easily challenge regulations regarding attendance duration, curriculum content, and teacher qualifications, the state can claim a right to impose regulations on educatioanl outcomes by mandating reporting requirements and test assessments. Policies are needed for validating course work for homeschoolers wanting to enter a public school. Finance issues mainly revolve around the debate of to what extent homeschooled children should be allowed to draw on public school resources. The policy needed regarding support services is connected to the finance issue but is more in regards to accessing health services and educational counselling. (Belfield, January 2004)

[edit] Alternative explanations due to Diversity considerations

I am sure that there are families that "home school" who do very little with their children. Perhaps they put them on the computer for a couple hours a day or maybe do nothing but run errands with mother or father all day. But, there are some parents who are doing a wonderful job of home schooling and trying to cover all their bases. Friends of mine who home school have a set schedule every day that they are able to pretty routinely stick to (about 90% of the time) and reschedule when needed. They meet bi-monthly with other homeschoolers for field trips and shared lessons. Their children are in gymnastics, music lessons, baseball, and theatre. My friend who has the older children has raised mannerly, social, well read and educated children. The oldest two are attending college. My friend who has the younger children is still in the trenches daily with her little ones. I look forward to seeing them grow in all aspects. I am a public school teacher for 13 years now. I am a supporter of home schooling when done in the fashion that I have seen. Although not everyone may do it well, thankfully we live in a country where it is a choice. -V.C. My husand teaches at a junior college and has an inordimant amount of home schooled students. Many of these students do very well, however, there is a large percentage of these students that have many social problems. They don't handle the pressures of life real well such as peer pressure, drugs and alcohol and juggling all of the activities that come with young adulthood. Many of these young people end up in conflict with their parents and a few have even left home and gotten involved with detrimental things. A. Dorough

"Although some homeschoolers and their associations emphasize affiliations only with people who share their religious beliefs, many actively seek religious, cultural, and racial diversity. In fact, one national magazine, The Drinking Gourd, is devoted to multicultural homeschooling." (Lines, 1995)


As a teacher of young children my concern with this type of option for education is the lack of social interaction with one's peer group. This was already cited as a reason to possibly not do this. Other concerns are that if problems exist in the public school system, then rather than pulling out of this environment, why not try to work with it to improve it. On the other hand, I understand that there are some situations which one may not be able to resolve and it may be necessary to remove one's child. However, another concern I have with this is that a parent will have to pull their child out of uncomfortable situations the rest of their life. How is this going to prepare them to deal with the world conditions they encounter later on in life? B. Orenic

[edit] Signed "life experiences", testimonies and stories

The following "testimony" comes from Lillian Jones' article (1998), An Introduction to Homeschooling from her online web site NLD on the Web!:

"While providing a wholesome educational setting is important, being the primary influence in their children's lives is often of paramount importance to homeschooling parents. As tempting as all the outside enrichment opportunities are, most homeschooling families find that the times they value the most are the quiet times together around home. There is time to meander in the outdoors, to take in the sights and smells of autumn, or to snuggle together under a quilt on a frosty winter morning to watch a favorite film, or to stay up deliciously late on a spring night to finish a few more chapters from a beloved book. Homeschool children also have lots of time to be alone, and to daydream."

In her article, Lillian Jones quotes Gretchen McPherson, a Sonoma County homeschool mom:

"... we have time to focus, to learn to truly concentrate on something. Time to read classics by the hour or Winston Churchill's memoirs, time to bake bread together and keep nature journals; time to do chores! But the most precious times to me are the unplanned 'gab sessions' with my three teenagers, when we sit up late enjoying each other's conversation and sifting through all the world's and our own problems. All this time with my children has knit our hearts together. That is a crucial benefit of home education." (Jones,1998)

Testimony from Nicole Jessup, 6th grade public school teacher:

I feel that homeschooling will hold a different opinion for each individual. Some parents feel that the public school system their child is going to is not the best educational opportunity for them, so they may choose to homeschool their child. Sometimes a child might need to be homeschooled for health reasons and it may be for only a short period of time. My opinion is that each child needs to have contact with other students their age in order to develop social abilities. Homeschooled children may not have the same opportunities that other students attending regular schools do; such as sports teams, clubs, and the option for a wide variety of subjects that their parent may not be as familiar with. I feel that if a child is homeschooled it should be done very early on in their education and not be for an extended time because they need the interaction with other students and the experience of a classroom setting.
I have encountered many students that have been homeschooled. I teach 6th grade and many parents decide to send their child to public school when they reach junior high. Majority of my students that have been homeschooled come to junior high prepared and at or above grade level. I commend those parents for the job they have done with their child. One thing that I feel can be a negative aspect of homeschooling, is many of these students miss a lot of school because they do not have the immune system as the other students. They seem to get sick often and it seems to take them more days to overcome their illness. - - Nicole Jessup

Testimony from Diane Craig:

Homeschooling will always be a topic of great conjecture and conflict. It has some very spirited advocates. I personally would agree with the previous testimonies insofar as the social acclimation of students is always questioned. However, I have seen some students homeschooled who seem to acclimate well, while some children in public school remain introverted and socially inept. No one here has yet brought up the question of standards or content. I have seen some great resources for homeschoolers and I always wonder why as a teacher those resources are not offered to teachers of great numbers of students. I have also noted that many of the resources have religious examples, and I am jealous that as a public school teacher I am forced to refrain from using such examples. However, it begs the question concerning what kinds of indoctrination could occur. Without any state regulation at all, couldn't a group of families that homeschool develop their own curriculum for thier children based on the principles of the KKK? Does any state regulations restrict homeschooling from cults? Does Scott Peterson have the right to homeschool his child from Death Row? These questions may seem ridiculous, but as a teacher who has seen the state standards come and gain power, I am constantly scrutinized and feel that parents and state officials do not trust educated adults to teach by their own accord, though any parent can screw up their own child's education if they wish. It is understandable that I would be held to a higher standard, since I teach many children of other taxpaying adults, but as I understand it, the standards that homeschooling parents are held to virtually don't exist. Perhaps someone else can inform me.
As a freshman in college, I lived in a private dorm that seemed to have a large population of students who had been homeschooled all the way through high school. The majority of them were very smart and well prepared for classes, but they were very far behind socially. They had not dated, or attended school functions like dances or sporting events. Because of this, they remained very shy and did not take part in any social activities. A few of them ended up dropping out of school and moving back home to attend a community college because they were so homesick. Although homeschooling may prepare kids well academically, what good is it if that cannot function in society? Good social skills is half of what makes a person professionally successful. -- Dianne Craig

Testimony from jd:

There are a number of school systems all over the United States that simply to not provide students with a good education. I applaud parents who take such an active role in giving their children the best education, but I do think they need to make a conscious effort to keep their children involved in extracurricular/social activities. Much of what is learned in our academic careers is learned in the context of social and professional interaction with our peers, and parents should not forget that. -- jd

Testimony from Emily Cox:

I think one of the important components of religious freedom that we often forget is that just as we don't allow the state to bring prayer, etc. in the classroom, we can't OUTLAW certain religious beliefs either, or the passing on of those beliefs to the children. As a society, we have deemed certain religions deserving of tolerance and others not. When schools become environments that are hostile to the values of religions (be they viewed by society as "good" or "bad" ones), parents of strong faith will inevitably remove their students. This is equally true whether the faith in question is Christianity, Islam, Judaism, or Satanism. The writers of the constitution in other documents seemed to intend Christianity to be a part of schooling, but didn't foresee the challenges that would encounter through history. As such, there has been a great segregation between faiths.
I am open on the subject of homeschooling; I think for many kids it may be the right decision, but for some it's not. I think many parents can neglect social education as well as academic education. However, those students I've known whose parents recognized the need for socialization are some of the most well-adjusted, kind, and confident people. Children need a large amount of attention and love, especially in their early years, and I think homeschooling can help students excel both personally and academically in such an environment. -- Emily Cox

Entry by Nancy Meeker

After reading the article, Home Schooling and What Makes it Different, I am appalled at the issues and opinions expressed by the authors. Home schoolers in no way are the creme-de la- creme of parents as they assert. Any good parent is involved in their child's educational process or as they term it "willing to take responsibilty for their childrens' education". Good parents expose their children to a plethora of life experiences, coupled with what they learn in a public or private school. I feel pretty confident that the authors work to taint their childrens' view of education outside the home by including remarks that they, themselves, were learning with their children in "non-boring ways". I have had students whose social skills were by far their best asset and those skills could only be honed by interaction with others. A persons' life will be lived mainly in an arena outside the family and the ability to function in the outside world is a must. Conscientious parents nurture love of family as part of the family "curriculum". Any or all of the issues these authors discuss are simply part of raising well-adjusted people; they are in no way specific to home schoolers. The authors refer to parents who want to use the schools as a means of childcare and a way of getting rid of their children. I see the authors as people who seem to be breaking their arm patting themselves on the back for keeping their children at home. They lack the vision to see that they are filled with the same hope that most public and private school teachers have- that being that students be challenged to go beyond the text, to reach for a higher meaning in what they have been exposed to , and reach the realization that there isn't always a right answer. To keep searching is the mantra of education. I have known students who were successfully educated at home, but if I were looking for an article to help make a convincing argument for homeschooling, this one would fall far short. It is based far more on the "convenience" for the parents than on the good of the student. Nancy Meeker

Testimony from Pat Reed While I understand some of the benefits of home schooling, I do not see the benefits outweighing the costs. My experience has been that students have left traditional school settings for home schooling because of parent dissatisfaction with the child’s situation in school, and not necessarily from an academic point of view. Some of the situations involve students trying a variety of different schools before opting for home schooling. These include both private and public schools. The students I know that are home schooled have experienced social ostracism in some form. It is my view that students need to learn and develop skills to help them succeed socially in school. To remove a student from the social aspects of school: teamwork, cooperative learning, and the many extracurricular activities removes opportunities to develop in their weak areas. In life, children will need these skills more than they will need the ability to solve a difficult math problem or write an effective essay. Further, I question the expertise a parent can have in multiple subject areas to effectively teach across the curriculum.

Testimony from Cheryl C. In my 13 years of teaching, I have known of only 1 family who removed their daughter from our district to home school her for seventh grade. They were concerned about her friends and other social situations. Oddly enough, she had a twin brother who remained in our school. Both students were in attendance for eigth grade and continued on to the public high school. Recently, I read her name in the police round up having been arrested for drug possession. I can't imagine this is the norm, but it is the only home schooling experience I have come across in my career.

Testimony from C. Watson I have run across two experiences of home schooling in my life. The first was my sister-in-law who decided to home school when a fellow student vomited on my niece on the school bus. My niece refused to get on the bus again, and instead of forcing the issue, my sister-in-law decided suddenly to home school. This situation was a disaster. My niece learned nothing for the year and repeated the first grade. Later it was determined that my niece also had a learning disability and thus lost a year of accomidations and skill learning. The second situation was a student that began her freshman year in a public urban high school this fall after being home schooled until that day. The degree of culture shock she suffered was tramendous. Although she lived in the city this whole time, she did not experience the same variety of cultureal differences that she then found in one classroom. This student had been fortunate enough to have had a successful year both academicly and socially. Being a teacher, I recognize that home schooling is something I could not do. I am a social studies teacher and my husband is an english teacher, what would we do about math and science?

Testimony from S. Borkgren

I have two stories in regard to homeschooling. My Aunt and Uncle decided to homeschool their only daughter. This young woman has been homeschooled since infancy; she is now seventeen. She has not been encouraged to interact in other social situations, nor have her parents educated her in areas that they do not excel in. She has no driver's license, and she is not interested in dating or applying for college. I firmly believe that she will continue to live at home with her parents for a very long time, as her only friend is her mother. I also have a cousin who decided to home school her seventh grade daughter. Her four children have been attending the local Catholic elementary school, but as there is no option for middle school her oldest daughter decided that she would most like to be homeschooled after visiting several area middle schools. While this young girl would rather spend a Saturday afternoon with her nose in a book than most anything else, she is in all ways a very bright and well adjusted young woman. It's been said a hundred times that a good teacher can be a wonderful influence in a child's life, and a bad teacher can wreak havoc. The very same thing can be said for homeschoolers, and I believe it's important we keep that in mind when entering discussions like this. Nothing is 100%; there is always a gray area.

Testimony from Amy Higgins

My past experiences with home schooling have all been negative. While I know this isn't always the case, it seems that many children who are homeschooled are there for the wrong reasons. I had 3 cousins who were homeschooled (two different families). In the one family, both children still live at home, even though one is married (his family lives with his parents as well) and one was married for a short time and then divorced. The other cousin has had 5 children, all out of wedlock, and has been on welfare for most of that time. In both situations, the parents who were supposedly homeschooling the kids didn't do as they should. They didn't force their kids to do the work, nor did they encourage any outside socialization. As a result, those 3 cousins are social misfits. They do not know how to interact with others or how to carry on meaningful relationships because they missed out on those lessons. I know that sometimes schools aren't the best places, but I think that by trying to shelter your children from the outside world, you aren't preventing them from getting hurt, you are setting them up for failure later on in life when they cannot be sheltered.

Several good friends of mine have made the choice to home school their children. In all these cases, the father works and makes enough income to support the family with no second income needed from the mother. The mother was a great, not good, student and has a college degree. One of these mothers even has a degree in education. All the children in these homes perform well on academic tests. In my own school experiences, however, any student who comes from a home that previously used the home schooling system, and that's been 6 now, have needed a remedial session to catch up to the 'norm' of their peers. In each case, the mother stated that high school material was just too demanding for her to properly teach her child. I'd say as long as it is best for the child, more power to them. M. Uhls

My daughter, who's children are 2 and 5 months, is determined to home school her children. She sees what I deal with and also what her 8th grade brother goes through. She graduated from public schools about 5 years ago and is appalled at the difference in the students. She has researched home schooling and has begun to work with the two year old already. She understands the needs of a child when it comes to contact with other children and goes out of her way to find time for him to interact with others. While I am not convinced that this is the way to go, I think she will do a good job. At least she is willing to admit that her thoughts may change as the kids get older. She is also willing to look at the public schools every year and gauge if they are comfortable sending the kids there. Dheater

I think that there are certain instances where home schooling is a viable option. In places where schools are run poorly, and private schools are unattainable, home schooling may be the only option. Other instances may be due to religious beliefs, or the need to give personalized attention to a child. In an environment where a parent or instructor has trained to help teach their child, there are many positives that can come out of home schooling. The key is finiding adequate out of home social and educational experiences for the home schooled children. S. Luxbacher

Home schooling is a great concept, and can even be a good practice, but it needs to be taken into consideration for the social well being of the individual. I had a pair of siblings who were acquaintances in high school that had their first public school activity in high school. Although they excelled in the subject matter, they lacked in social skills. It wasn't that they couldn't or wouldn't talk with people, it is just that at times they did not know what to talk to them about. I would have to agree with S. Luxbacher and the opinon that "The key is finding adequate out of home social and educational experiences for the home schooled children." -Jeremiah Kramper-

If I could go back and do it again, I would have homeschooled my daughter. I have found that there are plenty of opportunities for children to socialize with each other through homeschool networks. I have also come to realize over the years that homeschooling is not just for religious purposes. I encourage parents who feel confident enough to homeschool their children and who have the resources and time to do it. --V. Munds elementary/middle school teacher 10 years

Homeschooling scares me. I believe that there is a population of students that could benefit from homeschooling. I do not believe that our legislators should be opening the gates and allowing homeschooling on the grand scale that it is currently headed. I agree with those who stand firm on the premis that education is a cultural experience. We are social beings who need interaction in order to grow and flourish. Our experiences help us to learn and develop new skills for future use. Again, homeschooling has its place, but I believe we are doing the population a diservice by allowing it on such a grand scale. yeoman.

I have come into contact with many people lately who are interested in homeschooling their children. Some reasons why parents decide to consider homeschooling is that they don't believe in the public school systems anymore. It seems as though our society is becoming much more loose in various issues and I think that scares many parents. As long as they have their children under their care, there is this sense of safety. I do not think that parents who decide to homeschool do so without much thought. Many parents I know research and research and find others to talk with and bounce ideas off of so that they can educate their children to the best of their ability. JP

I recently have met a girl that was homeschooled. I play on a summer league softball team and one of my friends worked with her at the bank. She is very shy, and had never played any sport before. I feel that she missed out on many opportunities to socialize since she was homeschooled. I am sure that children that are homeschooled miss out on the bad things that happen within schools, but you don't get to go to dances, sporting events, etc. at home.--M.Hicks

As a violin teacher, I have had many students who are homeschooled. My experiences with students who are homeschooled has mainly been a positive one and I was encouraged to see how well they progressed with their studies in music. Some students who took lessons from me also played in the school orchestras as an elective to thier homeschooling. I think this is great because it would give them the musical experieces they only can get being in a large ensemble.- Brandon Correa

I have seen some of our students leave the building to go into home schooling. Many of the kids that have left are kids that have been students that have gotten in trouble frequently at school. In most cases, the parents take the kids out because they cannot handle dealing with the principal or superintendent anymore. It is a sad fact. -N. Hartz

I have seen students at our high school that come in as freshman that were home schooled for the elementary years. Most of the students with one exception seem on the outside from their peers. They have a hard time interacting and making friends at first. I feel the social interaction of school is very important to a child's development and well as the educational. -L. Gowler

I am a public school teacher but, as a band director, there are consistently a significant percentage of home-schooled music students who make it into honor bands, honor orchestras, etc. I think that in addition to academic subjects, home-schooled children can also gain a wealth of knowledge in the arts. Unfortunately, I do think that social skills suffer as a result of not being around school-aged children all day. --David Roth

My first year of teaching, I had a 6th grade percussionist who was home-schooled. His mother wanted him affilated with the band so he was allowed to come to school each day for class. The problem I had with this is that there were many times when he would just not show up to rehearsal (without letting me know beforehand) because of activities such as riding his four-wheeler (I can't imagine there was an educational activity attached to that). I also knew I could never depend on him to attend performances. In the end, he was letting the rest of the band down because the other students had to cover his parts. It just turned to be a bad situation. - C. Cyrus

[edit] References and other links of interest

Links

Wikipedia - Home schooling

Homeschool World: "The World's Most Visited Homeschool Site"

A to Z Home's Cool (Homeschool)

Homeschool Wiki

Texas Home Educators

Homeschooling Today Magazine

Internet Home School

National Center for the Study of Privatization in Education, Teachers College, Columbia University>Home Schooling

Resources

Belfield, Clive R. (January 2004). Home-Schooling in the US - Occasional Paper No. 88. Columbia University: Center for the Study of Privatization in Education, Teachers College. Retrieved February 6, 2005 from http://216.239.57.104/search?q=cache:3RRtI4uDuB0J:www.ncspe.org/publications_files/OP88.pdf+critics+of+home+schooling&hl=en

Bruno, Beth. (1998). Issues in Education. http://www.snet.net/features/issues/articles/1998/01050101.shtml

Bunday, Karl M. (1995) Homeschooling is Growing Worldwide. Learn in Freedom. Retrieved February 6, 2005 from http://learninfreedom.org/homeschool_growth.html#LocalStats

Jones, Lillian. (1998). NLD on the Web! Retrieved February 5, 2005 from http://www.nldontheweb.org/jones.htm

Kaseman, Larry and Kaseman, Susan. (1997). Taking Charge - Hanging On To What Makes Homeschooling Distinctive [Electronic version]. Home Education Magazine, 97. Retrived February 6, 2005 from http://www.homeedmag.com/HEM/HEM146.97/146.97_clmn_tkch.html

Lines, Patricia. (1995). Homeschooling. ERIC Digest, Number 95. Retrieved February 5, 2005 from http://www.ericdigests.org/1996-1/home.htm

Lines, Patricia. (Spring 1999). Homeschoolers: Estimating Numbers and Growth National Institute on Student Achievement, Curriculum, and Assessment, Office of Educational Research and Improvement, U.S. Department of Education. Retrieved February 6, 2005 from http://www.ed.gov/offices/OERI/SAI/homeschool/index.html

Zeise, Ann. (1997-2005). USA Regional Homeschooling Laws and Support. A to Z Home's Cool Homeschooling. Retrieved February 6, 2005 from http://homeschooling.gomilpitas.com/regional/Region.htm

Zeise, Ann. (1997-2005). Thoughts & Opinions - Demographics - Numbers and Growth. A to Z Home's Cool Homeschooling. Retrieved February 6, 2005 from http://homeschooling.gomilpitas.com/weblinks/demographics.htm

Zeise, Ann and Moxley, Carol. (1998). Feature Articles - Homeschooling Guide. A to Z Home's Cool Homeschooling. Retrieved February 6, 2005 from http://homeschooling.gomilpitas.com/articles/083198.htm

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