Understanding homeschooling

Abstract

Drawing from six years of qualitative research, this article analyzes the broad range of proposed and existing homeschool regulations throughout the United States. It argues that current homeschool regulations — and most proposals for how to improve them — misjudge the complexity of such an endeavor; state resources are misused and the basic interests of children are not protected. Theoretical arguments about the relative interests of parents, children and the state are important to consider, but our policies must also recognize the limits of what we can and should demand of this unique form of nonpublic schooling. A more modest approach to regulation that focuses on basic skills testing would ultimately be more effective at helping the students who need it most.

Homeschooling the Gifted

“…Scholarship on homeschooling primarily focuses on its relationship with religion (e.g., Blackner, 1998; Kunzman, 2009; Uecker, 2008), despite the growing number of families who homeschool for nonreligious reasons. The journal Home School Researcher is a primary outlet for such research.…”

Context and regulation of homeschooling: Issues, evidence, and assessment practices.

“…Research that could placate skeptics suffers from procedural flaws that undermine the empirical basis for claims about the effectiveness of homeschooling, described by Lubienski et al (2013) as "methodologically flimsy" (p. 379). Although surveys and case studies offer some insights (e.g., Duvall et al, 2004;Fields-Smith & Williams, 2009;Kunzman, 2009;Lundy & Mazama, 2014;Parsons & Lewis, 2010), they generally lack scientific rigor in part due to small or self-selected samples that call into question the extent to which the sample of participants represent the population of homeschoolers (Gaither, 2017;Howell, 2013;Kunzman & Gaither, 2013). Gaither (2017) described the literature as "almost entirely qualitative" and "having an anecdotal quality it has yet to transcend" (p. 214).…”

“…The best known and most influential organization is the Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA; n.d.), whose singular focus and ready accessibility have helped to stave off regulatory changes governing homeschooling in several states (Gaither, 2017;Kunzman & Gaither, 2013;Lubienski et al, 2013). These efforts have resulted in court rulings that limit state control over matters such as whether and how parents who serve as teachers of their children must be credentialed to teach (Kunzman, 2009). Similarly, state regulations concerning periodic evaluations of academic progress have evolved to provide options other than standardized testing through which parents may demonstrate that their homeschooled children are making adequate educational progress.…”

“…At the same time, "the state has a legitimate interest in children being sufficiently educated so that they will grow up to be informed citizens, able to support themselves and to participate in our democracy" (McMullen, 2002, p. 99). As the number of students being educated at home increased, educators, researchers, politicians, and others expressed doubts about the effectiveness of homeschooling in preparing students for citizenship in a pluralistic society through socialization (Bartholomew, 2007;Kunzman, 2009;McMullen, 2002). Traditional schooling exposes children directly and repeatedly to the norms and expectations of the broader society, thus providing them the opportunity to "gain the social fluency to navigate that context, learning how to develop relationships and work effectively with others" (Kunzman & Gaither, 2013, p. 19).…”

“…In general, investigations of social competence among homeschoolers have consistently found that homeschoolers fare well, possibly better than their public school counterparts, when it comes to issues of adjustment and socialization (Medlin, 2000(Medlin, , 2013. Even so, some researchers question the adequacy of preparation for citizenship when homeschooling includes a singular, typically Christian, viewpoint and suggest that the students' abilities to describe or appreciate different perspectives on social or political issues may be severely restricted and difficult to verify (Cheng, 2014;Kunzman, 2009;Medlin, 2000Medlin, , 2013. Cheng (2014) studied political tolerance among 304 college students at a private, Christian university who reported the number of years they had attended public, private, and home schools.…”