The Home Schooling Movement in the United States: Historical Development, Contemporary Status and Legal Issues

Abstract

Public schooling is usually the means by which children are socialized and enculturated, as they transmit the essential cultural knowledge and core values of a given society. However, this approach can become difficult when a society cannot agree on what shared values and knowledge should actually be transmitted. The Home-Schooling Movement (HSM) in the United States began in the 1970s as a response to these issues and continues to grow to this day. This thesis examines home-schooling through the lenses of its history and legal issues surrounding it. The historical approach follows its roots in the colonial period up through its re-emergence as an alternative education practice in the 1970s. The diverse rationales for home-schooling and the characteristics of home-schooling families are discussed. The legal analysis provides an overview of statutes and laws regulating education, particularly compulsory attendance laws. The legal foundation for regulating home schools, including explicit statutes and regulations are also examined. In the conclusion, the author responds to concerns about socialization and the different models of homeschooling. It is recommended that public school teachers and administrators should become more informed about home-schoolers and the HSM.