| Home education, also called | | | | a box", or All-in-one curriculum, form |
| homeschooling or home school, is an | | | | of home education dates back to 1906, |
| educational alternative in which | | | | when the Calvert Day School of |
| children are educated at home by their | | | | Baltimore, Maryland made such materials |
| parents, in contrast to the compulsory | | | | available through a downtown Baltimore |
| attendance which takes place in an | | | | bookstore and a National Geographic |
| institution with a campus such as a | | | | advertisement. |
| public school or private school. Home | | | | Within five years, nearly 300 children |
| education methods are similar to those | | | | were making use of materials from |
| widely used before the popularization of | | | | Calvert's Home Instruction Department. |
| compulsory attendance requirements in | | | | In less than a century the materials had |
| the 19th century. Before this time, the | | | | become the basis for lessons for more |
| majority of education worldwide was | | | | than 350,000 children annually in more |
| provided at home by family and community | | | | than 90 countries. |
| members, with only the privileged | | | | In the United States, homeschooling is |
| attending privately-run schools or | | | | the focus of a substantial movement |
| employing tutors, the only available | | | | among parents who wish to provide their |
| alternatives at the time. | | | | children with a custom or more complete |
| In modern times, although there were | | | | education, which they feel is |
| American families living overseas who | | | | unattainable in most private schools or |
| were already homeschooling their | | | | the state governments' public school |
| children, the first parents known to | | | | systems. In many instances one |
| homeschool within the United States were | | | | motivation is to provide religious |
| Tom and Mary Bergman of Utah, 1971. | | | | education along with education on |
| Unknown to each other at the time, the | | | | traditional subjects; religious |
| second known family was Charles and | | | | education would not be available in a |
| Virginia Birt Baker of Texas, 1972. | | | | public school setting, and the available |
| Homeschooling was sometimes erroneously | | | | private schools may be too expensive for |
| called unschooling, but the latter was a | | | | the family to afford, or may be of a |
| curriculum-free philosophy coined in | | | | different faith than that of the family. |
| 1977 by American educator John Holt in | | | | Home schooling is also considered an |
| his alternative education magazine | | | | excellent alternative by groups whose |
| Growing Without Schooling. The terms | | | | job necesitates frequent moves, such as |
| homeschooling and home education also | | | | military families. While a growing |
| include instruction in the home by | | | | number of families in the U.S. |
| parents choosing to be under the | | | | are educating their children at home, |
| supervision of correspondence schools, | | | | the vast majority of families still |
| which are referred to as "umbrella | | | | utilize the institutional setting for |
| schools" [example: Christian Liberty | | | | their children. |
| Academy]. | | | | In 2003 about 1.1 million children (up |
| In the United States, homeschooling is | | | | 29% from 850,000 in 1999) were |
| the focus of a substantial movement | | | | home-educated on the United States[4]. A |
| among parents who wish to provide their | | | | desire to provide religious or moral |
| children with a custom or more complete | | | | instruction, and a desire to provide a |
| education, which they feel is | | | | better learning environment are among |
| unattainable in most private schools or | | | | the most common reasons for |
| the government's public schools. While | | | | homeschooling. |
| many families in the U.S. are educating | | | | Other reasons include: more flexibility |
| their children at home, the vast | | | | in adapting educational practices for |
| majority still utilize the institutional | | | | children with learning disabilities or |
| setting for their children. Despite its | | | | illnesses; allowing the introduction of |
| popularity some people have concerns | | | | more non-traditional studies, such as |
| about the recent renaissance of this | | | | Latin and agriculture, focusing more on |
| traditional method of educating | | | | a child's unique gifts, such as art or |
| children. | | | | mathematics; and providing more hands-on |
| The general historic foundations of home | | | | methods of learning such as unschooling. |
| education originate with the informal | | | | As educational choices become abundant |
| education systems that existed in many | | | | through a vast array of educational |
| parts of the world before the rise of | | | | products and services available, |
| publicly-run schools in the late 19th | | | | computers, and the internet, the idea of |
| and early 20th centuries. For example, | | | | homeschooling in the U.S. is expanding |
| famous figures such as Thomas Edison, | | | | in popularity and acceptance. Some state |
| Abraham Lincoln and Woodrow Wilson (the | | | | governments, like those in Alaska, |
| only U.S. President to hold a Ph.D.) | | | | California, Pennsylvania, Utah, and |
| might be considered to have been | | | | Kansas, sponsor home-education "virtual" |
| home-educated as they were self-educated | | | | charter schools and/or reimburse parents |
| or had mentors or tutors growing up, but | | | | who purchase curricula approved by the |
| received little formal education. | | | | state. |
| In the United States, the "curriculum in | | | | |