| Home schooling is also known as home | | | | childhood education had on the mental, and, |
| education, and is a method of teaching | | | | physical development of children between the |
| children in the family home, rather than at | | | | ages of 8 to 12 years of age. Through these |
| an institution, such as a public school. | | | | studies, the Moores produced evidence that |
| Originally, all schooling was done in the | | | | formal schooling was damaging to children, |
| family home, or informally within small | | | | and a cause for some behavioral problems |
| communities. Very few children ever went to | | | | commonly found in school aged children. |
| school, or had private tutelage. Children who | | | | |
| did have this type of education were | | | | According to these tests, illiterate tribal |
| considered to be privileged, and were mainly | | | | mothers in Africa had children that were more |
| from wealthy families. | | | | socially, and emotionally advanced than |
| | | | children in the western world. The Moores |
| Informal education, mainly conducted in the | | | | believed that this was largely due to the |
| home, was the only way for children to gain | | | | bond between parents, and their children |
| an education. In the US, there were books | | | | being broken when children were |
| dedicated to home education, such as "Helps | | | | institutionalized in schooling systems. |
| To Education in the Homes of Our Country" | | | | |
| authored by Warren Burton. Parents were the | | | | In some English speaking countries, it is |
| main teachers of their children, although, | | | | still an option for parents to home school |
| where possible, local teachers would assist | | | | their children rather than to send them to an |
| parents, and take classes. It is said that | | | | institutionalized school. There are a wide |
| before schooling was institutionalized, the | | | | variety of home schooling methods available |
| US was at its height of literacy skills. | | | | to families who choose to home school their |
| | | | children, rather than send them to schools, |
| The 19th century saw many significant changes | | | | including methods such as classical |
| to the way education, and schooling was | | | | education, Waldorf education, and the |
| conducted with the introduction of compulsory | | | | Montessori method. |
| school attendance laws. It is now considered | | | | |
| a human right that children are given an | | | | Home schooling can also refer to schooling |
| education provided by the government. | | | | done in a home environment, with supervision |
| | | | by teachers through correspondence schools. |
| Over the years, there has been much | | | | While children are schooled at home, they |
| controversy over the effectiveness of | | | | must still complete compulsory educational |
| institutionalized schooling, and some people | | | | subjects, and take tests. |
| have even gone as far as saying that the | | | | |
| compulsory schooling system is damaging to | | | | One of the main reasons that parents choose |
| younger children, especially boys who are | | | | to home school their children is that they |
| slower to mature. | | | | feel the schools are unable to offer their |
| | | | children the same quality of education, or |
| In the early 1970s, Ray and Dorothy Moore, | | | | social environment that can be taught at |
| who later become well known home schooling | | | | home. |
| advocates, researched the bearing that early | | | | |