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