Changes

Homeschooling parents oversee their children’s education, usually providing some of the instruction themselves.  In addition, they can mix-and-match other instructional approaches, including hiring a tutor; using a correspondence school (or the modern video- or computer-based equivalent); taking classes at local museums or nature centers; joining with other families to share teaching responsibilities in a co-op; and encouraging the student to self-instruct using library books, traditional textbooks or workbooks, knowledgeable mentors and/or hands-on experiences.  Some homeschoolers also include local "after school" enrichment programs like scouts, [[4-H]], sports, music lessons, karate or dance classes, public library programs, and summer camps as part of their educational program.

Homeschooling parents oversee their children’s education, usually providing some of the instruction themselves.  In addition, they can mix-and-match other instructional approaches, including hiring a tutor; using a correspondence school (or the modern video- or computer-based equivalent); taking classes at local museums or nature centers; joining with other families to share teaching responsibilities in a co-op; and encouraging the student to self-instruct using library books, traditional textbooks or workbooks, knowledgeable mentors and/or hands-on experiences.  Some homeschoolers also include local "after school" enrichment programs like scouts, [[4-H]], sports, music lessons, karate or dance classes, public library programs, and summer camps as part of their educational program.

In the United States, as of 2003, an estimated 1.1 million students - about 2.2% of children in grades K-12 - were homeschooled. <ref>[http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2006/homeschool/estimated.asp] Homeschooling in the United States: 2003 Statistical Analysis Report, National Center for Educational Statistics, NCES 2006-042, Feb 2006</ref>  

In the United States, as of 2003, an estimated 1.1 million students - about 2.2% of children in grades K-12 - were homeschooled. <ref>[http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2006/homeschool/estimated.asp] Homeschooling in the United States: 2003 Statistical Analysis Report, National Center for Educational Statistics, NCES 2006-042, Feb 2006</ref> Families who homeschool do so for a number of reasons.  A 2001 study by the US Census Bureau found that the single largest reason that parents homeschool is that they feel they can give thier children a better education at home. This accounted for 50% of the homeschool families; religious reasons came in second at 33%.<ref>Home Schooling in the United States: Trends and Characteristics, by Kurt J. Bauman, Population Division, U.S. Census Bureau, August 2001, Working Paper Series No. 53 [http://www.census.gov/population/www/documentation/twps0053.html]</ref>  Other frequently mentioned reasons include dissatisfaction with academic instruction at other schools, the ability to provide religious or [[moral instruction]] along with academics, the ability to control what the child is being taught, flexibility in meeting the needs of a child with special needs (such as a physical or mental health problem, a temporary illness, or giftedness), flexibility in scheduling family life, and concern about safety, drugs, and peer pressure at other schools.  <ref>Homeschooling in the United States: 2003 Statistical Analysis Report, National Center for Educational Statistics, NCES 2006-042, Feb 2006>[http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2006/homeschool/TableDisplay.asp?TablePath=TablesHTML/table_4.asp] </ref>

 

Families who homeschool do so for a number of reasons.  The single largest reason that parents homeschool is that they feel they can give thier children a better education at home. This accounts for 50% of the homeschool families. Religious reasons came in second at 33%<ref>.[http://www.census.gov/population/www/documentation/twps0053.html]</ref>  Other frequently mentioned reasons include dissatisfaction with academic instruction at other schools, the ability to provide religious or [[moral instruction]] along with academics, the ability to control what the child is being taught, flexibility in meeting the needs of a child with special needs (such as a physical or mental health problem, a temporary illness, or giftedness), flexibility in scheduling family life, and concern about safety, drugs, and peer pressure at other schools.  <ref>[http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2006/homeschool/TableDisplay.asp?TablePath=TablesHTML/table_4.asp ] Homeschooling in the United States: 2003 Statistical Analysis Report, National Center for Educational Statistics, NCES 2006-042, Feb 2006</ref>

In the United States, opting out of [[public school]]s is not new. When Thomas Edison's public school teacher said he was "addled," Edison's mother took him out of public school and taught him at home.  

In the United States, opting out of [[public school]]s is not new. When Thomas Edison's public school teacher said he was "addled," Edison's mother took him out of public school and taught him at home.