ABSTRACT Title of dissertation: HOME SCHOOLING: ARE PARTNERSHIPS POSSIBLE? Kristine L. Angelis, Doctor of Philosophy, 2008 Dissertation directed by: Professor Robert Croninger Department of Education Home schooling has been described as both the oldest and newest form of education, and as the number of home school students continues to grow, a partnership is beginning to evolve with their local school systems. Some states are offering a variety of educational resources to these students which may include participation in extracurricular activities, classroom instruction, or virtual learning opportunities. This exploratory case study is designed to better understand a parent’s choice to home school within the social and institutional framework available to them in Maryland. Maryland offers home schooling families a choice of monitoring options, through their local public school system or a bona fide church exempt organization. The state does not offer home schooling families any additional educational resources except the opportunity to participate in standardized testing. Home schooling parents monitored through a local public school system located in the Baltimore-Washington-Northern Virginia Combined Statistical Area were asked to complete a questionnaire designed to ascertain family characteristics and reasons to home school. Respondents were categorized according to their reason to home school – religious/moral, academic, or other. Eight families were randomly chosen from the three categories to participate in a personal interview to discuss their choice to home school, experiences and challenges of home schooling, and if they would be interested in having services made available to them through their local public school system. Analysis of questionnaire findings and interviews indicated some similarities between the target population and results of the 2003 National Center for Education Statistics survey with the majority in both surveys indicating religion as a main reason to home school. Choosing to be monitored by the local public school runs counter to the literature as did target families’ interest in receiving additional services from their local public school such as student participation in extracurricular activities, an ability to take specific classes, and curricula support. HOME SCHOOLING: ARE PARTNERSHIPS POSSIBLE? by Kristine L. Angelis Dissertation submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School of the University of Maryland, College Park in partial fulfillment Of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy 2008 Advisory Committee: Dr. Robert Croninger, Chair Dr. Hanne Mawhinney Dr. Carol Parham Professor Tom Weible Professor Linda Valli ©Copyright Kristine L. Angelis 2008 DEDICATION This process could not have been completed without the continuous help and patience of my family and especially my husband, Tom. He was my editor, proofreader, and sounding board, and he spent many hours reviewing and reading draft after draft of this dissertation. A special thank also goes to my advisor, Dr. Croninger, for all his support. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER ONE ............................................................................................................... 1 Home Schooling Population......................................................................................... 1 Estimating Population ............................................................................................... 1 Home Schooling Abroad............................................................................................ 4 What is Home Schooling? ......................................................................................... 4 Who Home Schools?.................................................................................................. 5 Alternative Choice of Education ............................................................................... 6 Overview of Home Schooling....................................................................................... 7 Historical Background............................................................................................... 7 Compulsory attendance laws. ................................................................................ 8 Shifting responsibilities.............................................................................................. 9 Disillusionment. ................................................................................................... 11 Legal and Legislative Responses to Home Schooling .............................................. 13 National .................................................................................................................... 13 Right to home school. .......................................................................................... 14 Home Schooling Regulations. ............................................................................. 16 Home Schooling in Maryland ................................................................................. 17 Unresolved issues in Maryland............................................................................ 19 Purpose of Study ......................................................................................................... 20 Overall Purpose........................................................................................................ 20 Research Questions.................................................................................................. 21 Research Design....................................................................................................... 22 Qualitative. ........................................................................................................... 23 Research Site........................................................................................................ 24 Personal Interest. ................................................................................................. 25 Definitions. ........................................................................................................... 27 Conclusion ................................................................................................................... 27 CHAPTER TWO ............................................................................................................ 31 Legislative and Legal Decisions Affecting Home Schooling ................................... 31 U.S. Supreme Court Rulings ................................................................................... 31 Case Law and State Regulation............................................................................... 33 Who Home Schools and Why..................................................................................... 36 Parental Beliefs........................................................................................................ 36 Raymond and Dorothy Moore ................................................................................. 38 John Holt.................................................................................................................. 39 Conservative Christian Home Schooling Families................................................. 42 Mainstream Home Schoolers .................................................................................. 43 Friction Within the Home Schooling Population................................................... 47 Home Schooling Surveys ............................................................................................ 48 Oregon Home Schooling Study ............................................................................... 51 1988 Study ................................................................................................................ 52 Ohio State Legislature Survey ................................................................................. 52 1995 Survey .............................................................................................................. 52 1998 National Survey............................................................................................... 53 iii 1999 NCES Study..................................................................................................... 54 2003 NCES Study..................................................................................................... 54 Education Next......................................................................................................... 55 Home Schoolers, Public Schools, and College.......................................................... 55 Public School Boards............................................................................................... 55 National Association of State Board of Education................................................. 56 Public School Administrators.................................................................................. 57 Public School Districts Cooperation with Home Schoolers................................... 59 Unease about Family Participation in Public School Offerings. .......................... 62 Maryland and Home Schooling .............................................................................. 63 College Admission.................................................................................................... 64 Adult Home Schoolers ............................................................................................