The Nineties in America - Salem Press (2009)

lies. A homeschool can be organized as a traditional
school or through an unstructured approach deter-
mined by a child’s readiness and interests.
The state may compel all children to attend a
school, public or private, and home instruction will
not suffice as an exemption from compulsory school
attendance unless a state statute so indicates. Several
states disallowed home instruction because it was be-
lieved that sequestration of students from other
classmates would inhibit their social development
and prevent the children from living normal lives. In
states that permitted homeschooling, the key ele-
ments in determining the validity and value of
homeschooling involved the educational level of the
parents and the regularity and time of instruction.
Those states prescribed minimal standards for in-
struction. Courts have upheld such criteria, provided
they are reasonable. In challenging homeschooling
as an alternative to compulsory attendance, the state

has the burden of proving that the parent is not pro-

viding adequate instruction. As of the early twenty-

first century, homeschooling was legal in all fifty

states and throughout Canada. It also became popu-

lar in Australia, New Zealand, England, and Japan.

Demographics and Reasons Homeschooling fami-

lies of the 1990’s varied politically and religiously,

though the typical homeschooling parents were

white married couples who homeschooled their

children primarily for religious (Christian) or moral

reasons. They had three or more children, and it was

usually the mother who remained at home. Single

parents also homeschooled. In 1999, 20.6 percent of

homeschools in the United States were led by single

parents. While the number of students being

homeschooled increased in the 1990’s and into the

early twenty-first century, race and ethnicity rates re-

mained consistent; the homeschooling rate for

The Nineties in America Homeschooling
429

Ten Most Common Reasons for Homeschooling and the Percentage of

Homeschooled Students Whose Parents Gave Each Reason

Can give child better education at home

Religious reasons

Poor learning environment at school

Family reasons

To develop character/morality

Object to what school teaches

School does not challenge child

Other problems with available schools

Student behavior problems at school

Child has special needs/disabilities

48.9

38.4

25.6

16.8

15.1

12.1

11.6

11.5

9.0

8.2

Note:Percentages do not add to 100 percent because respondents could give more than one reason.

Source:U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Parent Survey of the National Household

Education Surveys Program, 1999.