Hispanic families celebrate a variety of cultural holidays and events, and children often play a large role in these events. These children are
taking part in the Calle Ocho Parade in Miami, Florida. (Steven Ferry)
greater opportunities to prosper within the United
States.
See also: RACIAL DIFFERENCES
Bibliography
Carrasquillo, Angela. Hispanic Children and Youth in the United States:
A Resource Guide. New York: Garland, 1991.
Koss-Chioino, Joan, and Luis Vargas. Working with Latino Youth.
San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1999.
Rodriguez, Gloria. Raising Nuestros Niños: Bringing up Latino Chil-
dren in a Bicultural World. New York: Fireside, 1999.
U.S. Bureau of the Census. ‘‘Census Bureau Facts for Features: His-
panic Heritage Month 2000.’’ In the U.S. Bureau of the Cen-
sus [web site]. Washington, DC, 2000. Available from http://
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2000/cb00ff11.html;
INTERNET.
Lisa M. Edwards
HOME SCHOOLING
In the simplest terms, home schooling can be defined
as the education of school-aged children in the home
setting. Home schooling has become an increasingly
popular way of educating children for a number of
reasons. These reasons include, but are not limited to,
religious beliefs, living in a dangerous neighborhood,
a poor public education system, and the belief that
parents themselves can provide their son or daughter
with a good education.Origins and Development
Origins of home schooling in the United States
can be traced back to the seventeenth century—prior
to public education and compulsory attendance laws.
Although some town schools existed, home schooling
was often the only option available to colonial chil-
dren and the early pioneers. Because of nationwide
compulsory attendance laws and the beginning of
public education in the early twentieth century, how-
ever, the need for home schooling significantly de-
creased. This decrease did not last long, though, as
expression of religious beliefs and dissatisfaction with
public education increased throughout the twentieth
century. By 1980 it was estimated that 15,000 stu-
dents were being home schooled, a much smaller
number in comparison to the early twenty-first centu-
ry, but also much larger when compared to the previ-
ous eighty years.HOME SCHOOLING 191