Over the last decade, home schooling has increased in popularity. According to different estimates, the number of home schooled children ranges from 500,000 to 750,000 (Lines, 1997, p. 4). Disillusioned by the inability of public schools to provide high-quality education to their children within a safe environment, parents all over the nation have taken the initiative of educating their children themselves. Home schooling refers to the education of school-aged children within a home instead of a school setting (Lines, 1993, in Lyman, 1998, p. 2). Home schools exhibit diverse characteristics, ranging from highly structured to liberal. Nonetheless, home schoolers share the basic belief that education should not be restricted to the school environment. By educating their children in their homes and communities, home schoolers believe their children will become sophisticated individuals with tremendous initiative and flexibility (Lyman, 1998, pp. 1-3). This study will prove that home schooling provides an adequate, if not superior alternative to public education.
First, home schools have become an increasingly attractive alternative of providing quality education to students because of the declining quality of public schools. American public schools do not provide quality educationùa reality that is reflected in the students with poor academic skills. In addition, the prevalence of campus violence and the accessibility of drugs have undermined the safety of public schools (Lyman, 1998, p. 2).
Second, home schooling caters to the developmental needs of the students in a comprehensive fashion. Home schoolers are dedicated parents who are confident in their capacity to provide their children with quality education through various means. They do not believe in the method of traditional education in which students are expected to keep up with a standardized curriculum and complete schoolwork within a specific period of time. By imposi...