How did homeschooling start? When did it become legal? Who were the key players in making homeschooling the social movement it is today? The story of the history of homeschooling in the United States is a compelling tale of dedication, innovative ideas, and personal conviction and sacrifice. We have put together a history of this educational and social phenomenon, hoping it will inspire you to learn from the early and more recent pioneers of home education in America.
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| What is Homeschooling? |
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Homeschooling means different things to different people. It is a movement rich in diversity and schools of thought. Explore what homeschooling is from different perspectives.
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| The Legal Journey |
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Learn about the legal, social, political, and philosophical journey towards legal homeschooling in the United States.
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| Important People |
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Who are the pioneers in the homeschooling movement? These are the movers and shakers of the early homeschooling movement and also a look at those who have continued work through the years.
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| Famous Homeschoolers |
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Know of anyone who was homeschooled? We'll bet you do. Browse through these listings of famous people in history that were educated at home. You might be surprised!
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| The Business of Homeschooling |
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Explore the business side of homeschooling. As the number of homeschoolers continues to grow, the art of marketing to homeschoolers increases in significance. We take a look at the demographics of the homeschool market and homeschooling businesses. Also of interest is the relationship between the homeschooling market and corporate entities.
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A Brief History of American Homeschooling |
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Linda Dobson |
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A short history of homeschooling in America from its roots in the family-centered lifestyle of the nineteenth century to today. Includes a general discussion of the evolution of homeschooling in the twentieth century. |
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A Brief History of Homeschooling |
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Patrick Farenga |
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Patrick Farenga looks at the history of homeschooling from before the founding of our country to present day. He includes discussion of the work of some important people in the homeschooling revolution. |
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A Fifteen Year Perspective |
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HSLDA |
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When Michael Farris and Michael Smith founded Home School Legal Defense Association in March of 1983, home schooling was just a tiny blip on the education radar screen. The concept of parents teaching their children at home was relatively obscure, and the families who chose to follow this non-traditional education route were fairly certain to face opposition from the educational bureaucracy and following legal entanglements, as well as from their own friends and family. |
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A Homeschooler's History of Homeschooling - Part 3: 1990-1992 |
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Cheryl Seelhoff |
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The years 1990-1992 marked an important turning point in the homeschooling movement. Cheryl Seelhoff looks at this important time. She explores educational philosophies as a source of division, the home-centered living movement, the issue of remarried homeschoolers, the expertization of homeschooling, and more. |
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A Homeschooler's History of Homeschooling - Part 4: H.R. 6 |
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Cheryl Seelhoff |
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Cheryl Seelhoff continues her look at the history of homeschooling by examining the importance of the HSLDA's response to H.R. 6, a House of Representatives bill addressing issues in elementary and secondary education. The HSLDA warned that this bill might require certification of home educating parents, in contrast to the opinions of other members of the homeschooling movement. |
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Battling for the Heart and Soul of Home-Schoolers |
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Helen Cordes |
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A look at the battle for the homeschooling movement and the demographics of homeschooling families that challenges the notion that all homeschoolers are conservative fundamentalists. This article is a critical look at the HSLDA. |
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Homeschooling: Back to the Future? |
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Isabel Lyman |
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Explore some of the history of the homeschooling movement, why some parents choose to homeschool, the basics of homeschooling, and more. The article includes some homeschooling statistics and demographic information. Also included is a discussion of the influences of Dr. Raymond Moore and John Holt on the emerging homeschool movement. |
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HSLDA: Our History |
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HSLDA |
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Although HSLDA has changed over the past 30 years—in terms of the size of our membership and staff and our physical location—our original vision and purpose remain unchanged. HSLDA exists expressly for the purpose of advocating family and freedom. |
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On the Edge of the 21st Century |
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HSLDA |
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The right to home school is based on two fundamental principles of liberty: religious freedom and parental rights. Whenever one of these two freedoms is threatened, our right to home school is in jeopardy. Here are the battles we think home educators will be facing as we enter the next century:
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The Good, The Bad, The Inspiring |
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HSLDA |
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A look back at the history of the Home School Lega Defense Association with Michael P. Farris, J. Michael Smith, Christopher J. Klicka, and David E. Gordon. Hear about the early years of HSLDA, the way home schooling has changed, and some of their most memorable cases. |
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The History of Homeschooling |
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This infographic from OnlineCollege.org features a graphical representation of the history of homeschooling, methodologies, statistics, and other interesting facts. |
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The Politics of Survival: Home Schoolers and the Law |
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Scott W. Somerville, Esq. |
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Twenty years ago, home education was treated as a crime in almost every state. Today, it is legal all across America, despite strong and continued opposition from many within the educational establishment. How did this happen? This paper traces the legal and sociological history of the modern home school movement, and then suggests factors that led to this movement's remarkable success.
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Who Stole Homeschooling |
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Cheryl Seelhoff |
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A look at the change in the homeschooling movement from an inclusive philosophy to a more structured, compartmentalized, and politicized structure. |
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American Education History Tour |
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John Taylor Gatto, author of "The Underground History of American Education," has composed this graphic representation of the real history of the education establishment in America. |
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