Austrian Economics Wiki:Sandbox

History

Throughout American history virtually every child who received an education was home schooled. But during the mid 19th Century, local and state governments began compelling attendance to their schools, beginning with Massachusetts in 1852. In general, children who grew up in rural areas continued to be taught by their parents, but as the industrial revolution shifted labor markets into the towns and cities, more and more students moved into government classrooms.

Modern Home Schooling

The modern home schooling movement in the United States is relatively new, first gaining traction in the early 1980s.A number of legal barriers, logistical hurdles, and social stigma had to be overcome by those early families who wished to break free from government education systems. Contrary to popular understanding, the range of home school families is quite diverse. There are religious conservatives from the Mormon Church, Christian Evangelicals, Amish families, and Atheists; social conservatives, social liberals, and libertarians do so also.

Many parents were unhappy with the poor quality of government schools, and were either equally dissatisfied with private institutions, or unable to afford tuition. Often they wished to start their own programs in order to have greater influence over their children’s education. Court decisions which resulted in the prohibition of religious expression or practice, philosophical disagreements with government curricula, and the poor record of state education programs all motivated parents to find their own alternatives. In the United States today roughly two million students, or about 3% of the total K-12 population, are taught at home.

Nationwide, the average cost per student at government schools is more than $10,000. Council for American Private Education website.</ref>. Home School Legal Defense Association.</ref>. Idid.</ref>. Homeschool.com website</ref>.