Chapter 11: Through the Lens of Home Schooling: A Response to Michael Apple and Rob Reich

Perhaps unwisely, I mentioned this chapter at a recent family gathering. As soon as I brought up the deregulation of home education, my sister-in-law gasped and exclaimed, “You’ve become a Republican!” Her comment amused me. I still consider myself a liberal, but I no longer believe in a role for the state in the regulation of home education. My direct personal experience as a homeschool mom and homeschool advocate,¹ coupled with my continuing explorations of the history and philosophy of education, provide me with a new lens—the homeschool lens—through which to view school issues.

This chapter presents a multi-dimensional view of “educational choice versus civic responsibility,” one that expands the discussion beyond a “lively and spirited debate” between politically liberal academics and politically conservative homeschool advocates. I point out that three additional voices should be heard. First, conservative academics would provide a new perspective on the regulation of home education by calling into question the efficacy of compulsory attendance statutes. Second, liberal homeschoolers would paint a more accurate picture of the diversity of homeschoolers and would confirm that virtually all homeschoolers, not just religious conservatives, regard the education of their children as a family’s, not the government’s, responsibility. Third, educational historians would remind us that today’s political school controversies are not new, but rather have been occurring at least since the advent of compulsory attendance.