The public schooling system is the most widely used method of education for the United States of America's youth. Up until the 1970's, public and private schooling were the only acceptable ways to teach children. This changed when the idea of homeschooling was introduced. Ever since, parents have asked the question, "which is better for my child: home-school or public education?" Many factors go into answering this question, the most important ones being money, time, and effectiveness. Too often, people only see the pros or cons to the argument, and make decisions based on stereotypes and pre conceived notions. To make a well informed and accurate decision, one must look past the surface issues and dive deeply into why or why not the home-school method works for their needs. 

John Holt, "an educational theorist and supporter of school reform" (Knowles), introduced the idea as a way to combat the current standard of education. Holt believed that the school system at the time was ineffective, and did not encourage the children to express their ideas or emotions. Holt also believed that the educational system "created an oppressive classroom environment designed to make children compliant employees"(Knowles). Calling to all parents, Holt urged them to free their children from mainstream educational standards and instead teach them at home. This way, children would have access to a system that catered to their specific needs, access to a system that would encourage them to reach their potential.

Holt continued to spread his ideas of educational reform, and soon his friend took notice. Another theorist and reformer, Raymond Moore, agreed with Holt's ideas, and began to help Holt spread the word. Together, Moore and Holt carried the idea into popularity during the 1980's. With the release of his book, Home Grown Kids, Moore introduced even more families to the idea of home-school. The increased popularity in the eighties led to Christian families catching wind of the idea. These families took the idea and ran with it, opposing all that stood in their way. They did not cooperate with local school boards, deeming public schools "satanic hothouses." Fueled by their divine spite against the system, the Christian families overshadowed any cooperative families working together with schools, and demanded to have their own curricula. Legal battles ensued, and home-school advocates changed their approach to gaining serious recognition not only locally, but state wide as well.

 Today, states take different approaches to homeschooling, with most accepting and in some cases aiding families along their journey. Although each state deals with homeschooling differently, the families that partake in homeschooling are still generalized to be highly conservative Christian. Homeschooling has made huge leaps in curriculum advancement, effectiveness, and public opinion since the seventies, yet today the "debate" still rages. With each side having convincing arguments, it can be hard to discern which is better, the home-school approach, or the standard education approach.

Christian families dominated the scene from the late seventies up to the early-mid nineties. These families were notoriously uncooperative, and due to their unwillingness to work with the established school board, the families and the practice of homeschooling itself were given a negative stereotype. Public opinion on homeschooling was mostly negative; people thought only radical Christian families were adopting the new style. This scared away potential families, as they did not want to be associated in any way to the families under fire. The nineties progressed with people beginning to look past the negativity, and starting to realize that homeschooling may actually benefit their children. According to Knowles: "A growing number of families have begun homeschooling for neither pedagogical nor religious reasons but rather for individual pragmatic reasons" (Knowles 1) Today, the stereotype still exists, and it does keep some people from acknowledging the legitimacy of the practice.  In the new age of tolerance that the world is experiencing, however, people are coming to understand that homeschooling can be a viable option, under the right circumstances. Slowly the stereotype is holding less and less weight, and more people are recognizing the legitimacy of homeschooling.

The ultimate benefit that homeschooling offers is flexibility and freedom. With parents in control of the schedule, they can decide how much time their child needs to learn and succeed. What some parents don't understand is that their child may take much more time and many more resources than anticipated. Many families do not have the space, training, equipment, or schedule to deal with their child's needs. Sir Ken Robinson, a British advisor on education, says: "Homeschooled children can succeed academically, but only if given proper academic support from their parents. If homeschooled children are to succeed academically, their parents need to take their commitment seriously" (Robinson). It is easy to see the benefits of the home-school lifestyle on paper, and not consider how life would change if the home-school approach was adopted. Often, the children who benefit the most from homeschooling are the ones with special educational requirements. In some cases, instead of helping their children, parents can unintentionally slow down or even stop their children from developing correctly. The Coalition for Responsible 

Home Education understands what can happen when homeschooling is not taken seriously: "When parents are too overwhelmed to put in the effort -- homeschooled children suffer educational neglect and may find their future prospects severely curtailed."

One of the common arguments against homeschooling is that the children are unable to socialize later in their life due to the lack of interaction with children of a similar age. While this is not the majority of homeschoolers, there are families that hinder instead of help their children's growth. If certain needs are not addressed, the children can suffer much more than if they stayed in public or private school. Many families form groups to help their youngsters learn to make friends and play together, and while this may work in some situations, it is not always effective. Though it may be easy for some youth to make friends with others, children who are already unable to socialize well will not excel when placed with other kids who are also socially inept. 

On the opposite side of the argument, if done well, homeschooling can be an excellent way to teach. When a family is well prepared, they are able to cater to every need of their child. Some problems that may be an issue in public schools are much easier to manage at home. Many children with attention deficit disorders, anxiety, and learning disabilities are able to overcome their problems through custom learning programs and schedules that various homeschooling plans offer. In public schools, where classrooms can reach huge sizes, it is nearly impossible to have a teacher recognize and help each student with every problem they have. Homeschooling erases this concern completely, allowing the parents to focus on helping their child learn and grow. 

Families who home-school also find that they are free from many constrictions that other families live with. No longer are days planned around school hours. With such a flexible schedule, many families who use this method also find that relationships are much easier to develop between siblings and parents. Parents also do not need to worry about their children dealing with bullies or peer pressure. In today's schools, bullying is a problem that can seriously damage young students. Homeschooling takes care of the issue, with children learning in the comfort and safety of their home, rather than learning in a chaotic classroom environment.

With the flexibility offered from homeschooling, children can experiment with the subjects they find interesting, and form lesson plans with their parents based off of what they enjoy learning about. Instead of adhering to a curriculum constructed to teach thousands of students, families are teaching customized curriculums that interest their children, and allow them to enjoy learning. Because many homeschooled students enjoy what they are learning about, they score higher on tests and succeed academically. Studies taken in 1998 show that homeschooled children excelled compared to public school children when standardized testing scores were compared. Lawrence Rudner, an independent assessment consultant, analyzed the study, saying: "Because this was not a controlled experiment, the study does not demonstrate that home schooling is superior to public or private schools. The report clearly suggests, however, that home school students do quite well in that educational environment" (Rudner). Though the studies do not prove which is better, they do prove that homeschooling is not an ineffective way of teaching. On the contrary, the studies show that when done correctly, homeschooling has huge benefits.

Using the internet, people are easily able to look up articles that claim to have the answer to the home-school versus public/private school debate. These articles often start with a biased view, and present facts that only support their one view. Articles like this are giving people a surface look at the potential outcomes of home-school without giving them the information they need to make any decisions. Because of this, families that are considering different options can be led on by one side of the argument and make wrong decisions based off of their incomplete knowledge. These wrong decisions often lead to potentially disastrous problems in the future, which can damage the reputation and effectiveness of homeschooling.

Talking to people who have experience with homeschooling can be an excellent way to gather additional information. Hannah Maxwell, a college freshman living in Maryland, was homeschooled up until high-school. When asked about her personal opinion on homeschooling, she said that though it worked for her, at the time the process was difficult and it created some distance between her and her family. Often, she would find it necessary to teach herself, and although in her case it helped build independence and a solid work ethic, other students are sometimes not able to learn unaided as effectively as Hannah. This is a common issue seen with homeschooling. Each student is different, and experimentation is required to find the right way to teach. Fortunately for Hannah and her mother(her teacher), she was able to learn without much assistance. The ability to learn on her own, she said, was what made homeschooling successful for her. 

Another interesting topic Hannah addressed was whether or not homeschooled students are prepared for college. Hannah said that she was glad she went to public high-school instead of home-school. Although she may have been more successful academically at home, Hannah said that she was grateful she was able to experience school like an average teenage girl. The unique experiences she helped at public school helped her transition to college smoother than if she stayed with her family to learn for four extra years. Even though the transition to college is difficult in some way for everyone, homeschooled students find it more difficult than most. They not only have to move away from the comfort of their home, but they also have to use their social skills to make new friends and grow accustomed to their new lifestyle. After living in an environment specifically designed for their success, it can be shocking for a homeschooled graduate to move into a world where everything is new and unfamiliar, especially if they have grown up and learned in the same environment for years. This concern is why Hannah chose to enroll in public education for high-school, and many people are following in her footsteps. 

Instead of homeschooling through high-school, families are now teaching up to middle school, allowing their children to experience high-school in a public or private setting in order to prepare them for college. This is a completely different approach from the Christian families of the 80's and 90's who were motivated to use homeschooling as a way to shelter and control their children. Now, instead of using homeschooling as a way to reform public education, families are motivated to use public education alongside homeschooling to help their child succeed even further. As more people adopt the dual method strategy, the public opinion continues to slowly rise. Many people do not view homeschooling as a strange or ineffective.

Homeschooling has grown substantially since Holt's official introduction. What was once considered a radical challenge to the established system at the time, is now an accepted alternative to conventional education. No longer are families using home-school as a way of controlling their children. Instead, homeschooling is used as a tool to maximize the potential of a student. People are beginning to understand that there is no right answer, no better option. Home-school has its own advantages and disadvantages just as public and private schools do. 

