Homeschooling is always developed by teachers or tutors in the home environment, but could also be a relative or community member's responsibility. This kind of education may be coordinated by a school that provides the instructions that would guide the homeschooling study. Or could take place in other scenarios, like a social environment in which the student might have the possibility of interacting with other students as well.

Here are a few papers that review the practice.

http://www.hazpolitica.org/pdfs/homeschooling2002.pdf

The gains in homeschooling is expressed in this pic.  It seems to be consistent.  This is a challenge to public school teachers like some of us.

http://www.home-school.com/news/homeschool-vs-public-school.php

We have only Home Tution, when children could not cope up well with certain (or) some subjects, A teacher pays visit to home and teaches the children... This is quite expensive and only a few wealthy ones go for this facility.

Dear Krishnan, some of my friends homeschool their children but they are a small number.  The main reason is to make sure that children get right moral and spiritual values.  Most parents here seem to be too busy.  Let's wait to hear from other RG friends.

I find this very important because I believe comes and determine issues involving civil society in its entirety. For now I'd like to know if the data in the graph were at least clean from possible macroscopic events that influence the data presented: social class of the pupils and so on. On this there is a nice interview with the young Iranian director Samira Makhmalbaf سمیرا مخملباف where she describes her father's homeschool. (I've read the interview is in Italian but I think there is no problem to find in English about this).

In Italy, at this time, this phenomenon is irrelevant; but things could change very quickly for many reasons.

I agree that Home School is more a Captive learning environment to protect the children from the external influences...

Dear Maurizio, I got the data from the link.  I don't think there is control for social class or other factors.  The data is likely to be raw.

Dear Krishnan, Home school is where parents exercise maximum control over the physical and spiritual growth of children.  Parents make many sacrifices, but they consider it worthwhile.

It was Theodore Roosevelt who said, "To educate a man in mind and not in morals is to educate a menace to society."

Many homeschoolers share this sentiment when it comes to public schools, believing that the moral relativism, violence, peer pressure, drugs and promiscuity found inside their gates provide an inadequate setting to properly socialize their children.

Yet 92 percent of superintendents believe that home learners are emotionally unstable, deprived of proper social development and too judgmental of the world around them, according to a California study by researcher Dr. Brian Ray .

http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/144135.aspx

No! I don't for one like to home school my own children because there I see no "schooling."

My dear @Miranda, I was not aware of such practice, I have thought that only tutoring was present! I will try to do my best in order to realize if any homeschooling practice in Serbia.

As You ask for some researchs, I have dig very good one "Occasional Paper No. 88

National Center for the Study of Privatization in EducationTeachers College, Columbia University Home-Schooling in the US ! It is real research with many data and many references included. Hope You are going to like it!

http://www.ncspe.org/publications_files/OP88.pdf

Dear @Miranda, in your attached link there are many statistical data on comparing Home-Schooling versus Classic Schooling! It is very good analysis!

I am giving you a link with many links and pdf papers, documents,articles, measures....etc, about "Strengthening family and community engagement in student learning resource"! Enjoy dear @Miranda! :) Of course, home-schooling is in!

http://www.partners4learning.edu.au/_uploads/_ckpg/files/Attachment%205_Strengthening%20family%20and%20community%20engagement%20in%20student%20learning%20resource.pdf

@Lala Sukla, thanks for your link.  I think that whatever our schooling we shouldn't be too judgmental at all.  Every one has a conscience!

'What makes homeschool socialization such a hot topic?  With approximately 4 million children currently being homeschooled in the U.S., along with a 15- to 20-percent yearly growth rate, many professional educators and school boards are concerned that this exodus will keep funds from entering the public education system.'

This is very interesting: Many teachers also believe that successful home instruction by non-credentialed parents undermines their expertise and jeopardizes their jobs.

http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/144135.aspx

@Prof Marwan et al: there's some evidence here for social skills and academic skills being learned: 'Dr. Thomas Smedley believes that homeschoolers have superior socialization skills, and his research supports this claim. He conducted a study in which he administered the Vineyard Adaptive Behavior Scales test to identify mature and well-adapted behaviors in children. Home learners ranked in the 84th percentile, compared to publicly schooled students, who were drastically lower in the 23rd.'

'Furthermore, researcher Dr. Linda Montgomery found that 78 percent of high school home learners were employed with paying jobs, while a majority engaged in volunteering and community service.

Research presented at the National Christian Home Educators Leadership Conference divulged that homeschool graduates far exceeded their public and private school counterparts in college by ranking the highest in 42 of 63 indicators of collegiate success. They were also ranked as being superior in four out of five achievement categories, including socialization, as they were assessed as being the most charismatic and influential.'

http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/144135.aspx

Dear Prof Ljubomir, thanks for the link.  Table 3 shows that scores of Total SAT, SAT Maths and SAT Verbal of homeschoolers are better than public school students; but scores of students of private independent and private religious schools also exceed students of public schools. (The second link is taking a long time to load, but I will wait, and get back.  Beata will like all the links here.)

http://www.ncspe.org/publications_files/OP88.pdf

Homeschooling is always developed by teachers or tutors in the home environment, but could also be a relative or community member's responsibility. This kind of education may be coordinated by a school that provides the instructions that would guide the homeschooling study. Or could take place in other scenarios, like a social environment in which the student might have the possibility of interacting with other students as well.

Here are a few papers that review the practice.

http://www.hazpolitica.org/pdfs/homeschooling2002.pdf

Dear Miranda,

There is no homeschooling in Palestine. However, if it exists, I don't prefer it to my children because it deprives them from social life, school environment, interaction with other children which on its own an experience which a child shouldn't miss.

Today, with the Internet and a good syllabus, homeschooling has never had it so good. Problem-based, thematic, cross-curricular, experimental and tailored teaching are all possible. Certainly, teaching can be at precisely the right absorption rate.

Homeschooling is a viable alternative for those parents who can afford to spend the time with their children. Homeschool teachers are aware of the potential of socialisation problems, and compensate by having holiday clubs, events with other homeschools, sport, music and other extra-curricular activities. A break-away year at a public school serves to calibrate and integrate the pupil into the wider community.

Potential disadvantages include teachers not spotting social problems, from the teacher's lack of exposure to a wide range of children and problems.

As you have asked for research, I suppose I must direct you to some references: http://scholar.google.co.za/scholar?hl=&q=homeschooling+growing

At present, we do not have complete homeschooling in our country. Some rich families may bring distinguished teachers to their homes to explain some difficult topics, to their sons & daughters, that were not clarified well in the public schools. I think a total homeschooling builds in anti-social behaviors, converts the students into introverts, and does not prepare these students to real life "with all its ups & downs". 

Homeschooling is not a good substitute to the usual schooling. The children learn from the teaching system as well as the environment in which the schooling takes place. But one may go for it in unusual circumstances. For example, the school may be far away from the child's residence; the quality of teachers available in the school might be highly wanting as there is no value-addition to the child's learning; there are security reasons for some particular children who can not commute to school, etc. 

1 What is the school or paternal family (homeschooling)?

The school is family or paternal education in the home (and not only) imparted by their parents or other persons chosen by the family.

2 Is it lawyer not to send my children to school?

Yes, it is legal to not send their children to school. And education is compulsory, not school.

3 What should I do if I want to keep my son / daughter home and educate them without the aid of the Institution School?

You must present a form to the principal of your circle where you agree that you will deal with the education of your son / daughter. You have to give evidence of their technical or economic. You also need to prepare a curriculum that will be attached to the application for examination to be submitted annually by April. This curriculum will not necessarily follow the traditional school curriculum, study topics can be chosen by the parents.

4 How does the school to ensure that children are receiving a proper education?

At the end of each school year (around June), a school committee will examine the child and decide whether to pass it next year or not. Each family should make arrangements with your personal circle of belonging that school will inform parents about the kind of examination that the child will sustain.

5 Why do families do not want to send their children to school?

The reasons are varied: they may be religious, linguistic, because the school is unable to meet the needs of the individual, because the incidents of bullying and violence are becoming more frequent or simply because parents do not want to delegate to others the fundamental task of educate their children.

A picture of Italian situation: http://www.controscuola.it/faq/

No comment about social aspect? I believe that none of these children will never hermit ....

A link!

http://www.nheri.org/research/research-facts-on-homeschooling.html

Dear All,

In Hungary I have not heard or read about homeschooling these days. It was a custom in aristocrat families to educate their children in their manors by private teachers before the II WW. Noble children learned mainly the elementary school curricula at home. Most of them visited the best high schools or expensive public schools in Switzerland. Education is compulsory until the age of 16 years in Hungary. Whose children do not go in school can be fined even the child can be get into state care.

Home schooling is not an easy job. Many have no time and no necessary knowledge to implement it. However, I have heard that the father of the Polgár sister educated their children at home. Practically all of them became a chess champion. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%C3%A1szl%C3%B3_Polg%C3%A1r

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judit_Polg%C3%A1r

„László Polgár is an expert on chess theory and owns over 10,000 chess books. He is interested in the proper method of rearing children, believing that "geniuses are made, not born". Before he had any children, he wrote a book entitled Bring Up Genius!, and sought a wife to help him carry out his experiment. He found one in Klara, a schoolteacher, who lived in a Hungarian-speaking enclave in Ukraine. He married her in the USSR and brought her to Hungary. He home-schooled their three daughters, primarily in chess, and all three went on to become strong players. An early result was Susan's winning the Budapest Chess Championship for girls under 11 at the age of four. Also his daughter, Judit, could defeat him at chess when she was just five.”

However, there is still a necessity in the common families: somebody should earn and put bread on the table...

Thanks for your views.  Many of you have discussed advantages and disadvantage of home schooling, so I should make a small modification of my question.  

Thanks Ian, Raoof, Andras et al., for valuable contributions.  This is from Raoof's link: ' Homeschooling – that is, parent-led home-based education – is an age-old traditional educational practice that a decade ago appeared to be cutting-edge and “alternative” but is now bordering on “mainstream” in the United States. It may be the fastest-growing form of education in the United States. 

· Families engaged in home-based education are not dependent on public, tax-funded resources for their children’s education. The finances associated with their homeschooling likely represent over $16 billion that American taxpayers do not have to spend since these children are not in public schools.'

In my country Germany homeschooling is forbidden per law. No chance to change it. Some parents who don´t like it, like to emigrate.

Thanks Hanno, so there are parents who prefer homeschooling in Germany.  But because the law is against that they may need to emigrate.  I went to a normal public school, it was a convent but I had wonderful teachers.  I owe a lot to them; I found many caring 'mothers' among them.  I'm very thankful.

Dear Miranda,

forbidden home schooling doesn´t mean, that you don´t learn at home from your parents, friends, your brothers and sisters or from other relatives. But highest priority has the public schooling.

As for me I had bad teachers and teachers, who were like parents, full of helpfullness.

Yes, Miranda. Homeschooling in the U.S. has grown in enrollments about fve-to-six times faster than public school school enrollments over the past decade. There are now about three million out of about 78 million children K-12 being home schooled. In the county where we live, one of 16,000 counties in the US, we have reportedly about 1500-2,000 being homeschooled, and it is suspected that these numbers are understating it because many do not register with their county education superintendant as they should.  Admittedly some are in socially concerning circumstances, but the vast majority are well adjusted and face far less negative peer pressure that we see in the public schools. The new Common Core program, like all the other initiatives before it in recent years is dumbing down academic performance and achievement (math goes to Algebra I by grade 12!), and it places so much emphasis on testing that teachers are being forced to teach to the test...that is never a good thing. PLus, the moral aspects are concerning--they are pushing gay lifestyles, a distorted rewrite of American history, and attempting to break parent-child bonds. Meanwhile, we have a system that is doggedly refusing to recognize the developmental and academic value of music education and fine arts in education, while the top performing nations in reading, math, and science have music in core curriculum at least K-9. More on this later. But you have a lot of excellent comments on this topic already, most are right on target with what we see in the US. There is no denying that homeschooled kids as a group, outperform public educated kids in our country in extraordinary fashion. The major universities, while perplexed over the lack of paper trail with homeschoolers, are astounded that these kids show more than 50% improvement over their public counterparts on entrance exams, and they do it earlier. Many graduate with what would be considered top of their class at ages 15 and 16 and go on to become leaders in their fields. Economics have no real effect on their peformance, obliterating the arguments of those who would like to think that achievement is linked to economics at a personal and family level. 

More on music. See slides in my presentation for a private school that is having me present for their parents and children (attached).

Thanks dear Dr Max, it's very exciting to read: 'Homeschooling in the U.S. has grown in enrollments about five-to-six times faster than public school school enrollments over the past decade; the vast majority are well adjusted and face far less negative peer pressure that we see in the public schools; there is no denying that home-schooled kids as a group, outperform public educated kids in our country in extraordinary fashion. The major universities, while perplexed over the lack of paper trail with homeschoolers, are astounded that these kids show more than 50% improvement over their public counterparts on entrance exams, and they do it earlier. Many graduate with what would be considered top of their class at ages 15 and 16 and go on to become leaders in their fields. Economics have no real effect on their performance, obliterating the arguments of those who would like to think that achievement is linked to economics at a personal and family level.'

And many thanks for the link on music education.

You're most welcome. The truth is the truth, dear Miranda, and once parents in our country realize why our youth have fallen behind even many of the less affluent nations in literacy, math, and science (by obliteration of music and the arts programs in our country), we hope they will demand their school systems begin following the many wonderful examples we see out there--your work, as I have seen already, which uses music to such a degree in teaching and learning, is to be commended.   

Thanks dear Dr Max.  We who learn music know its power well.  But there was 1 reviewer who commented that my music mnemonics (although a novel method) to facilitate recall, wasn't in line with constructivist theories.  Of course I argued, and then submitted my paper again.  So I wait for the results again.  Do you know a Sc Edu journal that accepts such papers on mnemonics?  Thanks.

Dear Cecilia, thanks for your post, that homeschooling 'arises not in parents, but in poor and rather inflexible educational aims and some problematic content; and I'm sure that many of those parents, are forced by the circumstances of our schools' (currently descending) world placements in important subjects. I would rather think parents feel they have little alternative but try making their children succeed.'

In my country, it's usually the Christian parents who currently homeschool their children, and the number is very small, because of lack of resources.

Here is a jurisprudence view of compulsory education--which is really what we are talking about when we speak of public education. This gives a state by state snapshot of current law. http://law.jrank.org/pages/11815/Compulsory-Education.html

Thanks Dr Max.  I read through the link: 'Today education is a responsibility that local, state, and federal governments take seriously. The teaching of morality has given way to standard academic focuses, and compulsory education laws, requiring public school attendance of all children generally between the ages of seven and sixteen, have been enacted. However, these rules frequently exempt children with permanent or temporary mental or physical disabilities, and a few states exempt students who live more than two miles from a public transportation route. Alternatives to state-run schools, including private and parochial schools and home schools, are also available.'

Read more: Compulsory Education laws - Information on the law about Compulsory Education - School, Child, Home, and Seq - JRank Articles http://law.jrank.org/pages/11815/Compulsory-Education.html#ixzz3AN2czcu4

Dear Prof Ljubomir, the partners4learning link is awesome.  First, let me put some info for Beata.  I did promise her long ago that if I found any info on disabilities, I would pass on to her.  This info on learning for disabled in on the link.  I hope she can access.

NSW Department of Ageing, Disability and Homecare (ADHC): Raising kids together: Information for families who have a child or young person with a disability is available as a booklet with DVD in six languages from NSW ADHC.  

http://www.adhc.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/file/0007/228688/RKT_English_web.pdf

http://www.partners4learning.edu.au/_uploads/_ckpg/files/Attachment%205_Strengthening%20family%20and%20community%20engagement%20in%20student%20learning%20resource.pdf

Likewise, state universities in the US are heavily over loaded with staff and administration, are generally redirecting education to a vastly radicalized view of the world, and are filled to the gills with remedial classes where hoards of functionally illiterate students are striving to make up for years of poor public education. 

Dear Dr Max and friends, besides the friends in my own community who favor home schooling, I remember a young American pastor (Joshua Harris) who wrote a few books.  He was home schooled.  One popular book of his was: 'I kissed dating Goodbye'.  You can guess the contents from the title.

Mostly Central Board Syllabus is followed here in India...such Home schooling also culminates with the main stream of evaluation and learning.

http://www.niosrcben.org/

Miranda, I serve as invited (and without compensation) chairman of a school board of a private institution that caters to high level homeschool parents and children. The purpose of this effort is to provide structure in the education of these kids and development of something utterly lacking in the public schools here: art, music, dance, drama, hands-on science, public speaking coaching. The social interaction is at a high level--not the grunge level of heavy metal music and gansta speak and juvenile delinquency. For anyone to think that social development goes to the floor in the lives of those are getting a serious homeschool education is myopic at best--as the Kiss Dating Goodbye tome implies. I would venture to say that the majority of homeschoolers I know are refugees from dumbed down cookie-cutter education, unsupervised bullies on the juvenile scene, and warped social mores that have become the mantra of the teachers unions and US Department of Education that are absent true scholarship and filled with unwanted social engineering. The new Common Core initiative, bland as the Communist Manifesto and at least as dangerous in its implications, has been rigorously and insidiously forced onto the states as if it is the answer to poor academic performance in the public schools, while it is just more of same and diminished local and parental control of what the kids are being taught. Its high sounding tenets are a Trojan Horse for federal control of public education, a final nail in the coffin of American Education that cannot compete against the nations that are leaving us in the dust. Homeschooling is the clear answer for many families in the US that are walking away from the failed schools they are forced to support with incredibly high taxes. Outcomes, overall, of the kids who walk away from this mandatory mess are far and above in every respect the average outcomes of the current schools. They have better and cleaner language, they honor parents and authority (see the news stories on the Ferguson, Missouri milieu if you want to see the underbelly of US Education today), homeschoolers score at least 150% over public schoolers on college entrance exams, and go to college without having to step into the remedial track than their public counterparts. Homeschooling is all they have in most areas if the parents want to see their kids rise above the mess created by those in charge of our education. It is a lot of work for the parents and immense expense, but is superior to what they had before. 

Thanks Dr Max.  Isn't this what ALL parents want?  Children who respect them, use clean language (due to clearer cleaner thinking and moral behavior).  The result is worth the great expense.  

'Homeschooling is the clear answer for many families in the US that are walking away from the failed schools they are forced to support with incredibly high taxes. Outcomes, overall, of the kids who walk away from this mandatory mess are far and above in every respect the average outcomes of the current schools. They have better and cleaner language, they honor parents and authority'

I would think that is what all good parents want. But, Miranda, sorry to say that there seem to be many who are oblivious to the education of their children, and tend to depend on the state to make decisions relative to the sociomoral values taught. The homeschooling movement seems particularly sensitive to quality of education and the values taught their children, which is a good thing when homeschooling  is the only viable alternative open to the family. 

A short comment to Max´s statement "many who are oblivious to the education of their children".

Many are not only oblivious, their are incabable and unwilling to educate and school  and educate their children. Here the public school and ecucation is demanded to prevent harms to the children.

Dear Hanno and friends, it's sad that children have to be protected by schools from parents?  At least, even if parents do not have resources to home school their children, they should help academic progress, and do their best to develop the moral human capital.  In my family, we care for our parents when they are old.  Even if the majority emigrate, someone will stay behind to care for our old folks, accompany them on hospital appointments etc.

Miranda, because of the sad state of US public schools, the home schooling movement is quite large in the US. As they number grow there are literally hundreds if not thousands of small academies that offer intensive three day per week academic and arts support to parents of home schooled children--and as a result their academic progress is outstripping, as a rule, the public schooled child. Now, most colleges will take the home schooled child as long as they can pass their entrance exams, and according to a few surveys are doing quite well at university level. Of course, parents need to be cautioned relative to the academic resources and instruction, not to mention special needs, socialization, and motivation, and the challenges encountered in an unstructured environment. 

Dear @Miranda, many of us are not aware of state of the art of home-schooling in different countries. 

"Most homeschoolers know that Germany has banned homeschooling, but many people do not realize how many other countries have made home education illegal. Indeed, twenty-eight countries have explicitly banned homeschooling and nine more have made it nearly impossible to practice.

In fact, Germany is actually more tolerant of homeschooling than many other countries, since it allows exceptions to its no-homeschooling rule in cases where "continued school attendance would create undue hardship for an individual child." More than two dozen countries have outlawed homeschooling for any reason.

Thirty countries have laws that allow for home education, though they are often restrictive. Other countries officially ban homeschooling but rarely prosecute, and others do not address homeschooling at all in their laws..."

Read and see the list of countries!

http://www.examiner.com/article/which-countries-have-banned-homeschooling

State control of education can be a form of tyranny, especially if they have control over curriculum and use the schools for social engineering and for political purposes. The family is the primary unit of any viable society, and mother and father responsible for their children. So, while I much prefer the traditional school route I support any parents who, for whatever reason in their judgment, want their child to have an alternative education. The main thing is that in doing so, the parents need to be able to document the kind of education being provided their child. Not educating a child is, in my feeling, a form of child abuse. All children need an education, and today there are so many wonderful avenues through which to achieve it that is just no excuse for any parents not to provide it for their child. 

Dear colleagues, it does seem that what is good in US isn't good for other communities like Europe.  Well, since the European public schools are doing well, they should keep up the good job.  Finland is doing well even in international exams like PISA. From mobile.

Dear all, at times, home schooling is the only option.  Our present global village has certain limitations.  My friends who are moving to Dubai couldn't find places in the international schools.  All these schools are already at saturation point.  They decided to home school their 5 children.  Other families in the church, Dubai, do the same.  

Excellent resource, Manuel!

@ Manuel, fantastic, nice elucidation with simple and practical example.

Manuel, with my doctoral students I use models and flowcharts to explain how chronic disease occurs and how it is overcome. Likewise, I require them to develop models on disease processes, as well. Most of these conditions are considered idiopathic (or cause unknown) in conventional medicine. But I teach by the credo that there are no mysteries in disease, only investigations that have not been conducted. Often, those investigations have not been conducted because of what I call the "herd mentality", there is rarely any funding for answering the big questions--most funding going instead to research that supports wrong hypotheses and disease models where the money is--and science in these modern times (our Zeigeist) is so timid to step outside the dogma of the day. Mewanwhile, the people languish with disease that otherwise could be resolved. I mention this, because your model reminds of the kind we do in Behavioral Medicine. It makes the truth graphic, the complex more understood, and compels reason to rule the day.  I am attaching one such model here. Thank you!

Very good, Manuel! Excellent resources.