Homeschooling - Controversy and Criticism

Controversy and Criticism

Opposition to homeschooling comes from many sources, including some organizations of teachers and school districts. The National Education Association, a United States teachers' union and professional association, opposes homeschooling. Such opponents of homeschooling give several examples of areas of concern in relation to homeschooling or its potential effects on society:

• Inadequate standards of academic quality and comprehensiveness
• Lack of socialization with peers of different ethnic and religious backgrounds
• The potential for development of religious or social extremism
• Children sheltered from mainstream society, or denied opportunities such as social development
• Potential for development of parallel societies that do not fit into standards of citizenship and the community

Stanford University political scientist Professor Rob Reich (not to be confused with former U.S. Secretary of Labor, Robert Reich) wrote in The Civic Perils of Homeschooling (2002) that homeschooling can potentially give students a one-sided point of view, as their parents may, even unwittingly, block or diminish all points of view but their own in teaching. He also argues that homeschooling, by reducing students' contact with peers, reduces their sense of civic engagement with their community. Gallup polls of American voters have shown a significant change in attitude in the last 20 years, from 73% opposed to home education in 1985 to 54% opposed in 2001.