Who Homeschools and What Does 'Success' Mean to Them? Experimental Evidence from a National Sample. Program on Education Policy and Governance Conference Papers Series. PEPG 25-10
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| Title: | Who Homeschools and What Does 'Success' Mean to Them? Experimental Evidence from a National Sample. Program on Education Policy and Governance Conference Papers Series. PEPG 25-10 |
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| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Angela R. Watson, Matthew H. Lee, Harvard University, Program on Education Policy and Governance (PEPG) |
| Source: | Program on Education Policy and Governance. 2025. |
| Availability: | Program on Education Policy and Governance. Harvard University, Kennedy School of Government, 79 John F. Kennedy Street, Taubman 304, Cambridge, MA 02138. Tel: 617-495-7976; Fax: 617-496-4428; e-mail: pepg@fas.harvard.edu; Web site: https://www.hks.harvard.edu/centers/taubman/programs-research/pepg |
| Peer Reviewed: | N |
| Page Count: | 20 |
| Publication Date: | 2025 |
| Document Type: | Speeches/Meeting Papers Reports - Research |
| Education Level: | Higher Education Postsecondary Education Elementary Secondary Education |
| Descriptors: | Home Schooling, Academic Achievement, Parent Attitudes, Standardized Tests, Scores, Citizen Participation, Literacy, Numeracy, Higher Education, Religion, Individual Characteristics, Elementary Secondary Education |
| Abstract: | The U.S. homeschool population is of similar magnitude to the private and charter sectors. It is also growing and diversifying, particularly since the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite recent growth, little is known about parents who choose to homeschool their children today. Even less is known about why parents choose this type of education. Parental attitudes and perspectives of student "success" will likely drive their educational choices, whether residentially assigned district public schools, alternative public schools, private schools, or homeschooling. However, little research has examined the importance of these attitudes on choice. In this study, we conducted a survey experiment of parent perspectives on student success, focusing on the homeschooling population. We use a fully randomized stated preferences experiment known as a conjoint experiment embedded in a nationally representative survey to evaluate these perspectives across five components, including standardized test scores, college matriculation, civic outcomes, academic skills, and religiosity. We also collect parental characteristic information, facilitating a comparison of today's homeschooling parents and their other education sector peers. We find that homeschool parents look much like their other education-sector peers on various characteristics. We also find that homeschool parents value academic outcomes similarly to their non-homeschooling peers. This study adds to the existing knowledge with some of the only post-pandemic homeschool demographic data currently available and uses the most rigorous methods in homeschool research to date. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Entry Date: | 2025 |
| Accession Number: | ED673401 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| Abstract: | The U.S. homeschool population is of similar magnitude to the private and charter sectors. It is also growing and diversifying, particularly since the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite recent growth, little is known about parents who choose to homeschool their children today. Even less is known about why parents choose this type of education. Parental attitudes and perspectives of student "success" will likely drive their educational choices, whether residentially assigned district public schools, alternative public schools, private schools, or homeschooling. However, little research has examined the importance of these attitudes on choice. In this study, we conducted a survey experiment of parent perspectives on student success, focusing on the homeschooling population. We use a fully randomized stated preferences experiment known as a conjoint experiment embedded in a nationally representative survey to evaluate these perspectives across five components, including standardized test scores, college matriculation, civic outcomes, academic skills, and religiosity. We also collect parental characteristic information, facilitating a comparison of today's homeschooling parents and their other education sector peers. We find that homeschool parents look much like their other education-sector peers on various characteristics. We also find that homeschool parents value academic outcomes similarly to their non-homeschooling peers. This study adds to the existing knowledge with some of the only post-pandemic homeschool demographic data currently available and uses the most rigorous methods in homeschool research to date. |
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