Homeschool: An American History

This is a thoughtful, capacious account of what is surely among the most important educational movements of our time. Home education is not only or even primarily about the quality of children's academic instruction. It illuminates far larger problems in American society: the contradiction between home and work for contemporary mothers; disagreements about the proper place of religion in civic and political life; and the puzzle of cultural difference and its ethical accommodation in formal organizations of all kinds. Gaither understands all of this and makes it clear by locating home education within the broad coordinates of U.S. cultural history. --Mitchell L. Stevens, New York University; Author of Kingdom of Children

Set within the broad contours of educational, religious, political, cultural, and economic history, Homeschool describes in rich detail home-based education in early America and the forces and individuals that have shaped the modern homeschool movement. General readers and scholars alike will find this finely crafted, informative, and at times provocative work an invaluable resource for understanding why a growing number of parents are choosing to teach their children at home. --James C. Carper, University of South Carolina

While compelling quantitative research on homeschooling remains rare, quality scholarship in this area does exist. The finest example of such work is Milton Gaither's Homeschool: An American History. Besides being the best historical analysis available, Gaither's text deserves recognition as the most thoroughly researched, comprehensive look at the topic altogether. --Robert Kuzman, Books & Culture