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On the third Tuesday of each month we post a quick roundup of some recent academic publications and news about homeschooling, offered for your interest. These are typically university research papers, and they may have a positive, negative, or neutral outlook on home education. The title links generally point to the full text of each publication, which is often a printable pdf file. In some cases, a paid subscription may be required to read the whole article. The article abstracts or introductions below are quoted in full whenever possible, without editing.
We have three items this month, on homeschooling trends in the United States; homeschool parents in Indonesia; and philosophical arguments against homeschooling:
(1) Homeschooling in the United States: A Trend Analysis of Demographics, Practices, and Sociocultural Capital Participation (2012–2019) — C.J. Boyce Albrechtsen (2025)
Abstract: Over recent decades, homeschooling has grown as an alternative to traditional education, yet quantitative research exploring its practice remains limited. This study examined trends in homeschooling demographics, practices, and participation in sociocultural capital-related activities using nationally representative data from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Parent and Family Involvement Survey (2012, 2016, 2019). Through repeated cross-sectional analysis, the study addressed two primary questions: (1) How have the characteristics of homeschooling families and their educational practices changed over time? and (2) How does engagement in social and cultural capital-building activities differ between homeschoolers and nonhomeschoolers? Chi-square tests and effect sizes assessed categorical differences and their magnitudes over time, and independent samples t-tests compared sociocultural capital engagement between groups. Linear and logistic regression models predicted high engagement while accounting for demographic covariates. Findings indicate that homeschooling is increasingly practiced among higher income and education families. Some practices and motivations have shifted. Homeschoolers consistently demonstrated higher participation in sociocultural capital-building activities than non-homeschoolers, both overall and within key subgroups. While logistic regression confirmed higher odds of participation among homeschoolers, the models showed low predictive power. This research contributes to understanding how homeschooling is situated within broader systems of educational access and social reproduction, highlighting both continuity and change in this growing educational sector.
(2) Shared Parental Responsibility in the Context of Homeschooling for Married Parents — R. Nurmalasari et al. (2025)
Abstract: The term shared parental responsibility is better known in the realm of family law, where both parents who have separated have the same obligation to care for and educate their children after divorce. However, the obligation to nurture and educate children is not only for divorced parents. So, the urgency of this study is how intact parents ideally share responsibilities in parenting and educating, especially if they undergo homeschooling for their children. The aim of this article is to analyze shared parental responsibility in the realm of homeschooling in married parents. The method used in this article is a literature study by collecting and studying articles searched through Google Scholar, Research Gate, and SAGE related to shared parental responsibility which includes aspects of decision-making, parental involvement, and emotional support in the 2015–2025 publication period. Based on the results of the literature reviewed, it is known that the division of responsibility between parents ranges from the involvement of both parents in making decisions to choose homeschooling to providing interrelated emotional support in improving children’s academic performance during homeschooling as well as emotional attachment between parents and children.
(3) Your Home is Not a School: The Limits of Homeschooling as a Political Practice — S.M. Pavel & J.K. Cynamon (2025)
Abstract: Homeschooling is on the rise. It appeals to very different perspectives and ideologies that tend not to have common ground, from classical conservative to radical progressive. But the justifications for the practice are weak. In this paper, we build a case against the “home school” as a political practice using the existing commitments of liberal, conservative, and democratic theories of education. Whether education should aim at the cultivation of children’s autonomy, their formation as members of cultural communities, or their training as democratic citizens, there are reasons to doubt that the practice of homeschooling can fulfill our educational goals. As such, we argue that liberals, conservatives, and democrats each have their own motivations to oppose homeschooling as an institutional alternative to traditional schools. Through our critiques, we also advance a metatheoretical argument in favor of centering the aims of education in our philosophical and political debates.
What interesting homeschool news and academic research have you come across this Leo Term? 🎓
❡ Explore more: If you’d like to investigate the academic literature on homeschooling more extensively, the best place to start is Google Scholar, the special academic search engine from Google. Just enter a search term or phrase of interest (“homeschool,” “unschooling,” “classical homeschooling,” “deschooling,” etc.), and Google Scholar will return a list of research publications that mention your topic. In addition, for research prior to 2020 in particular, see the comprehensive bibliographic essay by Kunzman & Gaither (2020), “Homeschooling: An Updated Comprehensive Survey of the Research.” 🔎
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