Exploring Homeschooling Education Legislation: A State-Level Analysis

• In Event: Comparative and Historical Analyses of State Institutions and Legislation

Abstract

Homeschooling is one of the fastest growing forms of education in the United States, increasing seven times faster than public enrollment across the country. States differ in their friendliness toward homeschooling, with some states encouraging the deviantization of the homeschooling community. This study explores the differences in state education laws and policies regarding the treatment of homeschoolers. Given homeschoolers’ ascribed status as non-criminal societal deviants, both labeling and conflict theory are drawn from to identify factors that may serve as identifiers for a friendly or unfriendly state. Specifically, the current study explores state education laws pertaining to homeschoolers and the relation between state laws and potential correlates, with the goal of understanding what factors are related with the institution of sanctions.

Author

• Isaiah Fink Avraham Cohen, Louisiana State University and A&M College