"Despite its vast expansion in recent years to two million students, homeschooling is the least understood component of American education. Joseph Murphy has produced the most comprehensive review of the homeschooling movement in this must-read book for both the curious and the expert. His findings will astonish the reader with a display of the wide diversity of homeschooling situations, students, and outcomes."

Henry M. Levin, William H. Kilpatrick Professor of Economics and Education, Teachers College, Columbia University, Director, National Center for the Study of Privatization in Education

"A much-needed book that chronicles homeschooling’s emergence from a small fringe movement only decades ago to its stature today as a legitimate alternative to the traditional public schooling model in the United States. Joseph Murphy provides an overarching interpretive framework to help the reader understand why homeschooling is expanding, who participates, what happens in homeschooling instruction, and what research tells us about educational impacts of those who are homeschooled. A balanced analysis that is both wide in scope and deep in the insights it offers."

James Cibulka, President, National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education, Washington D.C.

“Though homeschooling has been growing rapidly as a form of school choice, it is not well understood or well studied. This comprehensive book stands in the gap. It examines the history of homeschooling in the United States and the forces behind its dramatic growth. It offers a thorough description of homeschoolers and their families. And it takes a serious look at instructional programs, teaching methods, and academic and social outcomes. Homeschooling in America not only makes a significant contribution to the bank of homeschooling research, but it provides direction to where further research is badly needed.”

Mark Berends, Professor of Sociology and Director of the Center for Research on Educational Opportunity, University of Notre Dame