HOMESCHOOLING TRENDS IN METRO ATLANTA
Judy A. Walker
Reinhardt College
May, 2004
A.SPECIFIC AIMS
Specific Aim 1:
To determine the demographics of Metro Atlanta homeschooling families
in the year 2004.
Specific Aim 2:
To determine the reasons families in Metro Atlanta make the choice to
homeschool.
Specific Aim 3:
To determine the different teaching methods used by homeschoolers in
Metro Atlanta and outline the rewards and challenges of each method.
Specific Aim 4: To investigate how the primary educator creates balance in his/her life.
B.
BACKGROUND AND SIGNIFICANCE
1.
Demographics
This proposal is designed to determine the demographics of Metro Atlanta
homeschooling families. Nationwide there have been few reported studies on the
demographics of homeschooling families (Bauman 2002). Of those studies, the statistical report
published in 1999 by Patricia Lines, a former Department of Education researcher, and the
National Center for Education Statistics (Bielick 2001) are the largest and most inclusive to date.
It is clear that more and more people are homeschooling and it seems that the demographics
are changing. This study will add to the body of knowledge by collecting demographic
information specific to the Metro Atlanta area.
Nationwide accurate statistics have been difficult to obtain on homeschooling. Possible
reasons for this difficulty are that some families are not trusting and/or willing to provide
information (Lines 2000). This bias might be decreased by specifically targeting known groups
and networks of homeschoolers. It is thought that this method will increase the likelihood of
collecting data from a diverse group of homeschoolers.
In the National Center for Education Statistics technical report published in 2001, it was
reported that a greater number of homeschoolers as compared to nonhomeschoolers are white
and non-Hispanic. Though no significant difference in household annual income, the parents of
homeschoolers have a higher level of education (Bielick 2001). Furthermore, homeschoolers
are more likely to be from religious, conservative, and two-parent families, with usually two
children being homeschooled and another younger, non-school-age child in the family (Lines
2000).
In Georgia, there is a paucity of demographic data on homeschooling families. The
Georgia Department of Education keeps statistics only on the number of children being
homeschooled in each county of the state. As of the end of the 2002-2003 school year, 31,732
children were being homeschooled in Georgia, representing a 67% increase over the 1998-
1999 figure of 21,132 homeschooled children (Ga. Dept. of Education 2004). No further
demographic data are available.
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