PALO ALTO, Calif., Nov. 19 (UPI) -- A California think tank says there has been a sharp increase in the number of children being home schooled in the United States.
The latest issue of Education Next, published by Stanford University's Hoover Institution, cites government figures showing the number of home-schooled children increased 29 percent from 1999 to 2003.
Professor Milton Gaither of Messiah College, in Grantham, Pa., writes the household income of home school families closely mirrors those of public school families.
Colleges and universities are reporting an increase in applications from students who were home schooled, forcing them to adopt admission policies to address home schooling.
"The advent of online education and the rise of cyber charter schools may also account for some of the extraordinary growth in home schooling in recent years," Gaither says.
Education Next is a scholarly journal that addresses education reform.
