Homeschool Choice

Honorable Mention, Sex & Gender Section Distinguished Book Award, given by the American Sociological AssociationThe surprising reasons parents are opting out of the public school system and homeschooling their kidsHomeschooling has skyrocketed in popularity in the United States: in 2019, a record-breaking 2.5 million children were being homeschooled. In The Homeschool Choice, Kate Henley Averett provides insight into this fascinating phenomenon, exploring the perspectives of parents who have chosen to homeschool their children. Drawing on in-depth interviews, Averett examines the reasons why these parents choose to homeschool, from those who disagree with sex education and LGBT content in schools, to others who want to protect their children’s sexual and gender identities. With eye-opening detail, she shows us how homeschooling is a trend being chosen by an increasingly diverse subset of American families, at times in order to empower—or constrain—children’s gender and sexuality. Ultimately, Averett explores how homeschooling, as a growing practice, has changed the roles that families, schools, and the state play in children’s lives. As teachers, parents, and policymakers debate the future of public education, The Homeschool Choice sheds light on the ongoing struggle over school choice.

Homeschooling used to be a fringe movement. But the number of homeschoolers has nearly doubled in the last two decades. Why are so many parents opting to homeschool their children? The Homeschool Choice offers fresh insight into how cultural beliefs about parenting, childhood, and the role of the state drive the choice to homeschool today. Not every parent who opts to homeschool is an ardent homeschooler. Some feel forced into this choice when public schools don’t provide what they want for their children, including the “right” lessons around gender and sexuality (whether more or less progressive). With income inequality at an all-time high, Averett offers much needed and thoughtful analysis of how and why some privileged parents divest from public education, and the consequences this has for social inequality. A terrific book, The Homeschool Choice is an urgent call to challenge the individualistic and intensive nature of parenting today, end the privatization of schools and other public services, and embrace the collective care of children., Through powerful interviews and discerning prose, The Homeschool Choice examines why more and more U.S. parents decide to homeschool their children. In an era when the rhetoric of choice and individualism loom large, Kate Averett brilliantly shows how parents’ beliefs about childhood, gender, and sexuality lead a diverse group of families to decide that their children are best off “opting out” of public school. Averett astutely reveals what is at stake for society when the brunt of the labor of homeschooling and children’s moral upbringing falls largely on mothers. Thought-provoking and beautifully written, The Homeschool Choice is a must-read for anyone interested in the challenges of parenting, role of government, and future of public education.

Kate Henley Averett is Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology, and an affiliate of the Department of Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, at the University at Albany, SUNY.