Rather than adhering to a specific curriculum, families who "unschool" believe learning happens naturally and should be driven by a student's interests. Education Week spent a "school" day with the Matica family to see this decades-old approach to home schooling in action.
Monica Utsey, a Washington, D.C. mother of two, wanted her sons to learn the full history of black people which has been a driving force in her decision to home school them. She's part of a small, but growing community of black parents opting to teach their children at home.
Like many home schooling military parents, Lindsay Jobe says that teaching her children at home gives the family educational stability during frequent relocations and flexibility when her husband Clifford is home from deployment.
Parents who choose to teach their children at home are often stereotyped as devout Christians, but families from many religious backgrounds are drawn to home schooling as a means of incorporating religious studies into students' education.
The week-long campaign highlighting school choice will feature events in dozens of cities nationwide with organizers projecting that 6.7 million people will participate.
Most states take a very hands-off approach to regulating home schooling, and some advocates worry that makes it attractive to neglectful and abusive parents.
A number of factors could be at play, from the growth of charter schools and private school vouchers, to economic pressures that made it impossible for families to keep one parent at home educating their children.
In her first public address as a confirmed member of President Donald Trump's administration, U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos chose to speak to members of the Magnet School Association of America.
Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., and other GOP lawmakers said they're confident the nominee for education secretary will be confirmed despite opposition from Democrats and others.
Trump Education Secretary nominee Betsy DeVos has been supportive of homeschooling, and the Home School Legal Defense Association wants to see her confirmed.
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