Life history interviews of adults who were home educated as children fail to substantiate the criticism. To the contrary, the adults reflected positively on their home education, and regularly credited their current states of employment and functioning in society to their home education experiences and the independence those experiences fostered. A majority of these adults were married, and had gone to college. High levels of autonomy and independence were common hallmarks of these individuals, and many concentrated in occupations that allowed for independence, flexibility and creativity. The importance of self-regulation in learning to academic achievement has been well established.
Home schools operate in highly diverse ways.
Some are very structured with a regiment starting early in the morning. When these students were asked what suggestions they had for improving their schooling, the most frequent responses centered around suggestions of more outside resources, hands-on learning, field trips, and the teaching of more practical elements, such as checkbook balancing. These types of learning experiences are very typical in home schooling. Some home schools are parent led. Other home schools are child led with the child pursuing and learning about his or her areas of interest.