For those who choose it, home schooling is a very successful means of educating their children. As Rudner unequivocally states, there are important demographic differences between parents who choose to home school and those who choose group schooling for their children. One of the most interesting things demonstrated by home schooling is that the amount of money spent on education is not as important as the public-school advocates would have us believe. They are afraid. I think there are two interlocking reasons for their fear.
Home schooling is an inherently individualistic activity on both the parents' and child's parts.
The freedom of the home schooling environment undermines the increasing control of the state in almost every facet of life, and is a challenge to those who want to maintain or increase that control. Winds of discontent are already sweeping the land, primarily in the adults who value freedom, respect individualism, and simply want to be left alone to live their lives peacefully. Whatever else he may be, Clinton is no fool when it comes to power. He knows that trying to rein in home schooling in the name of academic standards is a fraud. What he and others of his ilk are counting on is that we don't recognize that.