The purpose of the study was to ascertain and report current attitudes of public school superintendents in Indiana regarding the problems associated with home schooling, and, to recommend solutions to the problems identified. To facilitate reporting the data the study was written in five chapters. Chapter I included an overview that delineated the purpose for the study and organization for subsequent chapters.Chapter II presented a review of related research and literature directly pertaining to the study. Constitutional issues related to the First, Ninth, and Fourteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution were reviewed. The issue of individual rights versus the police power of the state was found to be a balancing act which required careful scrutinization in the courts to protect the rights of individuals and the rights of the state to an educated citizenry.Chapter III contained an explanation of the methods and procedures employed to derive the necessary data. The chapter contained a description of the population, sources of data, methods used in the development of the questionnaire, procedures for collection of the data, and, methods for analysis of the data.Chapter IV presented an analysis of the data collected. The superintendents indicated a 64.83 percent increase from 1982-1985 in home schoolers and future growth was probable. The respondents indicated all home schoolers should be required to register with the Department of Education with hours of attendance, curriculum, and proof of learning monitored by the state.Chapter V provided a summary of the study, findings, conclusions, and recommendations. The findings support the following conclusions:1. Public school superintendents need to recognize the legitimacy of home schools as a legal alternative to public schooling.2. Courts will not support public school superintendents in Indiana when prosecuting home schooling parents for violation of compulsory attendance statutes unless definitive proof exists that no structured education has been provided.3. Compulsory attendance statutes as stated provide for a wide variation of interpretations and may lead to unnecessary litigation.4. Requiring parents to prove teaching competency and establishing minimum state guidelines for home schools would assist in meeting the legislative intent of the compulsory attendance statute.

The purpose of this study was to document relationships that exist between Indiana public-school superintendents and Indiana home-school families. The study examined if public-school superintendents' perceptions of home schooling and their perceptions of current Indiana home-school regulations influenced their relationships with home schoolers. Further, the study explored home-schooler perceptions of Indiana regulations on home schooling.For the superintendent questionnaire, the entire population of Indiana school district superintendents in office during the 1996-1997 school year was polled. Of the 297 superintendents polled, 192 responded to the initial mailing and three more to the follow-up resulting in a total of 195 responses- a return rate of 66%. The desired population for the home schoolers was all home-school families in Indiana. Based on the Indiana Department of Education estimate of 5500 home-school families registered with them, 550 questionnaires were mailed to home-school families with a 26% return rate.The following conclusions were drawn based on the findings in the study.1. Indiana public-school superintendents probably have a weaker relationship with the home-school parents in their school district than they believe. While nearly 65% of the superintendents believed they had at least a fair relationship with the home schoolers in their district, only 35.5% of the home-school parents believed their relationship with the superintendent was at least fair.2. Home schoolers desire more interaction with the public schools than they are receiving.Twenty percent of the home schoolers who did not have access to services at their local school wanted access to classes and textbooks from their local school district.3. Indiana superintendents are not knowledgeable about reasons parents choose to home school their children. Superintendents believed religion was a reason for home schooling in significantly larger numbers than the home-school parents (86% superintendents verses 55% of home-school parents). Superintendents did not recognize home-school parent concerns such as safety concerns, concerns with academics and problems with public schools.4. All Indiana public schools need a board-approved policy concerning home-schooled students in their district.5. There are children in Indiana receiving little or no education through home schooling.6. Home schoolers in the present Indiana study, for the most part, are representative of home schoolers across the United States.7. While the public perception of home schools has improved significantly in the last decade, superintendents' perceptions of home schools have changed little. Superintendents' perceptions of home schooling were virtually unchanged from the Lindley study completed in 1985. Superintendents believed home schools should have to participate in mandatory testing of students, certification of home-school teachers and should have mandatory registration with the state of Indiana. / Department of Educational Leadership