(ARA) - What does Thomas Edison, one of the country's greatest and most prolific inventors, have in common with 1.1 million U.S. children today? Edison was home schooled, the process by which children are educated at home rather than at a public or private school. While all states have compulsory education laws which demand children attend school for a set minimum number of hours and days per year, the reasons why parents would choose to home school their child are as varied as Edison's inventions.

"Every state has the right to set their compulsory education standards," says Richard Jenkins, associate dean of students and professor of law at Western State University College of Law in Fullerton, Calif. "The courts agree that parents must ensure that their children are educated. The question then becomes: public education, private school education, home schooling or some alternative variation of education?"

Home schooling began out of necessity for parents of children living in rural and remote locations. "But over the past few years, the majority of parents home schooling their children fall into two categories: parents of strong religious conviction who do not agree with the curriculum being taught in the public schools, and those who live an alternative lifestyle, such as a way of life in nature," explains Jenkins.

For years, critics of home schooling voiced concerns about the lack of parental credentials, lack of consistency in the curriculum, or lack of any curriculum at all being taught at home. "Further, it has been argued that children who are home schooled miss a valuable part of their education and social development by the lack of social interaction with other students," says Jenkins. "Finally, courts had to enforce that parents who choose not to send their children to public school must provide their children with equivalent instruction."

Advocates for home schooling applaud the notion that parents can control what their children learn. "They can control the environment within which their children learn, and they can provide day-to-day enriching experiences outside of the home that may not be provided by the local public schools," says Jenkins. In addition, some families feel that the negative social pressures of schools, such as bullying, drugs, and school violence, are detrimental to a child's development.

While deciding whether or not home schooling is right for a child, parents should weigh all pros and cons and decide what is best for the child. Many resources are available to help parents make the right choice, and with a little bit of homework, parents can make an informed decision on one of the most important aspect of any family: a child's education.