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.