One of the objectives often involved in home schooling is the ability to incorporate religious teaching into the curriculum in addition to the typical educational material taught in schools. Since laws on the separation of church and state prohibit the teaching of specified religion in public schools, this is a way for parents to ensure their children are being taught about their faith without interference. According to the National Center for Education Statistics website, 72 percent of home-schooling parents cite religious and moral instruction as a reason for using this approach to their children's education.
A common objective that parents have in enrolling their children in home school is to provide a safe learning environment. They feel learning at home provides safer surroundings when compared to the public school system. This reflects a concern about violence, drug use and negative peer pressure. According to a survey published by the National Center for Education Statistics, 85 percent of home-schooled children were enrolled in this alternative education at least in part because of the concern about traditional school environments.
Although many home-school teachers, who are typically the child's parents, are not usually trained in education, 68 percent of surveyed parents felt they would provide a better education for their kids than the local school system. For these parents, more academic attention can be focused on the child through the home schooling experience.
While public and private schools vary on their ability to teach special-needs children, supporters of home schooling say the home setting allows parent-teachers to provide the best individual care and education for their special-needs child. Parents may be able to identify the needs and abilities of their own child better than a classroom teacher faced with teaching a diverse group at the same time.