Intro As one of the fastest growing trends in modern education and with more members than ever, it is no wonder that homeschooling has received recent media coverage (Swartout-Corbeil; Saba and Gattis 1, National Family Education Survey Program 1). However, many people are unsure of the reality of homeschooling (Saba and Gattis XI). Some of its critics show concern about its supposed negative effects on the child's ability to socialize with other children, while some doubted its academic effectiveness (Saba and Gattis 5; Pitman). On the other hand, homeschoolers and their supporters claim that it offers more academic benefits than conventional education and does not deprive the child socially either (Saba and Gattis 2; Dorian and Tyler 46). But amidst all this talk, what really are the effects of homeschooling on a child, both academically and socially? Background Simply put, homeschooling is the practice of educating school-age children at home instead of in a public school with other children (Swartout-Corbeil). The history of homeschooling dates back to early colonial times (Pitman). Indeed, countless famous men were homeschooled as children, such as those pointed out by Linda Dobson: Some of the greatest minds of all time were homeschooled. Thomas Edison, Ben Franklin... Charles Dickens, John Quincy Adams... Ab[raham] Lincoln, James Madison, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, George Washington, and Woodrow Wilson were homeschooled, just to name a few! (196) Early in history, homeschooling broadly appealed to many families as most public schools were very exclusive in their selection process, except for the wealthy or those of a specific ethnicity or gender. As r...... middle of paper ......url.com/pvojhh>.National Homeschooling Survey Program. 1.5 million homeschooled students in the United States in 2007. Brief release no. NCES 2009?030. 1.5 million homeschooled students in the United States in 2007. National Household Education Surveys Program, December 2008. Web. November 14, 2009. .Pitman, Mary Anne. “Homeschooling.” Encyclopedia of children and childhood in history and society. Encyclopedia.com, 2004. Web. November 15, 2009. Saba, Laura and Julie Gattis. McGraw-Hill's home schoolmate. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2002. Print.Swartout-Corbeil, Deanna M. “Home Schooling.” Gale Encyclopedia of Children's Health: From Infancy to Adolescence. Encyclopedia.com, 2006. Web. November 15. 2009. .