Homeschooling and Canadian Educational Politics: Rights, Pluralism and Pedagogical Individualism

Homeschooling is becoming increasingly popular in Canada. Drawing on a variety of secondary sources and our own data from the province of Ontario, we advance three arguments. First, homeschooling is gaining legitimacy from the increasingly pluralistic nature of educational politics. Second, the lobbying tactics of homeschool advocates increasingly resemble other choice-seeking actors in education. Rather than expressing alienation from dominant political and cultural streams, most homeschool advocates frame their claims using the language of individual and parent rights. Third, as homeschooling enters the mainstream, more of its recruits are sharing in a burgeoning culture of ‘pedagogical individualism’ that prizes educational alternatives tailored to the needs of each unique child.