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Homeschooling and Child Maltreatment: No Significant News

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It is an important and emotional  topic and the title is catchy but this paper in a scholarly journal adds close to nothing to the relevant body of scientific knowledge. Further, the authors commit many errors regarding logic, omission, and a review of literature. The paper is entitled “Homeschooling and child maltreatment: A review of the regulatory context and research evidence in the United States” and is written by Anneliese Luck and five others (2025). 

Background and Methodology

The writers’ purpose was to “… understand better the context of child maltreatment in homeschooling environments and the processes, policies, and practices that have potential to mediate any heightened risk of abuse or neglect of children, with the goal of advancing reasonable policy conversations to promote child safety” (p. 2). To do this, they went on a wide-ranging and problematic literature review covering homeschooling definitions, data, and demographics, articles on child maltreatment, policy debate, state-level homeschooling laws and regulations, and various authors’ and organizations’ claims about what the civil government (state) should do to control homeschooling parents and children more.

Findings That Are Supported by the Authors’ Wandering Overview of Literature

The following conclusion by Luke et al. is generally true and follows …

False, Misleading, or Highly Dubious Claims and Problematic Strokes by the Authors

Only limited examples of serious problems in this paper will be given here. There are several more for which time and space will not be spent.

. . . . .

Continue here to the full review of the article. And please see comments below.

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--Brian D. Ray, Ph.D.

National Home Education Research Institute

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