DaytonDailyNews.com

According to the National Home Education Research Institute, there are 2 million homeschooled children in the United States, and that number is increasing. For these parent-cum-teachers, home is not only where the heart is — it's where the school is, too.

But like politics and religion, education can often be a touchy dinner-table discussion.

Supporters for and against homeschooling as a credible education alternative can often come off as hardliners. While there are some advantages and disadvantages to weigh, choosing a side may be missing the point.

Wade Horn, child psychologist and assistant secretary for Children and Families for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, says, "I think that homeschooling is the right choice for some parents and not the right choice for all parents."

For many, the decision to homeschool is leveraged by their religious values.

R.C. Sproul Jr., pastor, homeschooling advocate and author of When You Rise Up, a book about religious homeschooling, chose home education because of biblical principle.

"My conviction is that education is first and foremost discipleship and, in fact, historically, education has been understood as nothing more than passing on convictions to one's children," Sproul says.

Stephanie Ruby, a homeschooler from West Milton, says: "Religion played no part in the original decision, obviously, but it's most certainly a perk. I don't worry about humanist points of view being taught to my child, no 'evolution as fact.' "

Karen Braun, Michigan based speaker and freelance writer on home education, says: "I think that 'religious' homeschoolers are the most obvious group to take control of their children's education. ... Education is by nature the teaching of values."

Whether for religious, social or academic reasons, home education is growing as a viable alternative to the traditional school system for many families.

And some experts believe that, in the right context, both can be positive.

"My view is that as long as the child is learning and advancing educationally, socially and emotionally, that's a good thing. That can happen with homeschooled children and in a regular classroom," Horn says.

Brian Orme is an associate pastor at Community Church in West Milton and a freelance religion writer. Send e-mail to mjorme@gmail.com or read more at www.brianorme.com.