A History of American Homeschooling with Dixie Dillon Lane

What can the history of homeschool teach us about the future of Catholic schooling? Historian and educator Dr. Dixie Dillon Lane joins Dr. Jaime Madison Vasquez to discuss her new book, Skipping School: A History of American Homeschooling and How It Went Mainstream. Drawing on extensive research and interviews, Dixie traces homeschooling’s journey from a small and often hidden movement in the mid-twentieth century to a significant and growing part of the American educational landscape. The discussion includes the changing relationship between families and schools, why parental influence has become such an important educational question, and lessons for Catholic school leaders.Guests Dixie Dillon-Lane, Historian of Education, Author of Skipping School: A History of American Homeschooling and How It Went Mainstream, Editor, Hearth and FieldWhat We Cover* How Sputnik and the Cold War triggered federal intervention in local education and why that history illuminates the parental instincts driving educational choice today* The distinction between parental control, influence, and authority and what it means practically for school-family relationships in Catholic schools* How homeschooling evolved from a legally risky fringe practice into a minority norm now larger than Catholic schooling, and what that says about American beliefs* What the data actually shows about homeschooling and child safety and how Catholic school leaders can model clear-eyed, fair engagement with contested education statistics* Post-COVID shifts in how families weigh institutional affiliation against core values and the invitation that creates for schools anchored in a strong Catholic missionChapters* 00:00: Introduction and Dixie’s background* 09:31: Sputnik and the Cold War’s impact on American education* 11:56: Early homeschoolers and the anti-institution movement* 17:14: Parental authority vs. control vs. influence* 25:03: Where homeschooling and Catholic schooling overlap* 31:54: Subsidiarity, local control, and education* 36:49: Homeschooling and child safety: data vs. narrative* 41:14: What public school performance numbers reveal* 44:01: Post-COVID shifts in values and institutional affiliation* 49:00: Lessons for Catholic school leaders in this moment* 53:15: The ultimate purpose of educationResources:* Skipping School: A History of American Homeschooling and How It Went Mainstream by Dixie Dillon Lane (Amazon, Bookshop, Eerdmans Publishing)* The Hollow Substack Newsletter* The Bad Moms Homeschool Substack Newsletter* Hearth & Field: A Journal, An Invitation, A Quest for Real LifeFollow Dixie on LinkedInJoin the conversation* Leave a comment and subscribe at familiaris.substack.com* Become a paid subscriber at familiaris.substack.com/subscribePaid subscribers gain access to monthly collaborative office hours. Office hours are hosted on Zoom and are not recorded. Pop in to ask a question, get feedback on what you’re working on with families, hear what other leaders are doing in their schools.Visit familiaris-consulting.com to learn more about consulting, workshops, and speaking engagementsGod bless!Produced by Saint Kolbe StudiosTo receive new Familiaris posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to Familiaris at familiaris.substack.com/subscribe