Knowles, J. Gary, & Muchmore, James A. (1994). “Yep! We’re grown-up home schooled kids — and we’re doing just fine, thank you very much”. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, April 4-8, 1994, New Orleans, LA. (Used lengthy survey w/ closed- and open-ended questions to collect data from 53 respondents in the United States and Canada; 10 of these were selected for extensive semi-structured interviews. “In spite of the overall diversity among the ten adults [interviewed], they often expressed similar values, especially those regarding morality and society. Respect for individual differences and a concern for others, for instance, were values shared by all of them. About half, however, expressed the feeling that society had lost its morality and that there was no teaching of right and wrong in the public schools. ….. Another value that these individuals held in common was being responsible for one’s action and helping to solve society’s problems. half of the adults felt that our society had become too dependent on the government and that too many people looked toward the government for help instead of doing things for themselves” p. 19. “Spirituality and religion were other values that were common to the majority of the group” with 7 saying religious commitments were very important in their lives (p. 20). “The life history interviews, in concert with the survey responses, suggest that these adults were by no means a liability to society. While most were earning relatively moderate incomes, none were unemployed, and none were on any form of welfare assistance. There was also no evidence to suggest they were not actively participating in their communities… Invariably, however, high levels of autonomy and independence were the common hallmarks of these individuals. Not only were these traits highly valued, but they was [sic] also evident in their work patterns” (p. 21). “Contrary to the commonly expressed criticism that home education is synonymous with social deprivation, these adults pointed to the value of being able to interact with a wide range of people, instead of being exposed primarily to age-group peers, as is the case for those attending formal schools. ….. There is currently no extensive and compelling evidence to support the fears that critics of home schools have consistently expressed over the two decades since 1970…” (p. 23). “We feel that neither public schools nor home schools are well served by these kinds of statements [i.e., policy positions toward home education of the National Association of Elementary School Principals 1989-1990 and the National Education Association 1988], which are not based on substantial evidence C and certainly not research evidence… To the contrary, the evidence presented in this study suggests that some home schools may have positive characteristics that have hitherto gone unrecognized” (p. 24).) (Descriptors: home education, research, adults, older, success, social, policy)