Royce said she and her ex-husband, Thomas, 78, an investor in Detroit, spend more than $50,000 a year for Tiffany's instructors in environmental science, geometry, American history, English and Spanish. Royce, a 45-year-old single mother and investor, also sends Tiffany to classes at Broadway Dance Center.  ``To me, there is no amount of money that is too much to get her the education and tools she needs to succeed,'' says Tiffany mother. 

The number of students getting home instruction jumped 86 percent in the borough during the past four years, to 477, according to the New York City Education Department.  ``Is it the middle-class family who feels squeezed out of quality options in public schools?'' said Luis Huerta, assistant professor of education at Columbia University's Teacher's College. ``Or is it the family who can afford the $100-an-hour tutor to home-school the children? Very likely, it's both.''

The growth of home schooling in Manhattan is part of a national trend. From 1999 to 2003, the number of kids being taught at home soared 29 percent to 1.1 million, according to the most recent survey by the U.S. Education Department. The city requires parents to create a teaching plan and to have students' academic progress evaluated under state regulations.

This article appeared in the November 17, 2006 edition of the Bloomberg.com.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=aoCNavUuXiMs

Published Monday, Nov. 20, 2006