This information is from the Alliance for the Separation of School & State website. This website stands as a legacy to Marshall Fritz, the founder of the organization and pioneer in the field of modern freedom in education, and gives an in-depth look at the thorny issues surrounding educational freedom.
- How did the government get so involved in education to begin with? It wasn’t always this way. The United States was founded, formed, and grew to international prominence and prestige without compulsory schooling and with virtually no government involvement…
- Why shouldn’t the government be involved in education? The Short answer: Government schooling stands in direct opposition to the liberty this country was founded on. It fosters unquestioning obedience, acceptance of authority, herd mentality, and dependency…
- Doesn’t the government have a direct interest in an educated “populace?” Yes, the government does have a direct interest in an educated populace” one that is educated just enough and in ways that will perpetuate the goals and existence of the government…
- Can’t we just reform public schools? I know a lot of good teachers. Let’s start with the teachers, then we’ll address reform. There are lots of great teachers out there, all too many of them trapped in a system that prevents them from fulfilling their potential and their dreams. They’re bogged down…
- How would people pay for private schooling? What about vouchers? Here are some of the ways people would pay: Most people are more able to pay for education than they think. Parents would set priorities and plan for schooling just as they do for a home or a car…
- What about the poor? What about irresponsible parents? Before we venture into this very important question, consider this: government schools already fail the poor in some of the most spectacular ways, such as illiteracy, dangerous schools, the worst teachers, low expectations, and…
- What about special needs students? As with the question about the poor, we must consider that a large portion of special education students are being badly served in public schools… Many special education students don’t belong in the classes they’ve been assigned to…
- What about tolerance and diversity? The ultimate irony may be that today’s educators cry tolerance and diversity when public schools were originally instituted to wipe these things out, to make one homogenous, think-alike (even if they couldn’t make them look alike) herd of citizens. School founders objected to…
- Who will keep the private schools accountable? Parents. When parents pay for the schooling, they have a direct stake in the results. If they aren’t getting their money’s worth, they can take their kids out and choose from the many other options available, such as another school, home schooling, a mix, tutors…
- Is this really practical? Can it work? We’re not starting from scratch here. The revolution has begun. It’s only a matter of time. The utopian dream of controlled public schools is dying, as all utopian dreams do. People wish to live their own dreams, make their own paths, achieve their own success…