Recently on the Schoolhouse Rocked podcast, host Yvette Hampton had an enlightening conversation with Alex Newman and Leigh Bortins on the Declaration of Educational Independence, and about the urgent need to redefine education in America. This thought-provoking interview discusses the reasons behind the growing recognition that the current public school system is failing our children and proposes an alternative approach rooted in the fundamental principles of family government. Recognizing the Problem: As the communication delved into the issue of government involvement in education, both Newman and Bortins stressed the importance of defining the end goal and principles underlying the educational system. As Newman states, “We need an end goal. We…
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My favorite economist, Thomas Sowell, would often quote Milton Friedman, saying “there’s no such thing as a free lunch.” The thing is, before Milton Friedman popularized this as a common economic term, Robert Heinlein used its more colloquial version, “there ain’t no such thing as a free lunch” or “TANSTAAFL” as a central theme in his novel The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress. But even before Heinlein, the term had been used in literature and everyday parlance since at least the 1930s. So, I guess it would be best described as a “meta-quote.” TANSTAAFL certainly applies when we’re talking about “school choice.” The great lure of school choice programs is the “free money,”…
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“It’s a beautiful thing, the destruction of words.” – George Orwell, 1984 As is so often the case in politics, pundits and activists give friendly sounding names to hot-button political movements to mask the true character of these matters. Abortion advocates are labeled “pro-choice.” Genital mutilation becomes “gender affirming care.” Illegal aliens become “undocumented workers.” Women become “birthing persons.” This is certainly the case with the “school choice” issue. At the most basic level, the term “school choice” substitutes the concept of choice (options, opportunity) for the true focus of the movement, government education funding. School choice programs take on many forms – public charter school programs and virtual charter programs, magnet schools, intra-district…
