Recently, I was given the opportunity to present materials from the Separation of School & State Alliance to my graduate education class. The primary focus of my term paper and oral presentation dealt with the impact of Separation upon American adult and post-secondary education.

After presenting a brief history of American education in order to show that we have not always used government to educate our citizenry, I used free market economics to convey the weaknesses of current egalitarian, government-controlled K-through-12 schooling. Market monopolies ? characterized by poor service, inefficient and bloated budgets, empire building, turf protection, capture by special interests, and resistance to customer input ? provided an excellent basis for explaining the current public schooling system. I could show how, on the other hand, private, homeschooling, and market competition offer a complete antithesis of public learning: quality service, lower costs, and sensitivity to customer input.

Playing the Separation Alliance's "Sakharovs" tape allowed the class to hear the heartfelt concerns of former practitioners of government schooling, and the need to return this service to the private sector of society. I brought the presentation to a close with the caveat that unless we capture and return education to the people, it will continue to be used to expand government at the expense of personal liberty.

Although the class did not overwhelmingly approve of Separation, my presentation provoked conversation on the topic which otherwise might never have occurred. And, perhaps more important to my interests, I survived!

James A. Boyes, Coupeville, Wash., is an aerospace educator currently completing a master's degree in aeronautical science from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. He has organized a forum in his area for parents wanting to investigate education; at least two people have signed the Separation Proclamation and he expects others to follow.

This article is copyrighted by the Alliance for the Separation of School & State. Permission is granted to freely distribute this article as long as this copyright notice is included in its entirety.

[top]