Mission Statement

Our goal is to end government involvement in elementary and secondary education in the United States. Our job is to build a constituency for Separation. That constituency will act-through many independent organizations-to see Separation accomplished.

Description of The Alliance

Concerned parents and educators founded The Separation of School & State Alliance in 1994 as a grassroots, nonprofit educational organization. We operate as a project of the Advocates for Self-Government and are tax-exempt under IRS Section 501(c)(3). As of February 1997, we have 1,101 financial contributors and 2,078 signers of our concise statement of the schooling problem and its solution, the "Proclamation for the Separation of School and State." (See attached.) We have a full-time staff of three and two part-time employees.

Diversity and "common ground"

Members and supporters of the "Separation Alliance" have a wide variety of political, economic, theological, social, pedagogical, and ethnic characteristics. We share common ground in enough areas to allow us to work together:

• We want children to grow into responsible, competent, caring adults.
• We are alarmed that more and more children are failing to reach this goal.
• We believe that the time has come to reexamine the fundamental structures of schooling and to suggest real improvement based on the obligation and right of each parent to provide opportunities for education of his or her children.
• We recognize that there are some temporary and permanent situations in which parents are unable or unwilling to fulfill their obligations, and believe that extended families and society have secondary responsibility to see to the education of these parents' children. Further, we distinguish between "society" and "government," and believe that society can best fulfill its responsibilities to children without the burden of state "assistance" or intervention.

What we mean by "Separation"

By "Separation," we mean the elimination of local, state, national, and international governments from all aspects of education, including financing, determining curriculum, specifying outcomes, compelling attendance, credentialling teachers, and the accrediting and operating of schools.

How far have we come?

Consider this paraphrase of philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer "Truth typically passes through three phases: First, it is considered absurd and ignored or ridiculed. Next, it is considered dangerous to the status quo and viciously attacked. Lastly, it is considered wholesome, indeed, self-evident." The Separation idea is now primarily in phase one.

Criteria for success

The ultimate evidence of success will be the removal of all children from tax-funded schools and the refusal of families to accept government subsidies for their children's education. The success of this movement hinges upon American families re-assuming responsibility for the education of their children.

When it's done - close up shop

When Separation is accomplished, the Separation Alliance will have a final celebration and then cease operations in an orderly fashion.

Tactics

Our short-term goal is to create effective state coordinators in all 50 states, and hundreds of local chapters. We expect that eighty percent of the work of Separation will be done by local volunteers, and 20 percent by paid headquarters and regional staff. When we have 100 chapters, we will be ready to launch a major advertising and growth push that will begin the move from Schopenhauer's phase one (absurd) to phase 2 (bold). Here is a partial list of our current activities:

• Spread the Proclamation. Get signatures. Count and publicize growth.
• Produce and distribute materials. Use brochures, this newsletter, advertisements, books, tapes, speeches, talk shows, Internet, etc., to educate people about Separation. As we have the capacity, produce materials targeted toward various religious, ethnic, and pedagogic groups.
• Train local volunteers. Teach volunteers how to arrange neighborhood meetings, give speeches, be invited to education panels and talk shows, and write letters to the editor, op-eds, and articles.
• Conduct annual conferences. Provide a platform for spokespersons of Separation, a focal point for media, and a motivation energizer for volunteers.
• Conduct "School Sakharov" support groups. Provide morale and intellectual support for "public school" teachers who are considering leaving the system, especially if they are moving to some other aspect of education that expands alternatives for children.
• Raise funds. We raise money from large and small donors to expand our work. Revenue was $80,000 in 1994, $160,000 in 1995, and $250,000 in 1996. We need to double it several more times.

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.

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