School Choice

Guest Post by John Stossel

School Choice

It’s School Choice Week.

School choice is a noble cause. In much of America, parents have little or no control over where their kids attend school. Local governments assign schools by ZIP code.

Having choice is better. Whether it’s vouchers, scholarships, charters, private schools or just having options among public schools, choice makes some schools better because educators have to compete for parents’ trust. Competition makes most everything better.

So we need competition among ideas, too.

There isn’t a lot of that in America’s schools.

In many places, every kid is taught:

–America is largely cruel and unfair, especially to minorities.

–Political leaders must manage most of life.

–Under capitalism, rich people prosper by exploiting the poor.

To give students another perspective, I started a charity that offers teachers free study guides, sample lessons and videos that introduce students to free market ideas: Stossel in the Classroom.

Most of the videos are versions of my reporting for Stossel TV, Fox and ABC News, specially edited for students.

In these videos, kids hear from people in parts of the world where markets are not as free and people suffer because of it. After watching, one high school student told us that he now understood that America is “the rare place where you can write the script of your own life.”

That idea is important to kids, who don’t always feel that they’re in control of their lives.

One student, Gabriel Miller, told us, “When I originally went to school, it was all taught from one side: This country is horrible; because you are a minority you can’t make it. It made me dislike the country. But after the videos were shown, I felt ashamed for what I initially believed.”

He then enlisted in the National Guard. “I wanted to give back for, not only giving my family so much opportunity, but also to protect, defend and serve the people in the United States.”

“We never really thought like this before,” his classmate Diony Perez told us. “We’re taught that the government is… responsible for us and we have to trust them in doing everything for us.”

After watching videos about entrepreneurs, Perez decided he didn’t want government to take charge of his life. Instead, he started his own business. His company delivers cars to customers without them having to step foot in a dealership.

Students say certain ideas in the videos stand out because they are different from the anti-market messages they usually hear in school.

One that stuck with many was “unintended consequences” — the idea that laws meant to protect people often end up harming them instead.

A higher minimum wage, for example. Most Americans support that idea, and it does raise some workers’ pay. But a minimum also prices young and marginal workers out of jobs by making it illegal for them to get starter experience at lower pay.

Every law, every regulation is announced with the loftiest of intentions — making the poor richer, protecting the environment, guaranteeing food safety — but again and again, the laws not only fail to achieve their stated objectives but also make things worse by limiting choices and making it harder for businesses and customers to find mutually satisfying solutions.

Few students understand that. In fact, these days most are more pro-government, even socialist, than their millennial, generation X and boomer predecessors.

Watching these videos in class will help many students open their minds.

One student told us the video series “contradicts all these beliefs about how socialism is great.”

I would hope so. Socialism is definitely not great.

Fortunately, about 10 million students will watch these videos in class this year. Some will change their minds.

“I went to my mom. I was like, ‘Do you know who’s really paying for all this government stuff?'” said Diony.

If you know teachers who might want to use the videos in their classrooms, please tell them about SITC.org. All our resources are free.

School Choice Week isn’t just about letting kids and parents choose where they go to school. It also means being able to choose what ideas they learn — including the concept of choice itself.

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StackingStock
StackingStock

I bet his videos never mention the evil money changers. What free market is he talking about. I thought this article was from the Onion.

Boat Guyn
Boat Guyn

The circle jerk of Wall Street to K-Street to Capitol Street are in control of the crony capitalist system our free market economy has morphed into thanks to the Federal Reserve banking system .
That illicit and immoral control of the currency is why socialism is looking better to Americans . For average people to learn and earn well government jobs are the only safe bet . This has been and continues to be the largest swindle in world history and it continues today . Of course there are many who weave their way thru what amounts to be the economic minefield designed and built by the Crony Capitalists in business and industry under a government they bought and paid for to block out all but members of the club . That many who still find true success and economic security are a minority not a majority . This is all by design and the stranglehold on the economic prosperity that our once free republic assured all its citizens a fair level playing field to market themselves their ideas and production are now a vast waste land owned by that circle jerk . Only a true revolution back to our true republic can even give a glimmer of hope . However this would require men and women of good concience to willingly give up what is ill gotten gains thru orginized government sanctioned theft . Or a revolt with much blood spilled . Far too many successful at the legalized theft game sanctioned by government are convinced they earned it .

Suds
Suds

“…Gabriel Miller, told us, “When I originally went to school, it was all taught from one side: This country is horrible; because you are a minority you can’t make it. It made me dislike the country. But after the videos were shown, I felt ashamed for what I initially believed.”

From your lips to the masses of youth’s ears, young man.
Spread the message far and wide.

We need more of those initial believers of the lies, that the truth is out there, if wiser souls can shine a light on it for them. Or, against all odds, more ashamed cult followers discover enlightened truth with self exploration.

Good post, Mr. Stossel.

Iska Waran
Iska Waran

While many lament creeping socialism and groupthink here in the US, what’s even more frightening is that everywhere else is worse.

TC
TC

One of my lefty lunch buddies has given us shit for homeschooling. The funny thing is that his own kid who was going to the highly ranked public school just got reassigned to the shithole public school in the hood side of town. He’s now scrambling to figure out how to get his kid moved someplace else. Will be fun to see how this plays out.

StackingStock
StackingStock

Home schooling is the only right way to go. The rest of them are indoctrination centers or prisons for gov.scum.

Private, charter, Catholic and public schools are all shit. I know this for a fact, Because I attended them.

Unlearning for the last 5 years is what an education looks like.

Carry on.

MrLiberty
MrLiberty

I attended two different private schools and a Catholic High School. The Montessori was the only one of the three that went its own way. Not “unschooling” as such, but a definite departure from the regulated and structured approach that far too many private schools seem to embrace. The other private, though geared towards gifted children, was still very conformist. I suspect that most private schools fall easily into this trap because they know their clientele have expectations regarding class structure, curricula, etc. that are heavily influenced by a government-dominated “education” market. They are also forced by state and federal regulations, to conform. I don’t know if all Montessori’s are the same, or if they are the same as they used to be, but what I remember of the one I attended was generally good. But indeed, as they generally only go through elementary school and no further, getting into the routine of homeschooling (and ideally an “unschooled” methodolgy) would be the far best approach.

MrLiberty
MrLiberty

I would like the CHOICE to NOT have my money STOLEN and handed to others to pay for their children’s “education.” I would like the CHOICE to only contribute money VOLUNTARILY, to parents I respect, or schools I respect and value. I would like every parent to understand that having children was THEIR CHOICE, and that nobody BUT THEM should have to be responsible for the care and upbringing of their choice. I would like the choice to be free for once in my life.

Ned
Ned

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David Erickson
David Erickson

Education will never be fixed as long as government has a near-total monopoly on education. Even the so-called “private schools” are still hindered by a myriad of government regulations, and being forced to compete with “free” public education. It never ceases to amaze me how people who would be outraged if the government told them what grocery store they had to shop at, or what church they had to got to, will willing submit to being told what school they have to send their children to. The ONLY way to ever fix education is a complete separation of education and state, i.e., government cannot build schools, fund schools, operate schools, tax schools, mandate attendance, mandate curriculum, mandate graduation requirements, or have any other involvement with education or schools. But we will never see that because most people just can’t think outside the box.

MrLiberty
MrLiberty

The vast majority of Americans were RAISED by the government monopoly school system, and like any other prisoner that was subjected to 12 years of incarceration and behavior modification, their entire lives are impacted by the experience. You are of course 100% correct in the solution to the problem.

Eyas
Eyas

Yes, but the only way to fix the problem that people just can’t think outside the box is to manage to take over DARPA, invent a time machine, travel back in time to my childhood and smack the sh!t out of all the Baby Boomers, get back in the time machine, travel back to my parents’ childhood and smack the sh!t out of the “GreatestGeneration”, get back in the time machine, travel back to my grandparents’ childhood …..

In other words, we’re screwed.

It’s time to STOP thinking outside the box, and burn the f..ing box down.

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