Parents who are truly serious about their children s education have withdrawn from public schools. And parents who are not serious about their children s education do only the bare minimum to comply with the compulsory school attendance laws by which the teachers unions guarantee themselves a near monopoly power in their field. Ninety percent of American children attend public schools a far greater monopoly than Bill Gates ever dreamed of. Public schools fail for the same reason that all other forms of socialism fail as Mises and Hayek explained in great detail. The sincerity of school teachers, I do not doubt.
Misguided sincerity is one of the most dangerous things in the world.
We do not need to reform public schools. We ve been trying that approach for a century now. Public education needs to be abolished, period. I currently teach middle-school science in a small town in Oregon, and I would like to comment on David Horowitz's column on teacher testing in Arkansas. Incidentally, I am a conservative Republican and an admirer or Mr. Horowitz and his writings.