The use of contrived incentives to influence a child's educational choices is an effort to manipulate the child and therefore represents a soft form of coercion. The final method may be the only method that is consistent with a Libertarian philosophy. Persuasion, properly conducted, appeals to the reason of a child. Successful persuasion convinces a child of the correctness of a particular choice. Persuasion is not coercive but educational and contributes to the development of a child's reasoning ability.
Teachers function as surrogate parents .
Thus, a persuasion-based approach to education should also extend to teachers. A teacher can best exercise persuasion through a cooperative alliance with a student. In such an alliance, a student's participation and cooperation in the educational process is essential. Thus, education should be a persuasion-based process that is consistent with personal sovereignty and free choice. The most obvious educational practice that is contrary to this view is compulsory education .