Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Public education = educating the public

"Public education is an end, not a means," Cato Institute scholar Dr. Adam Schaeffer reminds us. "For a democratic nation to thrive, its schools must prepare children not only for success in private life but for participation in public life. It must foster harmonious social relations among the disparate groups in our pluralistic society and ensure universal access to a quality education. Unfortunately, the American school system has long fallen short as a means of fulfilling these purposes."

How might we more effectively deliver on the promise of public education? "By ensuring that all families have the means to choose their children's schools from a diverse market of education providers. All education providers—government, religious, and secular—can contribute to public education because all can serve the public by educating children."

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