Mr. and Mrs. Smith attended traditional public schools, but chose a different path when it came time to choose how to school their own children. The Smiths have a son and a daughter, both of whom were educated both through homeschooling and in private schools. Their daughter, however, decided she wanted something different for high school. 

Florida Governor Rick Scott has signed a new educational reform bill into law which some are calling “an education revolution.” This bill is aimed at revamping high school education in the state of Florida that will lead to more students being able to get a job upon graduation. 

When it comes to education reform, there is a lot of misinformation out there. While it has been shown time and time again that school choice is a win-win situation for everyone involved, there are those who continue to argue against it. Perhaps a little empirical evidence will change some minds.

This school year, Virginia Kruta made the leap from private schooling to homeschooling her four children. Virginia attended public school through sixth grade, then moved to a Christian prep school until graduation. Her husband Jim attended private Christian school through eighth grade, then attended the same Christian prep school. So, with experience in both public and private schools, what made this family to decide that homeschooling was the right fit for their family? 

Originally posted March 28, 2013 - As a 15 year old, I never imagined my activism in politics would translate into controversy for me at school.

Meet the Thompsons, a homeschooling family from Texas. Mr. and Mrs. Thompson both attended traditional public schools, but decided they wanted something different for their own four children. So, how did this family decide that homeschooling was best for them, and what happened next?

Quietly and almost without notice, an initiative which significantly erodes local and state control of school curriculum has passed in 46 states. The Common Core Standards Initiative sets Math and English curriculum in every participating state at the same level. In adopting this “common core” states are relinquishing their right to compose their own education requirements.

Today, the Indiana Supreme Court made an important decision for families in that state by unanimously upholding their school voucher law. “Finding that the challengers have not satisfied the high burden required to invalidate a statute on constitutional grounds, we affirm the trial court’s judgment upholding the constitutionality of the statutory voucher program,” the court wrote.

It might seem strange to suggest that the American educational system look to bourbon, but maybe that is just what they need. Maker’s Mark had a little lesson in free market economics this week, and schools should take note. 

The first part of this series focused on the various efforts around the country to establish school choice. This piece attempts to shed light upon the history of compulsory public education in America. As the nation debates the merits of school choice I’ve noticed a common theme in the arguments of the ideas’ opponents. They assert that the implementation of school choice would abandon a noble tradition with early roots in the American founding.