"[The children's] parents know not how to instruct them.... The state, in the warmth of her affection and solicitude for their welfare, must take charge of those children and place them in school where their minds can be enlightened and their hearts trained to virtue."
Archibald D. Murphey, founder of the North Carolina public schools |
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Myths of Government Schooling
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| Myth #1: The United States was founded on a philosophy or principle of "public" education; thus, the public school system is the Holy Cornerstone of Democracy.
Myth #2: Government schools are truly "public" schools.
Myth #3: "Private" schools are more expensive than "public" schools, and it follows, therefore, that only the rich can afford them; that's why we need "public" schooling.
Myth #4: We are a more literate nation today than we were prior to compulsory government schooling.
Myth #5: Before the government take-over of education, there weren't enough schools, and many parents neglected their children's education.
Myth #6: The "public" schools would improve if only they had enough money to do the job right. |
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Myth #5: Prior to the government take-over of education, there weren't enough schools, and many parents neglected their children's education.
Private education was in wide demand in the decades prior to compulsory schooling, with the result that tutors and privately run schools were widely available, and large numbers of children from all classes of society received several years of education.
More to come....
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