THE MYTH OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS BEING AN AMERICAN INSTITUTION
We call them public schools , but we should call them what they are — government schools . Government schools were not part of America ’ s founding , nor were they ever mentioned by our Founding Fathers . In fact , public school systems were not widespread until the late 1800s . Before then , all schools were privately operated , and most of them were connected to a church . As education researcher Sam Blumenthal has written , this patchwork system of education produced a higher literacy rate than we have today .
There are strong moral reasons to oppose public schools as well . The Bible instructs parents to be responsible for raising their children and instilling in them virtuous values ( see Prov . 23:13-14 ; Luke 2:48-52 ; Gal . 4:3-3 ; Eph . 6:1-4 ; Col . 3:20-24 ). The public schools claim not to teach religion , but they do . Humanism and atheism , both of which are religious doctrines , are taught . By turning our children over to the public schools , we have allowed liberal activists to supplant the values most parents teach at home .
WHAT CAN PARENTS DO ? It is time parents used their influence and connections to create stronger private schools and homeschool networks . What a shame that thousands of churches in our country have unused facilities Monday through Friday . If the Christian community is serious about raising the next generation to be productive , law-abiding , virtuous people , then every Christian church should consider creating a school using their facility . Smaller churches can partner with other like-minded churches on such a project .
If existing private schools are inadequate , parents need to start their own schools . It would be wise to approach churches to undertake this project , so the facility construction cost is not an issue . Moreover , most churches have a body of educated people who can serve as teachers . The first thing to do is form
“ Public school systems were not widespread until the late 1800s . Before then , all schools were privately operated , and most of them were connected to a church .” a board of knowledgeable people who explore all options regarding facilities , teachers , tuition , textbooks , etc . There are tons of resources online to help those who start private schools . The RenewaNation article How to Start a Christian School with Limited Funds gives the key components necessary to start a Christian school successfully . Visit renewanation . org / startups for information about the RenewaNation Christian School Startup Program , which partners with churches and others to help start new Christian schools and provides coaching and support to sustain schools long term .
If hundreds of parents residing in a school district were to pull their children out of public schools and enroll in existing private schools — or create new ones — this could lead to a strong and vibrant network of private schools that could band together to form sports leagues , debate competitions , etc .
It is possible to create a network of private schools that rivals public school academics and extracurricular activities . Moreover , on average , private school students outperform public school students on every measurement .
Then there ’ s the homeschool option . There are at least five million homeschoolers in the U . S . today . Our government can ’ t stop this movement , nor can they compel a student to attend a public school . Homeschool graduates are sought-after students by top colleges because they are light years ahead of public school kids on just about every academic measurement .
Homeschooling comes in many different forms . In some cases , multiple families partner together , hiring tutors to cover areas they are not knowledgeable about and rotating homes where the kids meet . Many homeschool families subscribe to online programs that feature top educators . Homeschool networks in almost every state will help parents learn how to do this . Some homeschool networks have places where they meet other homeschoolers
36 THE RENEWANATION REVIEW