School Choice
We support school choice and competition between schools to ensure academic excellence and quality education.
School Choice Kentucky
Our country is on a perilous path, and it’s no accident. Back in the late 1800s, there was a brilliantly evil plan to capture the hearts and minds of then future generations, and that plan has largely succeeded. A small group of men aspired to eradicate the Christian faith and American democracy through a secret weapon – the public school.
In 1840, Horace Mann, architect of the Common School Movement, said, “If American taxpayers could provide education for every child in America, within a short period of time the effect of the public school system would empty all the jails and prisons in the country … Let the home and church teach faith and values, and the school teach facts.”
Later, John Dewey, signer of the Humanist Manifesto I, and likely the most influential mind in modern K-12 education, championed the constructivist educational philosophy, which recreates “democracy” in the classroom by putting children with age-mates to “construct meaning.” Dewey believed that truth evolves over time and that classroom communities should work together to construct such truth.
In 1983 The Humanist magazine, published an essay by John J. Dunphy entitled , “A New Religion for the New Age.” In it Dunphy prophesied what has come to pass in today’s public schools and proclaimed, “I am convinced that the battle for humankind’s future must be waged and won in the public school classroom by teachers who correctly perceive their role as the proselytizers of a new faith: a religion of humanity . . . These teachers must embody the same selfless dedication as the most rabid fundamentalist preacher, for they will be ministers of another sort, utilizing a classroom instead of a pulpit to convey humanists’ values in whatever subject they teach . . .The classroom must and will become an arena of conflict between the old and the new — the rotting corpse of Christianity, together with all its adjacent evils and misery, and the new faith of humanism. . . .” (https://www.afa.net/the-stand/culture/2020/05/humanism-a-faith-for-atheists-secularists/ )
Therefore, when you look at what is happening in our country today, you can see that education has played a pivotal role in our downward spiral toward Marxism which is almost complete today. You might ask, is it too late to do anything about this? Are we too far gone?
Not necessarily. We have the power to use the exact same tool as Mann, Dewey, Dunphy, and other humanists did: education. Public schools may indeed be too far gone to save, but that doesn’t mean our children are. This is the time to pull children out of the public system and to pursue alternatives, such as home schooling (as low as $300/year), home schooling co-ops ($800 and up), and Christian schools ($6,000/year and up). In home schooling co-ops, students are at home 2-3 days a week and with other students the remaining days a week (possibly in a church). Micro-schools are a doable option for churches and communities that want to start up their own learning centers. Prices would vary depending on the church and the parents’ involved.
One of the most impactful types of education is homeschooling. Research shows that homeschooled students tend to score higher academically than their public schooled peers, but did you know that they also are likely to be better socialized as well? And they are hundreds of percentage points more likely to retain their parents’ values into adulthood.
For those who are skeptical of their own ability to teach their children, please keep in mind that generally nobody is more invested in their children’s education and upbringing than their parents. Studies even show that parents without a high school diploma can do a more effective job at educating their children than a classroom teacher can.
Homeschooling offers flexibility and options to educate children in a way that suits their families and capitalizes on their unique talents and abilities. While homeschooled children often outperform their peers academically, they also have more opportunities to explore non-academic pursuits that equip them for life.
Deuteronomy 6 provides an outline for education that is very simple: Teach your children to love and obey God, and to love and serve their fellow man. Do this every opportunity you get, from the time you wake till the time you go to bed. Do it through the daily activities of life, as you walk along the road and as you sit together around the table.
According to the Noah Webster 1828 Dictionary, education involves all of the instruction and discipline needed to “enlighten the understanding, correct the temper, and form the manners and habits of youth, and fit them for usefulness in their future stations” (Webster, n.d., “Education,” para. 1). The definition continues, “To give children a good education in manners, arts and science, is important; to give them a religious education is indispensable; and an immense responsibility rests on parents and guardians who neglect these duties” (Webster, n.d., “Education,” para. 1).
You see, it’s our job – not the government’s – to instill values, to teach facts, and to equip the next generation. While this may seem overwhelming, it’s also freeing!
If you are considering homeschooling, don’t think you have to go it alone. There are many individuals and groups who are ready to help:
The Homeschool Legal Defense Association (HSLDA) is a national organization that helps with legal issues and provides many resources for new and veteran homeschoolers. Christian Home Educators of Kentucky (CHEK) is their state counterpart, and has excellent resources on getting started and homeschooling legally. Throughout the Commonwealth, local homeschool support groups exist, such as Home For His Glory, in Louisville. RenewaNation is a national organization with a homeschool start-up kit that helps parents with the basics of beginning a homeschool journey. Cathy Duffy has reviews of 100s of curriculum options.
American Family Association is currently partnering with organizations and churches to support homeschool families with advice, resources, and even educational cooperative and pod start-up. We are eager to empower you to equip the next generation with a solid foundation, so please reach out to us. Email fsimon@afaky.org or call (502) 893-2444. And if you are a donor who wants to enable others to homeschool or to send their children to micro-schools or homeschool co-ops/pods, we would welcome that as well.
“A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher” (Luke 6:40 ESV). The question is, who do you want your children to grow up to be like? Who do we want influencing our children? If we are going to transform the culture, we have got to rescue our children from a hopeless and ineffective education system.
References
Agnes, M. (Ed.). (1999). Webster’s new world college dictionary. New York, NY: Macmillan USA.
Education (n.d.). In Webster’s dictionary 1828 online. Retrieved from http://webstersdictionary1828.com/Dictionary/education
Gutek, G.L. (2011). Historical and philosophical foundations of education: A biographical introduction. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education.
Ham, K. & Ham, S. (2006). Raising Godly children in and ungodly world: Leaving a lasting legacy. Green Forest, AR: Master Books.
Moreland, J.P. (2007). Kingdom triangle. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
Myers, J. & Noebel, D.A. (2015). Understanding the times: A survey of competing worldviews. Manitou Springs, CO: Summit Ministries.
Noah Webster House & West Hartford Historical Society. (n.d.). Noah Webster and religion: New testament, revised by Noah
Webster, 1833 [Web log post]. Retrieved from https://noahwebsterhouse.org/noah-webster-and-religion/
Phillips, W.G., Brown, W.E., & Stonestreet, J. Making sense of your world: A Biblical worldview. Salem, WI: Sheffield Publishing Co.
Schultz, G. (1998). Kingdom education: God’s plan for educating future generations. Nashville, TN: Lifeway.
Schaeffer, F.A. (1976). How should we then live?: The rise and decline of western thought and culture. Old Tappan, NJ: Fleming H. Revell Co.
Van Brummelen, H. (2002). Steppingstones to curriculum: A Biblical path. Colorado Springs, CO: Purposeful Design Publications.
Van Brummelen, H. (2009). Walking with God in the classroom: Christian approaches to teaching and learning Colorado Springs, CO: Purposeful Design Publications.
Download Your Copy Here.
