Horace’s Hope, Friedman’s Folly: The Purpose and Promise of Public Common Schools in a Democratic Republic

Horace's Hope, Friedman's Folly explains the forces behind the privatization of education and debunks the idea that public education should be based on a capitalistic model. It presents the original 6 principles of public education and contrasts them with the economic model of education promoted by Milton Friedman.

Format: Hardback
Length: 136 pages
Publication date: 19 March 2024
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield

Horace's Hope, Friedman's Folly delves into the dynamics driving contemporary endeavors to privatize education. It endeavors to dispel the notion that public education should be predicated on a capitalistic framework, wherein the education of our youth is entrusted to corporations. This endeavor is achieved by presenting the original six principles of public education, as articulated by Horace Mann, which serve as the foundation of most state legislation pertaining to the establishment of public schools. Citizens cannot simultaneously possess ignorance and freedom. The public should assume responsibility for funding, governing, and upholding the educational system. Children from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds should receive an equal education. The curriculum should be devoid of religious influence. The educational approach should be rooted in the principles of a free society. These principles stand in stark contrast to the economic model of education championed by economist Milton Friedman, which promotes a re-segregation of our children based on race and creed, rather than equipping them for life as active members of our democratic republic.

Weight: 363g
Dimension: 236 x 161 x 14 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781475872644