Counter Markets

Financial Newsletter for Free Marketeers and Libertarian Entrepreneurs

Education

Public School Enrollment Plummets as Private Schools See Gains

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By Kerry McDonald Ongoing and renewed shutdowns of public schools across the country due to the COVID-19 pandemic have resulted in astonishing public school enrollment drops. NPR recently reported that public school districts in at least 20 states have seen shrinking numbers of students this fall, with Orange County and Miami-Dade County in Florida down 8,000 and 16,000 … [Read more...] about Public School Enrollment Plummets as Private Schools See Gains

New Report Shows Stunning Success of Apprenticeship Program as College Alternative

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By Brad Polumbo The average American college student graduates with $30,000 in debt, and the cost of college has more than doubled since 1985 even after accounting for inflation. Unfortunately, due to a lack of other options, many students feel forced into this expensive system even when they can’t afford it or don’t really need a traditional college degree to pursue their … [Read more...] about New Report Shows Stunning Success of Apprenticeship Program as College Alternative

Socialist Critique of Libertarian Children’s Books Drives Massive Surge in Sales

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By Kerry McDonald As Connor Boyack recently discovered, there is no such thing as bad publicity. The creator of the popular Tuttle Twins children’s book series, which reinforces libertarian values and free-market principles, saw his book sales surge after an established progressive magazine wrote a lengthy feature article attacking the books. Current Affairs published the … [Read more...] about Socialist Critique of Libertarian Children’s Books Drives Massive Surge in Sales

Need to Teach Your Kids about Personal Finance? Here Are Some Fun and Engaging Ways to Start

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By Sam Bocetta One of the most important skills that parents can pass on to their children is the correct and responsible way to handle money. Considering how important financial literacy is for navigating life, it's surprising that it isn't generally taught in schools. This also makes it all the more important that, as a parent, you impart these crucial life skills. The … [Read more...] about Need to Teach Your Kids about Personal Finance? Here Are Some Fun and Engaging Ways to Start

The Best And Worst States For Homeschool Freedom

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By Simon Black, Sovereign Man Pennsylvania is among the most restrictive states when it comes to the freedom to homeschool your children. The state requires that parents teach their children state-mandated subjects for 180 days per year, for at least 900 hours. Tests must be administered, and the district must assess the child at the end of each school year. Immunizations … [Read more...] about The Best And Worst States For Homeschool Freedom

Back-To-School 2020: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

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By Kerry McDonald September feels a lot different this year, as the usual back-to-school buzz is tainted with uncertainty. Many schools have reopened for in-person learning with social distancing stipulations, although most larger, urban school districts remain remote-only for the foreseeable future. Some schools opened then quickly closed. Pandemic pods continue to … [Read more...] about Back-To-School 2020: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Gallup Poll: Homeschooling Rate Doubles as School Satisfaction Plummets

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By Kerry McDonald Results of a new Gallup poll released this week may give us the sharpest look yet at how the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted American education and what may lie ahead. According to the poll, parents’ overall satisfaction with their child’s education dropped 10 percent over last year, while at the same time the number of parents saying they will choose … [Read more...] about Gallup Poll: Homeschooling Rate Doubles as School Satisfaction Plummets

Could COVID-19 End the Government Monopoly on Education?

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By Daniel J. Mitchell The coronavirus has been horrible news, most obviously because of death and suffering. But the disease has also wreaked havoc with the economy and given politicians an excuse to push counterproductive policies. But if you want to find a silver lining to that dark cloud, the virus may be putting pressure on America’s government school monopoly. For … [Read more...] about Could COVID-19 End the Government Monopoly on Education?

Back to School? “No Thanks” Say Millions of New Homeschooling Parents

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By Kerry McDonald Next month marks the beginning of the 2020/2021 academic year in several US states, and pressure is mounting to reopen schools even as the COVID-19 pandemic persists. Florida, for example, is now considered the nation’s No. 1 hot spot for the virus; yet on Monday, the state’s education commissioner issued an executive order mandating that all Florida … [Read more...] about Back to School? “No Thanks” Say Millions of New Homeschooling Parents

The 2007 Origins of Forced School Closings and Mandatory Human Separation

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By Jeffrey A. Tucker The idea of a full lockdown of society in the event of a pandemic first emerged as an extremist proposal in 2006, issued by a computer scientist as part of George W. Bush’s preparations for biowarfare. It provoked a fierce response by the world’s leading epidemiologist Donald Henderson and his colleagues. That proposal, issued by Robert Glass under the … [Read more...] about The 2007 Origins of Forced School Closings and Mandatory Human Separation

The CDC’s Guidelines for Back-to-School Under COVID Sound Traumatizing

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By Kerry McDonald When schools reopen in the US amidst the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, they will be even more restrictive than they already were. Schools have long controlled students’ movements and imposed constraints on where they can go, when, and with whom. With virus concerns, those controls will increase in quantity and intensity. NPR recently proclaimed that … [Read more...] about The CDC’s Guidelines for Back-to-School Under COVID Sound Traumatizing

Harvard’s Latest Attack on Homeschooling Abuses Reason and Justice

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By Kerry McDonald Harvard University publications continue to present a skewed perspective of homeschooling, spotlighting Harvard Law School professor Elizabeth Bartholet’s call for a “presumptive ban” on homeschooling while failing to provide an accurate picture of American homeschooling. In addition to the recent Harvard Magazine article on “The Risks of Homeschooling,” … [Read more...] about Harvard’s Latest Attack on Homeschooling Abuses Reason and Justice