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Vouchers have had a massive resurgence, mostly in red states. I'm not sure how many have voucher systems but it's probably a dozen and more are implementing their own.
the need for self-exploration
I think it's hard for curious people to understand how uncurious most people are. Many just want to be told what they need to learn to get the piece of paper at the end.
I have always been naturally curious, I think. In school, I had to check this impulse in order to fall in line. The curriculum like it was more often stifling than fanning the flames and I feel I am lucky I didn't come out it completely jaded.
But then again, I was among the last generation of kids that actually played outside on my block, burning anthills with magnifying glasses, catching frogs out of the sewer grates. The same neighborhood now is dead quiet, even in the middle of the summer, presumably because what kids there are all sit inside glued to screens. I hope that isn't the case everywhere, and I wonder what it does to a person's natural curiosity. It can't be good, I imagine.
It's disturbing how rare it is to see kids out playing with each other. Our neighborhood is the same way.
He mentioned they had been tried in the U.S. but without much success. Iirc it was for the reason you mentioned. If governments' only role were to determine content for required state tests, do you still think thay gives them too much power?
It seems that way because that part is taken from Adam Smith, I believe. I think his point is that it is set up to be punitive, even coercive, to students and not so much to professors. Getting a poor review doesn't make much difference to a tenured professor who teaches a required course. Students have to sit through their (often) shitty lectures anyway.
I came to a similar conclusion. I like the way you put it with that tension. Anyone who has thought seriously about education recognizes the need for self-exploration; they will also have noticed that, in its extreme, this can be self destructive.