For those who wish to further mankind’s happiness, there is an outstanding alternative to writing a check to rotted institutions of allegedly higher learning. The charter school movement represents the American desire for improvement at its finest.
A charter school’s impetus comes from the parents who wish for a different choice for their and their neighbors’ children, something that better fits students’ quest for knowledge. Just as children’s learning methods differ, charter schools come in an almost infinite variety and flavor. They represent a resurgence of education, the Ameri-can-do attitude, and grassroots volunteerism.
At a recent event at Merit Academy, a classical charter school in Woodland Park, Colorado, students listened raptly as a 106-year-old veteran of the Battle of Britain, former Capt. Monica Kinnaman, discussed what it was like to defend civilization against tyranny. Classes like these, containing timeless lessons learned from valued elders, inoculate against the fevers currently sweeping college campuses.
Alexander Pope claimed that “education forms the common mind. Just as the twig is bent, the tree’s inclined.” Americans must agree, as education’s importance has permeated the national psyche since our establishment. The Northwest Ordinance, sometimes referred to as our fourth founding document, expressed this truth eloquently when passed on July 13, 1787. It asserted that “religion, morality, and knowledge, being necessary to good government and the happiness of mankind, schools and the means of education shall forever be encouraged.”
Today, that commitment to furthering education in America remains strong. Last year, institutions of higher learning raked in nearly $60
