Should school systems be self-regulating?
Presidential candidates vice president Harris and former president Trump are debating school choice, among many topics. While the overall topic is quite complex with multiple layers of debate, one item of discussion is if tax credits should be given to families with homeschooled students or students attending private schools. In general, Harris opposes using taxpayer money to fund alternative education options, believing it will further disadvantage those who need public education the most while subsidizing the wealthy who would pay for private education regardless of a voucher. [1] Trump, on the other hand, believes in school privatization, believing that families should have the option of choosing the best education to meet their children’s needs. [2] In theory, schools will have to compete with each other, and this competition will make them all better, and close down the poor performers.
When I first heard about the school choice debate, I considered my own personal financial gain because one of my children attends a private school. Then I also considered a potential improvement in private schools with additional funding sources. A tax credit to offset the cost of tuition would be a huge blessing to our family, but as I considered the best interests of our country at large, I wasn’t sure if I could give the same endorsement.
We homeschooled our children for several years and living in Texas, have appreciated the educational freedoms afforded to our family – there is absolutely no regulation around homeschooling in Texas. As I contemplated our great homeschool experience, I couldn’t help but think about what will happen to kids who come from tough backgrounds when their parents want to homeschool them. Some kids from tough backgrounds already miss a lot of school, but if you throw a financial incentive to unenrolling kids (ie homeschooling), I have concern that this will be abused and the most disenfranchised kids will be the ones to suffer the most.
This week’s reading from Karl Polanyi was a perfect companion to my internal debate on school choice. Karl Polanyi was a Viennan philosopher, historian, economic historian, political economist, and anthropologist. In his classic book, The Great Transformation: The Political and Economic Origins of Our Time, Polanyi analyzes the changes brought about by the industrial revolution from an economic and social theory perspective. [3]
A quick Google search reveals an enormous amount of literature on The Great Transformation, spanning from critiques to defenses of the work. Jeremy Adelman calls Polanyi the “failed prophet of moral economics” and Steven Klein critiques Adelman’s critique. [4][5]
Whether you think Polanyi was a failed prophet or genius, his writing should give us plenty to consider.
Polanyi describes how the industrial revolution brought major changes to society. Before the industrial revolution, people primarily lived off the land and bartered for things they needed. Society was governed by a sense of reciprocity where people would share with each other when they had an abundant harvest or when someone was in a time of need. In short, economic activities were embedded in social relationships. But after the industrial revolution, a disembedding came to these economic activities where land, labor, and money turned into fictitious commodities to be bought and sold.
Polanyi coined the term “double movement” in which two opposing forces balance each other out in societies. On one side, self-regulating markets treat land, labor and money as commodities and the market will determine the value of each. On the other side, there is a society which pushes back against the free market, requiring protection from harms caused by this free market logic.
In chapter 4 of his thesis, Evangelicalism and Capitalism: A Reparative Account and Diagnosis of Pathogeneses in the Relationship, Jason Clark uncovers some gaps in Polanyi’s thinking, especially in how evangelicalism has played a critical role in the double movement, resisting the harmful effects of capitalism and free market economics.
So should school systems conform to self-regulating principles? I can see both sides of the argument and pray that policy makers consider what brings the most good for the entire population. And if change comes that further distances the disenfranchised, the church has a job to do and I know the church can step up to the task. As Clark uncovered, the church has been pushing back darkness for centuries and will continue to play a role in the double movement to shine the light of Christ where needed most.
Bibliography
[1] Allison Parshall, “How the 2024 Election Could Reshape Education, from Pre-K to College,” Scientific American, October 14, 2024, https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/trump-and-harris-have-vastly-different-plans-for-public-education/.
[2] Ibid.
[3] Karl Polanyi, The Great Transformation: The Political and Economic Origins of Our Time (New York: Octagon Books, 1975).
[4] Jeremy Adelman, “Polanyi, the Failed Prophet of Moral Economics,” n.d., sec. Class & Inequality, https://www.bostonreview.net/articles/jeremy-adelman-polanyi/.
[5] Steve Klein, “How (Not) to Criticize Karl Polanyi,” Democracy Journal of Ideas, June 5, 2017, sec. The Alcove, https://democracyjournal.org/alcove/how-not-to-criticize-karl-polanyi/.
[6] Jason Paul Clark, “Evangelicalism and Capitalism: A Reparative Account and Diagnosis of Pathogeneses in the Relationship,” Faculty Publications – Portland Seminary. 132 (June 2018), https://digitalcommons.georgefox.edu/gfes/132, 122-165.
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Christy Liner
14 responses to “Should school systems be self-regulating? ”
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Great blog Christy. Can I ask two questions? If self-regulating market principles were to shape the education system, what protective societal mechanisms might be necessary to support the most vulnerable students? Thinking about Dr Clark’s argument, what role could the church play in balancing these forces to ensure that educational reforms do not widen disparities but instead create a more equitable education landscape?
Hi Glyn, great question. At this point, I confess that I have more questions than answers. As I was writing my blog, the main point I was considering is when parents ‘homeschool’ their kids for a financial incentive. These kids get completely overlooked. I have run into kids like this – but not without getting out of my normal circles. The church will have to be willing to get into different spaces to meet children who they wouldn’t normally cross paths with. This is easier said than done!
While we lived in California, we homeschooled our kids through a charter program. We were given some limited funding to purchase specific curriculum (anything non-religious). It wasn’t much but it did allow us the ability to have some money to cover the expenses. There was also oversight.
While living here in Minnesota, there is not funding for this same type of education. I wonder if our elected officials might find some sort of pathway forward navigating the two polar extremes.
Christy, I appreciated your perspective and experience on education. I grew up in state with high levels of accountability for anyone choosing a non-public school option. Even with these high regulations, people still slipped through the cracks and abused the system. The ones who suffered were the children.
Hi Christy, You bring up an interesting topic concerning school systems and self-regulating principles. Interestingly enough, over here in Earth’s biggest sandbox, the government is working to close all private school options and transition to using only the public system. After reading your post, I think I should research this topic more, as it impacts many families in my country. What kind of “double-movement” would you predict if American families were to receive tax credits for their homeschool or private school students?
Hi Elysse – what is the motivation behind closing the private schools in your area?
If homeschooling has a financial incentivize behind it, the church will have to seek out the kids that get left behind. They fall through the cracks so easily.
Hi Christy,
I resonated so much with your post. Thank you for bringing the double-movement in to your blog. I recall that Sunday School began as a way to educate poor working children who could not otherwise receive an education in the 18th century – back when the church was a stronger “discipline” to the market than it is today. What role can you envision ‘the church’ or ‘churches’ playing in moderating educational discrepancies currently?
Hi Julie, I didn’t know the history of Sunday school, I love that!
The church can definitely help to moderate educational discrepancies but I am more concerned about kids who get no education at all. I don’t have easy solutions but imagine it will involve the church being on the lookout for such kids!
Hi Christy, you discussion on schools struck a cord. When I look at the public v private education, there are a lot of differences, and money is not at the top of the list. One of the most significant, in my mind, is that if a child does not fit well with a private school due to academics or behavior, the child is removed from the school. Public schools do not have the right to kick someone out until the child has made a horrible mistake. Public schools do not have that options and teachers must try to maintain a classroom with kids all along the spectrum of engagement. Do you have any thought how Polanyi may have responded to that type of situation?
Hi Diane, great thinking! Public schools offer one more safety layer to make sure that kids don’t get left behind. This is so tricky because I also understand parents that want to send their children to a different school when public school isn’t the best fit for their child.
Hey Christy Thanks for this. The school debate is a hot one in my neighborhood as well. I appreciate how you tied it together and made the correlation with Polayni.
You mentioned the church stepping up to the task. How do see the church playing this role in solving this crisis?
Great post, Christy. I love your correlation with school systems. Oklahoma and Texas have similar leadership ideologies; however, recently, our legislature granted families a tax credit that can be applied to private schools, home schools, and religious schools. It also chartered its first public religious school in the nation, which our supreme court has rejected.
What would Polanyi say about using public tax dollars to fund a religious public charter school? What market forces might he consider?
Christy, thank you for your post. I appreciate the way you bring the school choice debate into the conversation. You mentioned the work of Polanyi, which should give us plenty to consider. Of the principles he offers, you spend some time on his idea of “double movement.” Do you understand this toChristy, thank you for your post. I appreciate the way you incorporate the school choice debate into the conversation. You mentioned the work of Polanyi, which provides us with much to consider. In particular, you focused on his concept of “double movement.” Do you view this concept as merely descriptive of society, or do you consider it to be prescriptive as well?
Great question! It seems that as long as sinners are still running this earth, the church will have to push back on forces of evil. What do you think?