Freedom of Education

In Holland throughout the nineteenth century a political battle raged over the issue of the State monopoly on tuition-free education. It was opposed under the banner of "Freedom of Education" and the Separation of Church and State. The Dutch called it "De Schoolstrijd" (The Battle of the Schools). The policy issues surrounding school vouchers and school choice in America are in essence the same issues that were at the heart of De Schoolstrijd. This book traces the history of that battle. The lessons of Dutch history point to alternative solutions to the issue of school vouchers and school choice that could be applied to the American debate. The Dutch equated Freedom of Education with Freedom of Conscience and Freedom of Religion, and came to realize that a secular tuition-free Public School forced parents into making a choice between their conscience and their pocketbook. The Dutch solution was the Separation of School and State by funding all schools equally, both public and private.