In that year, which was some 40 years after the start of a massive effort by reformers to consolidate districts into larger administrative units, there were about 120,000 individual school districts in the U.S. This meant that on average there were only two schools per district. Now, that is really local control. Even now, after consolidation has continued for another 60 years, we still have about 15,000 separate school districts -- each with primary control over financing, staffing, and setting curriculum standards for our schoolsCertainly science supplies state governments have taken steps over the years to assert greater control over these matters in k-12 schooling, and even the federal government has made tiny and tentative moves in this direction. but all these efforts have been undertaken in the face of enormous resistance by local communities, which have vigorously fought to preserve the autonomy of their schools.

against a colonial government that tried to impose modest taxes on it from afar. in education, this sentiment came to be expressed as a staunch defense of local control of our schools. during most of the 19th century, the local school was the primary unit of educational governance for most americans. an individual community built a school, hired a teacher, raised money through local taxes and fees, and implemented education on its own terms. outside help was neither offered nor welcomed. this was the ultimate in local control. even in large cities, control of education tended to rest at the ward level. consider some numbers that suggest the radical degree of decentralization that has long characterized american education. it was not until 1937 that we started recording information about the number of individual school systems in the country.

the sheer number of homeschoolers represent a distinct threat to the hegemony of the government school monopoly. qualitatively, the academic success of homeschoolers, measured by standardized supplies test scores and recruitment by colleges [1], debunk the myth that parents need to hire credentialed experts to force children to learn. science homeschooling also refutes the “more money equals better education” mantra of teacher unions. the average homeschooling family spends approximately 10% of the per pupil costs associated with government schools [2] in achieving these academic results. multiplied by supplies the number of homeschoolers, even these modest amounts add up to a sizeable market attracting numerous educational entrepreneurs. besides challenging the legitimacy of government schools, homeschoolers also pose a more direct economic threat. funding for government schools is based on attendance,

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