ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book looks at major symptomatic problems of American K-12 education, and those aspects of the conflict between educational finance monopoly (EFM) and school choice which can be spoken of generally. It explores at greater depth a very special and troubling symptom of our current K-12 funding policy. The book describes and analyzes a powerful and obvious cure for EFM and for EFM's humanly costly symptoms: school choice without financial penalty. It examines the ethical dimension of education, the logical prerequisites for ethical teaching and formation, and the growth of social and ethical pluralism in a free society. The book also examines the excellent experiences of various nations with full-fledged school choice policies. It discusses the process of identifying the reasons why, despite its great attractiveness, parental freedom via school choice has been thwarted and EFM has been sustained.
