In Chapter 6 of The Calculus of Consent, Buchanan and Tullock wrote that rational individuals may choose the government to be in charge of their children's education, since parents may "not educate their own children sufficiently" themselves (page 75). Most American families are accustomed to having the option of public education available to them. However, due to the coronavirus pandemic, many parents do not feel safe sending their kids back to in-person school. A recent article in The Atlantic predicted parents "fleeing" from schools — maybe forever.
For parents debating whether keep their children home from school this year, they will likely incur some decision-making costs. Buchanan and Tullock explained that if two or more people are required to agree on a single decision, the time and effort required to reach consensus is introduced into the expected costs equation. As an increasing function, the more people who must agree before action is taken, the larger the decision-making costs will become as a result. If two parents and their children decide on a rule of unanimous consent for their family, decision-making costs will be higher than for parents who do not take into account their children's preferences. For a single parent who makes the decision alone, he or she will not have to spend any time or energy recruiting others to the winning side.
That parent will still worry about the effects of either homeschooling or returning to school on their child, however, no matter the ultimate decision. Right now, The Atlantic reports a common thread among all American families: “Parents are terrified of failing their children.”
No comments:
Post a Comment