Are anarchists for or against public schools?

Question

In addition, do anarchists prefer to take their children to public school, private school, or home school?

Answer 1

yes to all. and no to all too.
some anarchists are for public schools because they are one of the institutions that allows for mixing of populations, allows the creation of a social skills set that's not usually available to private and/or home schooled children. public schools are also supported by leftist anarchists because in general they are presumed to be more egalitarian than private schools.
anarchists also like private schools because they can have some of the benefits of a public school (broader social base than a home, and the child care function for working-away-from-home parents), and some of the benefits of home schooling (more liberal criteria and values).
anarchists also like home schooling because institutions suck and frequently tear children down, teach them shit values, etc.

Answer 2

I want to add that in general, anarchists are against the current construction of what is "public" (a social common formed and administered by the State) because they are against the State, but they may or may not embrace the service being provided by the State that in other situations could be provided through self-organization without government.

Some anarchists are in favor of institutional education and favor alternatives, such as the rationalist education of the Modern School movement (see Paul Avrich's book for more on this topic), others favor forms of learning that are removed from any institutional setting or age limitations and returned to the entirety of life.

In any case, nearly all anarchists will be in favor of unhindered access to education or learning resources, and specific anarchists have been very influential in movements of alternative education, from the aforementioned Modern Schools to ongoing Free Schools.

Answer 3

No school!  At least according to our current thoughts, structure, and concepts.  Schools are a processing machine that denies originality and diversity.  It limits creative thought and alternative answers and questions.

Its structure is hierarchical and promotes a class oriented concept of society though a value system that sees the more gifted and intelligent students as better and more valuable than others.  All should be encouraged to the best of their ability or desire.  To push within themselves or casually develop into seeing everyone stands on equal ground and no one should have dominance over another.

Tear all schools down and base the development of a person more within the conditions of anarchy and the diversity of each person.

Comments

you cannot logically be an anarchist and support "public schools." they are state institutions funded by extortion. as basically mentioned, the term "public" usually means "state." in economics "public goods or services" are goods or services which the provider cannot regulate who receives it, such as a radio broadcast. this is tied to the "we the people" propaganda the 'state' uses to make people think that "public property" means "the public is considered the owner (after all, the state demands you pay for it under threat of violence whether you want/use or not o.O)" - but 'the public' is just a floating abstraction. it always boils down to some group, and in this case, it's the state. if 'public schools' werent funded by extortion, if it wasnt considered compulsory that you attend, if the state didnt regulate all the curriculum, and if some people got together and made a school and started teaching (even now just out of the house or wherever) and offered it as a service, fine.. as long as they dont coerce people to pay for it, to attend, etc, it's consistent with anarchist principles (the non-aggression principle, individual sovereignty, "self-ownership," liberty). though "private schools" are still under the boot of the state, they essentially  consistent with anarchist principles as they usually gather their funds through voluntary (as can be given the situation of current property relations, what some call "capitalism" and others call "socialism,"  the states demands, etc) payment of tuition.

Answer 4

I personally hate all traditional schooling, public or private. The very concept of forcing children to sit in class all day and be indoctrinated runs against the very core of anarchist ideas.

However, I have no problem with tax money going towards education, that's a good thing. Nobody should be forced to do it though.

Comments

so many years later, let me say that i voted down this answer because a, it's not an answer to the question, b, it proposes a contradiction (at least on the face of it) that it doesn't explain or defend, and c) anarchists are not for taxes ffs.

in case anyone was confused.