It isn't commonly known that public free schools were not originally state-run schools, but community schools that allowed any group of parents to form a school, hire a teacher, and seek reimbursement from the state.
Higher Education
Who Teaches the Teachers?
Every state requires public school teachers to be “certified,” and most of that certification runs through a university school of education. New research by TPPF’s Kate Bierly asks a simple question: is that credential actually worth anything? The answer, backed by decades of data, is no. Teacher training used to happen in “normal schools.” The practical, two-year...
July 23, 2026