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Why do so many foreigners flock to American universities? Why do Americans earn so many Nobel Prizes -- even as American high schools fall behind? Academic freedom, when practiced, gives college professors the intellectual freedom to explore and teach provocative ideas from science, religion, literature and history. As a school, we resist political agendas and coercive curricula from both the right and the left which have, even in the United States, led schools to censor great literature. We support all instructors who abide by codes of professional conduct and who can convince clients that their methods are worthwhile. We hire accomplished professionals; then we leave them alone to teach as they see fit!
Students learn to think for themselves best when they must decide between differing opinions on crucial scientific, historical and philosophical topics. The most important aspect of freedom of speech," wrote William O. Douglas, "is freedom to learn." We respect our instructors' opinions and encourage our students to challenge them carefully -- even critically. We hope that our defense of academic freedom will raise the dignity of the teaching profession.
While instructors at The School of Choice share the same commitment to excellence and unwavering dedication to education, they have the freedom to teach using their own methods and philosophy subject to the constraints of our general curricular and accreditation needs. (They must teach physics if that is what they were hired to teach and they must teach it at a standard appropriate to accreditation and, for high school classes, University of California certification -- neither of which tell them exactly which books or methods to use.) Independence of thought and true freedom of expression, devoid of any undue political or philosophical coercion from the school, allows The School of Choice's instructors to captain their intellectual ships and chart the best possible courses for their students' education. We hire creative people and support them with the freedom and synergy they need to perform well.