A long history of bad ideas

 Lawmakers are doing so many outrageous things to undermine schools that it’s easy to forget that this kind of thing has been going on for generations. The country’s history of bad ideas about education is unfortunately long.

In 1922, Oregon voters enacted a law requiring students to attend public schools — and only public schools — through eighth grade. Private schools were essentially outlawed.

One of the enduring features of populist movements in the United States is hostility to immigrants and minorities. The law was aimed at parochial schools, especially Catholic schools. Private military and prep schools were collateral damage.

The law was struck down in 1925 by the U.S. Supreme Court in Pierce v. Society of Sisters. It was a 14^th Amendment case, a question of due process.

• For another 14^th Amendment case, Meyer v. Nebraska, see “The Right to Study,” May 22, 2023.