Free Speech

Rebecca Friedrichs: Why Good Teachers Want School Choice

Just in time for School Choice Week, Rebecca Friedrichs, a California public school teacher, partnered with Prager University to produce a short video describing why school choice programs lead to better educational outcomes. In the video, Friedrichs also discusses how government unions often stand in the way of reforms that make teachers and administrators more accountable to students and parents.

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Friedrichs is no stranger to unions standing in the way of reforms. Last year, Rebecca Friedrichs and nine other teachers filed a lawsuit against the California Teachers Association that eventually reached the Supreme Court. At issue was whether teachers would continue to be forced to fund union activities with which they politically disagree as a condition of employment. Rebecca and the other plaintiffs argued being forced to fund political positions they disagreed with violated their free speech rights. Unfortunately, the passing of Justice Scalia resulted in a split 4-4 decision that affirmed the lower court’s ruling against Rebecca and the other plaintiffs—keeping that requirement in place.

Despite the disappointing outcome at the Supreme Court, Rebecca continues to be a champion for kids across the country and for parents looking to provide the best possible education for their children. For more information on how state school choice programs compare and ideas to reform public education, check out www.alecreportcard.org.


In Depth: Free Speech

Freedom of speech is paramount for the American system of government and American culture. Born from revolution, American society has been created, evolved and progressed based in part, on the First Amendment. More specifically, free speech allows individual’s to use their own voice to ensure “We the People” would control…

+ Free Speech In Depth