(Mises)—Socialist Antonio Gramsci’s “long march through the institutions” describes the slow and gradual intellectual capture of a society through its influential and powerful institutions, including the church, media, the arts, corporations, schools, and universities, eventually leading to full infiltration.
It takes little awareness to realize that these strategies have succeeded. In the United States, all of Gramsci’s institutions are now socialist in their politics and collectivist in their ethics.
To freedom-minded individuals, arguably the most critical of Gramsci’s institutions are the schools. The greater the extent that children can gain appropriate skills of reason and moral instruction in their formative years—avoiding collectivist indoctrination—the better equipped they will be to defend themselves from a culture that has evolved sharply leftward. However, how can this be achieved if the schools themselves are already captured?
Homeschooling is a solution to childhood indoctrination by a group of people who, in the main, despise parents and their children. Teaching critical race theory, collectivism, and pornography to children is their way of showing it. As Michael Malice often says, “These people want you dead, but they’ll settle for your submission.” Parents shouldn’t offer it.
Academic Outcomes in Traditional versus Homeschool Environments
An analysis of the desirability of traditional schooling should start with an evaluation of its efficacy. A concrete goal of primary and secondary schooling is academic competence as measured by standardized testing, so how do traditionally schooled students perform on this measure?
The results are pathetic. As of a few years ago, fifteen-year-old American students taking the Programme for International Student Assessment ranked at or near the world average for science and reading and well below the world average for mathematics. This has been the case for decades, with essentially no improvement in that time.
In the meantime, homeschooled students are excelling, scoring 12 and 22 percentile points higher than private and public-school students respectively on standardized academic achievement tests. This is the case across race and income demographics. A 2015 study showed black homeschool students scoring 23 to 42 percentile points above black public school students.
These results should not be surprising. Traditional schooling, with its rigid one-size-fits-all approach, is oppressive to the intellect and especially harmful to gifted children, who must stifle their natural drive in favor of group conformity.
For the left-wing academic establishment, this forced mediocrity is a feature, not a bug. By instilling boredom and dulling the senses, students are primed to accept the premises of collectivist ethics and receive any instruction—no matter how absurd—as authoritative.
Homeschooling, on the other hand, prioritizes individuals and their personal potential. Far from stifling children’s natural gifts, such instruction enhances them. Freed from mindless conformity, children can pursue their lessons and interests in an environment that is receptive and natural, instead of rigid and artificial.
Hold On to Your Kids—Social Skills and Happiness
As a complement to academic achievement, homeschooling tends to produce well-rounded children compared to traditional schooling. While diminished social skills are often noted by opponents—without evidence—as a drawback to homeschooling, the facts show the opposite.
A 2006 study used a fifty-five-item Social Skills Rating Scale to gather data on children’s overall social skills, including individual categories of cooperation, assertion, responsibility, and self-control.
The Social Skills Rating Scale indicated that homeschooled students demonstrated above-average social skills and overall scores that were 15 percent higher than the traditionally schooled, including higher scores in each of the individual categories.
Within traditional schools, on the other hand, children are subjected to the relatively modern and harmful phenomenon of peer orientation. From Gordon Neufeld and Gabor Maté’s book Hold on to Your Kids: “Peer orientation refers to the tendency of children and youth to look to their peers for direction: for their sense of right and wrong, codes of conduct, and their very identity. Peer orientation undermines family cohesion, sabotages healthy development, and fosters an aggressive and prematurely sexualized youth culture.”
Leftist inculcation and moral stultification from teachers are hardly necessary when peer orientation, including social media, does the work for them. Today, children and teens suffer from high rates of depression, anxiety, and suicide. Fortunately for homeschoolers, that fate is largely avoided.
Value > Cost
In recent years, homeschooling has grown faster than any other form of education, as shown by Figure 1. This is true across races, incomes, and locations within the US. Many parents switched to homeschooling due to concerns with traditional schools’ practices during the covid panic, including mandatory mask wearing.
Despite this growth, the proportion of K–12 students in the US that are homeschooled is still relatively small, at roughly 5 percent. That figure may increase further if the benefits associated with homeschooling are more widely known and the difficulties more clearly addressed.
In this context, parents may feel that separating from the pack and homeschooling their children are too much of a challenge, specifically with regard to logistics and the perceived inability to manage a child’s homeschooling in combination with their own professional responsibilities.
As Thomas Sowell has observed, in a society with limited resources, there are no solutions, only tradeoffs. Parents pulling their children from traditional schools into homeschooling are indeed looking at a higher degree of involvement and effort in their children’s lives. This might entail a temporary reduction in work hours, income, and social life. In exchange, they receive the peace of mind that comes from knowing that they refused to give over their pride and joy to a system that wishes to dehumanize them. Ultimately, what’s gained is the distinct sense of attachment and pride that comes with raising a productive, accomplished, and truly confident child equipped to succeed in the real world.
Overcoming Inaction
Significant inertia is leaving the vast majority of parents tied to traditional schooling, which has proven to be an obsolete and harmful system. Bureaucrats, labor unions, and ghoulish university professors speaking out against homeschooling—even proposing a nationwide ban—do so because they believe other people’s children are their property. Those who think this way have earned contempt, not the privilege of teaching the next generation. Parents would do well to bring that responsibility back into the home.
About the Author
Artis Shepherd is the Founder and Managing Partner of a private equity firm based in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, and previously worked for a sovereign wealth fund in the Middle East overseeing their hospitality investments in Europe, Africa, and Asia. He has a BS in Computer/Electrical Engineering from Purdue University and an MBA from the University of Chicago (Booth) Graduate School of Business. He publishes content at MTSObserver.substack.com.
Starting the Day With a Scripture-Inspired Roast Helps Center Your Thoughts on Eternal Truths Amid Temporal Pressures
The world can seem chaotic, especially right after we wake up. Many believers start their mornings reaching for something familiar — a hot cup of coffee — yet end up settling for mediocre brews that do little more than deliver a caffeine jolt. The daily grind of life, with its endless distractions, news cycles, and responsibilities, can leave even the most faithful feeling spiritually parched alongside their physical fatigue. What if your morning ritual could do more than wake you up? What if it could ground you in truth, nourish your body with exceptional quality, and quietly advance a kingdom purpose at the same time?
That’s the promise — and the reality — behind Promised Grounds Coffee. This Christian-founded company doesn’t just roast beans; it approaches every step as an act of worship and discipleship. By selecting only the top 10% of specialty-grade beans, ethically sourced from dedicated farmers in Central and South America, and small-batch roasting them with reverence in Austin, Texas, Promised Grounds delivers what many describe as the best coffee available — never burnt, never bland, but rich with origin stories and layered flavors that honor God’s creation.
From the vibrant Psalm 27 Roast (a light, bright medium option) to the bold yet peaceful 2 Timothy 1:7 Decaf, each bag carries a Scripture verse that turns your daily pour into a gentle reminder of faith. And through their Ounce Per Ounce Promise, every ounce of coffee you enjoy provides an equal ounce of clean water to families in need via partnership with Filter of Hope — literally brewing hope for body and soul, one cup at a time.
The challenge for today’s Christians runs deeper than finding a decent cup. In an age of convenience-driven consumerism, it’s easy to support companies that dilute values or remain silent on matters of faith. Many believers want their everyday choices — from what they drink to how they spend — to reflect discipleship rather than just convenience. Promised Grounds solves this by weaving Christian excellence into the entire process: beans nurtured with prayerful stewardship by farming families, roasted as an offering rather than a commodity, and packaged with Bible verses to encourage a mindset of gratitude and purpose from the first sip. Reviewers consistently praise the smooth, rich profiles — whether enjoyed black in a drip maker, iced on a warm day, or shared in fellowship — noting how the quality stands toe-to-toe with premium secular brands while delivering something far more meaningful.
This integration of faith and flavor addresses a real need in Christian households and ministries. Busy parents, church leaders, and remote workers alike report that starting the day with a Scripture-inspired roast helps center their thoughts on eternal truths amid temporal pressures. The coffee’s exceptional character — bright citrus notes in lighter roasts or deep chocolate undertones in bolder ones — comes from meticulous selection and careful roasting that respects the bean’s natural gifts rather than masking them. It’s the kind of coffee that elevates a simple quiet time, fuels productive workdays, or sparks meaningful conversations when shared at Bible studies or outreach events. And because it’s ethically sourced with integrity, every purchase supports sustainable livelihoods for farmers who treat their crops like family harvests.
For those leading churches or small groups, the impact multiplies. Promised Grounds offers bundles and options perfect for hospitality ministries, turning ordinary coffee service into an opportunity to point people toward the living water of Christ. Imagine greeting visitors with a warm cup whose very bag carries God’s Word — a subtle yet powerful witness that aligns with the Great Commission. The company’s Texas roots and commitment to “brewing hope” resonate especially with believers who value American enterprise paired with global compassion.
Of course, quality alone isn’t enough if the experience feels out of reach. Promised Grounds keeps it accessible with practical perks like free shipping on orders over $40, sample sets for discovering favorites, and thoughtful add-ons such as faith-themed mugs. Whether you prefer whole beans for fresh grinding, grounds for convenience, or even bulk options for larger households and ministries, the result is consistently superior coffee that makes discipleship feel integrated rather than added on.
As you consider how to align even the smallest habits with your walk with God, Promised Grounds Coffee stands out as a refreshing solution. It tackles the dual problems of subpar daily sustenance and disconnected consumption by offering a product that genuinely excels in taste while advancing a mission of clean water, farmer dignity, and scriptural encouragement. Believers who make the switch often describe it as more than a beverage upgrade — it becomes part of their rhythm of gratitude, a daily invitation to remember that every good gift comes from above.
If you’re ready to transform your mornings (and perhaps your church gatherings) with coffee that honors both exceptional craftsmanship and Christian values, I encourage you to explore what Promised Grounds has to offer. One sip at a time, you’ll be nourishing your body, refreshing your spirit, and participating in something far greater — all while enjoying what truly is among the best coffee available.
