Phoenix Principles

"As America approaches its 250th anniversary, questions about the purpose and future of education have never been more urgent. The Phoenix Principles offers a bold and unifying vision for how education can renew the American spirit and sustain a free and virtuous republic for generations to come. Rooted in the timeless ideals of liberty, truth, virtue, and citizenship, this volume lays out a coherent framework for education policy and practice—one that affirms the central role of families, upholds the transmission of cultural heritage, cultivates virtue and citizenship, and champions academic excellence. With essays from leading scholars, The Phoenix Principles is not merely a critique of the status quo; it is a call to reimagine education as the formative enterprise it was always meant to be. This book articulates seven foundational principles to guide our schools and inform policy: Parental Choice and Responsibility, Transparency and Accountability, Truth and Goodness, Cultural Transmission, Character Formation, Academic Excellence, and Citizenship. Together, they offer a roadmap for restoring purpose and coherence in K–12 education. Accessible, inspiring, and deeply grounded, The Phoenix Principles provides policymakers, educators, and citizens with the intellectual tools and moral clarity needed to shape an education system worthy of a free people—and to chart a course for the next 250 years of American self-government."

Jason Bedrick is a Research Fellow in the Center for Education Policy at The Heritage Foundation. Bedrick is the co-editor and co-author of two books, including Educational Freedom: Remembering Andrew Coulson, Debating His Ideas and Religious Liberty and Education: A Case Study of Yeshivas vs. New York. His writings have appeared in the Wall Street Journal, Newsweek, Fox News, Politico, National Review, National Affairs, the Journal of School Choice, and Education Next among many other publications. Bedrick previously served as a legislator in the New Hampshire House of Representatives and was an Education Policy Research Fellow at the Josiah Bartlett Center for Public Policy in New Hampshire. Bedrick received his master’s degree in public policy from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, where he was a fellow at the Taubman Center for State and Local Government. Bedrick resides in Phoenix with his wife and five children. James Shuls is the Head of the Education Liberty branch of the Institute for Governance and Civics at Florida State University. A nationally recognized scholar on education policy, his work focuses on school choice, education finance, and the philosophical foundations of education policy. Shuls has published in leading academic journals such as Educational Researcher, Journal of Education Finance, and Social Science Quarterly, and his commentary has appeared in outlets including National Review and Real Clear Education. He is the co-editor, with Neal McCluskey, of Fighting for the Freedom to Learn: Examining the Nation’s Centuries-Old School Choice Movement, a volume exploring the historical and philosophical roots of educational freedom. Prior to his role at Florida State, he served as Department Chair of Educator Preparation and Leadership at the University of Missouri–St. Louis and as Dean of the College of Education at Southeastern University. A former public school teacher, Shuls taught first and fifth grades in southwest Missouri.