North outlines the four goals that he and Paul agreed upon for this curriculum. The following are direct quotes.

It should teach the Biblical principle of self-government and personal responsibility, which is also the foundation of the free market economy.

It should be based on a detailed study of the history of liberty as well as liberty's rivals, in Western civilization and the United States.

It should provide a thorough understanding of Austrian school economics.

It should be an academically rigorous curriculum that is tied to primary source documents — not textbooks. Textbooks are screened by committees. They dumb down the material.

If your child completes the entire curriculum — which runs from K through 12 — here is what he or she should be able to do, again quoting.

Speak in public and speak confidently

Write effectively

Run a website

Operate a YouTube channel

Understand mathematics

Understand basic science

Start a home business

Defend the free market system intellectually

Understand the history of Western civilization

Understand American history

Understand the U.S. Constitution and how it has been hijacked

Understand the interaction between literature and historical development

Understand Christianity's influence in the West

Understand Austrian-school economics

That's the order in which North presents the outcomes, but it's not clear whether or not it represents the order of importance. Regardless, your now-five-year-old should, by the year 2026, be able to operate a YouTube channel.

Let's get down to brass tacks. Echoing the business model of other addictive substances, the Ron Paul Curriculum provides grades K through 5 for free. After that, you have to pay — $250 a year. The curriculum tools are a combination of PDFs and YouTube videos, with prescribed periods for testing and writing assignments. Or, they will be. The site is a bit light on content right now.

The kindergarten course, for example, is slated for completion in September. Its author, Cheryl Page, hints that it "will show mothers the basics of teaching phonics. It will be video-based, with instructions for the mothers on how to teach every aspect of basic phonics to their child." Mother not included.

The rest of the free curricula — first through fifth grades — are incomplete, but North offers other outlets for home-schooling. "Why should I promote a rival product?" he asks. "Because this site is not complete."

North does provide a (for pay) course in high school preparation, including:

STUDY TECHNIQUES. Lesson #3: Your Home Office

STUDY TECHNIQUES. Lesson #4: Follow Instructions

HOW TO WRITE. Lesson #11: The Book Review ("This is a crucial skill. Learn it early."

North's desired outcome is not that students get a high school degree. His vision is as follows:

If a student finishes high school at (say) 16 or 17, then it's time to find a mentor who will apprentice the high school graduate locally. The student gets a technical skill that has a market.



Meanwhile, the student takes CLEP and DSST exams to quiz out of college. By age 20, the student is a college graduate, which the student has paid for with wages from the apprenticeship job. He or she is ready for a career.

Apprenticeship, not college, is his aim. ("The trade unions resisted this. But they are dead now, outside of government jobs.")