The reason often given to explain why students don't have more freedom is that they would abuse it and their academic performance would suffer. Just watch the movie "Ferris Buehler's Day Off" to see how students would abuse freedom.

But dictatorship is bad too. Watching the same movie, consider how unchecked power has affected Principal Rooney. Certainly kowtowing to his whims does not make better citizens of the thousands of students matriculating through that high school.

By the time they get to college they'll be making all sorts of decisions. Sleeping in, blowing off classes, all-nighters, extra hours, tutorials, meetings with Profs, even how many classes they take during a semester are all choices they'll have to make. Couldn't they make a few of those while still in the preK-12 years? It would be safer and could dramatically affect the college dropout rates.

Shouldn't a high performing high school senior, confronted with the dilemma of  skipping a class or even an entire day of school to finish an assignment be given that choice? You might think the opportunity would be abused. If a student can maintain honors status is it an abuse or is it realistic preparation for the choices he'll be making every day in college and in life.