Unfortunately college puts up the same barriers. Much of the time I spent in high school learning to code was for nothing, because my university wouldn't let me even attempt to test out of the first- and second-year courses. In another instance they also wouldn't let me count a graduate statistics course for a baby-stats elective requirement. "We WoULdn'T bE an AccREdiTeD iNStiTutION if wE lEt yOU do THat!"

I ended up majoring in math instead of compsci as a result. It ended up being a good choice, because now I have skills in both areas. But I was pretty disappointed as an incoming freshman, enthusiastic about computer science, that college was nothing like what my parents and teachers made it out to be.

Wow had the same problem with my CS department. I think part of the problem is that there was much more demand for slots in the CS department from people who were woefully unqualified but looking to make bank.

I transferred over to the maths department who welcomed me with open arms, took all my credits, and then beat the every living shit out of my brain so much harder than the CS department ever would have.

I had a similar experience, with my university and AP classes.

University would not accept the AP classes, and basically two years of college to learn what I had already been taught in high-school.

I think this depends on the college. Because mine barely gave a shit about pre-reqs and frequently let me swap requirements / graduate for undergraduate courses.

It's a culture thing, and how annoying the admin culture is there.

It's not, though. Kids with stay-at-home parents are still required to go to school. Compulsory education is near universal at this point, but at least in the American tradition, the first publicly-funded, mandatory schools were mostly for instilling community values into kids, and this was in communities where women weren't even allowed to work outside the home. Kids were actually expected to learn reading and math at home before they even started school.

History isn't the present, but the reason most laws exist today is just inertia, not some principled stand of the legislative bodies that might otherwise be able to repeal them.

Kids can homeschool and cover all the same courses taught in school in 1/3 of the time, which leaves a lot of extra agency for the things the author talks about - doing meaningful work from a young age, exploring the world, self-directed learning, etc. etc.