Michigan State University Extension
Diversity and Pluralism - 11180326
12/95/
ERIC TITLE NUMBER: ED250768 AUTHOR: Arons, Stephen
TITLE: Pluralism, Equal Liberty, and Public Education.
YEAR PUBLISHED: 1984
NOTE: 21 p.; In: Marshner, Connaught, Ed. A Blueprint for
Education Reform. p39-58. For the complete document, see EA
017 236.
ABSTRACT: It is suggested that the right to educational
choice and the absence of majority control of the content
of schooling are both essential to preserving pluralism in
American education; however, public schools rarely
encourage meaningful diversity. Further, there is an
absence of educational choice for most American families
due to the fact that American school finance systems must
tax and spend in a way that discriminates against the
non-rich in matters of school choice. A blueprint for
redesigning the structure of public education is needed to
end the majority control of school policy, especially
content, and to reclaim educational liberty as an
instrument of diversity and individual liberty rather than
as a tool of economic discrimination and racism. A
foundational redesign would require a separation of school
and state, with the following delineations: (1)
establishment of free choice in education, making it
possible for every family to secure education of their
child in any school in the state meeting the education
requirements; (2) limitation of government school
requirements to two categories--those that do not
substantially affect the content of education, such as days
per year, health and safety, attendence reporting, etc. and
content requirements which can be justified as being of
fundamental importance to society, i.e., guaranteeing equal
access to education regardless of race, requiring reading
and writing achievement or knowledge of the principles of
constitutional government; and (3) provision of a clear and
enforceable policy that racial discrimination in schooling
is illegal. (DCS)
KEY DESCRIPTORS: Academic-Freedom; Court-Litigation;
Discriminatory-Legislation; Elementary-Secondary-Education;
Government-Role; Government-School-Relationship;
Intellectual-Freedom; School-Choice; School-Taxes; Values
Education
KEY DESCRIPTORS: *Educational-Change; *Educational
Improvement; *Foundations-of-Education; *Public-Education
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