Many in the academic world don't like private schools because they believe that society has a duty to develop citizens who are fully autonomous, and they embrace the idea of our nation's public schools preparing students to reflect critically on the traditions they are taught by their parents. In a new book, political theorist and Democratic party activist William Galston argues that this position is based on a mistaken view of liberalism, and that making it a matter of education policy to force children to be free of their parents' beliefs conflicts with the liberal doctrine of protecting diverse ways of life. Galston agrees that it is reasonable for the state to require a certain level of education to further democracy, and approves of laws that would protect children from their parents in cases of abuse or neglect. But within these constraints, he makes the case for maximizing the control that parents have over their children's education, recognizing that parents play the most important role in teaching virtue to children, hence they must be partners in educational process. For a lengthier treatment of some of the ideas in Galston's book, see Peter Berkowitz's review in the June 17th issue of The Weekly Standard. The book, Liberal Pluralism, is published by Cambridge University Press and can be ordered at http://books.cambridge.org/052101249X.htm.
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