In 2017, IEP Director Ashley Rogers Berner published Pluralism and American Public Education: No One Way to School. She argues that the uniform structure of public education is a key factor in the failure of America’s schools to fulfill the intellectual, civic, and moral aims for which they were created. Berner supports a more powerful and novel alternative that is neither libertarian nor state-focused and that draws upon the pluralistic, civil society model that benefits public school systems across the globe.
Reviews
Berner draws on an eclectic blend of philosophy and history to argue convincingly that educational pluralism is consistent with America’s principles.
Berner’s book opens up a new space in which to explore the normative claims inherent in education and will be a critical resource for teacher preparation programs across the country.
Berner’s view on the wrong turns of uniformity and mediocrity gets right at what ails America’s public education system and philosophy.