The Limits of Educational Pluralism and How to Address Them

Abstract

Berner argues that educational pluralism is necessary but insufficient, for at least two reasons. First, the most consistent advantages that private and charter schools have over traditional public schools—challenging academic content and strong school culture—are not guaranteed within a plural structure. Second, despite its many advantages, educational pluralism can work against equity, as Arizona’s first tax credit program and Chile’s initial voucher program seem to have done. Berner describes conflicts that illustrate longstanding tensions, such as the “Curriculum Wars” of the 1990s and recent debates over the Common Core State Standards. She suggests a policy framework that could advance equity and begin to resolve contentious issues, such as creationism versus evolution, schools’ responses to LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) lifestyles, or establishing a common curriculum.