Berner contends that education cannot be neutral and that the uniform system imposes its own ethi... more Berner contends that education cannot be neutral and that the uniform system imposes its own ethical claims upon schools. A school’s atmosphere and priorities, its traditions, the management of student discipline, the curriculum and how it is taught, the way adults relate to one another—all of these guide students’ experience with the world. Intentionally or tacitly, school practices draw upon deeper commitments and assumptions about human beings and what a life well lived looks like. The USA’s uniform school system has habituated us against seeing schools for the meaning-making institutions that they are. Berner argues that because education is morally rich and educational philosophies diverse and important, it is inappropriate (and intellectually dishonest) to enforce a uniform design.
In 1839 the English Parliament first disbursed funds for the formal education of teachers. Betw... more In 1839 the English Parliament first disbursed funds for the formal education of teachers. Between 1839 and the McNair Report in 1944 the institutional shape and the intellectual resources upon which teacher training rested changed profoundly. The centre of teacher training moved from theologically-based colleges to university departments of education; the primary source for understanding education shifted from theology to psychology. These changes altered the ways in which educators contemplated the nature of the child, the role of the teacher and the aim of education itself. This thesis probes such shifts within a variety of elite educational resources, but its major sources of material are ten training colleges of diverse types: Anglican, Nonconformist, Roman Catholic, and University. The period covered by this thesis is divided into three broad blocks of time. During the first period (1839-1885) formal training occurred in religious colleges, and educators relied upon Biblical...
What Charles Glenn called “the myth of the common school” has produced a flawed cultural narrativ... more What Charles Glenn called “the myth of the common school” has produced a flawed cultural narrative about uniform schools: that only traditional public schools can produce democratic citizens and provide equal opportunity for all students. Berner examines international and domestic research that challenge this received narrative. She suggests that the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s (OECD’s) Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) exams and the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA)’s international civic surveys indicate that uniform systems have no inherent academic or civic advantage. She also analyzes school sector research, drawing on the work of James Coleman and Anthony Bryk, and the Center for Research on Educational Outcomes (CREDO), to argue that the distinctive missions and stronger academics often associated with private and charter schools can benefit students and narrow the achievement gaps.
Contrary to what many Americans believe, “the separation of church and state” does not come from ... more Contrary to what many Americans believe, “the separation of church and state” does not come from our federal Constitution, nor has the Supreme Court prohibited all government support for religious education. Rather, the Court has ruled favorably upon state mechanisms such as vouchers and tax credits where the enabling law reflects a secular purpose and a neutral framework; religious schooling results from private, not governmental, choice; and the program involves no governmental endorsement of religion (the “Lemon test”). Berner describes such Constitutional parameters with particular reference to Lemon v. Kurtzman (1971) and Zelman v. Simmons-Harris (2002). She also describes the constraints that many state constitutions place upon religious school funding via the so-called Blaine Amendments, legacies of nineteenth century nativism and anti-Catholic bigotry.
Berner suggests a process by which educational pluralism could replace uniformity as the cultural... more Berner suggests a process by which educational pluralism could replace uniformity as the cultural norm in the United States. She draws upon the work of Randall Collins, Christian Smith, and James Davison Hunter to suggest that cultural change requires, minimally, overlapping networks of individuals with high financial, political, intellectual, and social capital; who articulate a common goal over a long period of time; and create new institutions that embody those ideals; which must be plausible and morally compelling to the audiences they seek to persuade. Berner finds that educational changes in Finland, Alberta Canada, and the United Kingdom, map onto this theory, and contrasts them with the federal, bi-partisan accountability movement that took hold in the 1990s and 2000s, represented so well in the Obama Administration’s Race to the Top Initiative. Berner concludes by charting the possibilities and the challenges associated with plural education in the United States.
Berner argues that educational pluralism is necessary but insufficient, for at least two reasons.... more 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.
Berner contends that education cannot be neutral and that the uniform system imposes its own ethi... more Berner contends that education cannot be neutral and that the uniform system imposes its own ethical claims upon schools. A school’s atmosphere and priorities, its traditions, the management of student discipline, the curriculum and how it is taught, the way adults relate to one another—all of these guide students’ experience with the world. Intentionally or tacitly, school practices draw upon deeper commitments and assumptions about human beings and what a life well lived looks like. The USA’s uniform school system has habituated us against seeing schools for the meaning-making institutions that they are. Berner argues that because education is morally rich and educational philosophies diverse and important, it is inappropriate (and intellectually dishonest) to enforce a uniform design.
In 1839 the English Parliament first disbursed funds for the formal education of teachers. Betw... more In 1839 the English Parliament first disbursed funds for the formal education of teachers. Between 1839 and the McNair Report in 1944 the institutional shape and the intellectual resources upon which teacher training rested changed profoundly. The centre of teacher training moved from theologically-based colleges to university departments of education; the primary source for understanding education shifted from theology to psychology. These changes altered the ways in which educators contemplated the nature of the child, the role of the teacher and the aim of education itself. This thesis probes such shifts within a variety of elite educational resources, but its major sources of material are ten training colleges of diverse types: Anglican, Nonconformist, Roman Catholic, and University. The period covered by this thesis is divided into three broad blocks of time. During the first period (1839-1885) formal training occurred in religious colleges, and educators relied upon Biblical...
What Charles Glenn called “the myth of the common school” has produced a flawed cultural narrativ... more What Charles Glenn called “the myth of the common school” has produced a flawed cultural narrative about uniform schools: that only traditional public schools can produce democratic citizens and provide equal opportunity for all students. Berner examines international and domestic research that challenge this received narrative. She suggests that the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s (OECD’s) Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) exams and the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA)’s international civic surveys indicate that uniform systems have no inherent academic or civic advantage. She also analyzes school sector research, drawing on the work of James Coleman and Anthony Bryk, and the Center for Research on Educational Outcomes (CREDO), to argue that the distinctive missions and stronger academics often associated with private and charter schools can benefit students and narrow the achievement gaps.
Contrary to what many Americans believe, “the separation of church and state” does not come from ... more Contrary to what many Americans believe, “the separation of church and state” does not come from our federal Constitution, nor has the Supreme Court prohibited all government support for religious education. Rather, the Court has ruled favorably upon state mechanisms such as vouchers and tax credits where the enabling law reflects a secular purpose and a neutral framework; religious schooling results from private, not governmental, choice; and the program involves no governmental endorsement of religion (the “Lemon test”). Berner describes such Constitutional parameters with particular reference to Lemon v. Kurtzman (1971) and Zelman v. Simmons-Harris (2002). She also describes the constraints that many state constitutions place upon religious school funding via the so-called Blaine Amendments, legacies of nineteenth century nativism and anti-Catholic bigotry.
Berner suggests a process by which educational pluralism could replace uniformity as the cultural... more Berner suggests a process by which educational pluralism could replace uniformity as the cultural norm in the United States. She draws upon the work of Randall Collins, Christian Smith, and James Davison Hunter to suggest that cultural change requires, minimally, overlapping networks of individuals with high financial, political, intellectual, and social capital; who articulate a common goal over a long period of time; and create new institutions that embody those ideals; which must be plausible and morally compelling to the audiences they seek to persuade. Berner finds that educational changes in Finland, Alberta Canada, and the United Kingdom, map onto this theory, and contrasts them with the federal, bi-partisan accountability movement that took hold in the 1990s and 2000s, represented so well in the Obama Administration’s Race to the Top Initiative. Berner concludes by charting the possibilities and the challenges associated with plural education in the United States.
Berner argues that educational pluralism is necessary but insufficient, for at least two reasons.... more 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.
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