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Uses an ongoing legal controversy to explore the controversial subject of religious liberty and education.
About the author
Jason M. Bedrick is director of policy for EdChoice and an adjunct scholar with the Cato Institute. He previously served as a legislator in the New Hampshire House of Representatives and was an education policy research fellow at the Josiah Bartlett Center for Public Policy.Jay P. Greene is Distinguished Professor and Chair of the Department of Education Reform at the University of Arkansas. His current areas of research interest include school choice, culturally enriching field trips, and the effect of schools on non-cognitive and civic values.Matthew H. Lee is Distinguished Doctoral Fellow and Senior Research Assistant in the Department of Education Reform at the University of Arkansas. Previously, he was a high school history teacher at a charter school in Massachusetts.
Summary
Uses an ongoing legal controversy to explore the controversial subject of religious liberty and education.
Additional text
New York state education officials’ initial response to the Yeshiva controversy represents the worst of government overreach into private and religious education. The Catholic Church recognizes parents as the first educators of their children and thus they maintain the right to choose a school according to their conscience. Religious leaders’ fears of government intrusion into what and how we teach in our schools are no longer hypothetical. This wide-ranging compilation of papers represents diverse religious perspectives and utilizes experts from a wide range of professional backgrounds to reaffirm the importance of religious freedom for families and the religious institutions where they choose to educate their children. Parents, religious leaders and policy leaders, who value religious freedom, would be well-advised to read this book as a means of preparing for the many challenges to come.