The American Education System

Paper Summary:

This paper argues that the U.S. education system has dealt with the the tension between liberalism and democracy in the American education system by creating a public school system that embraces as many different cultures as possible via a policy of accommodation. In short, the paper looks at how the American education system earnestly seeks to give private individuals and their families some semblance of choice while pursuing an agenda that satisfies the socialization goals of liberal democracies. The paper then discusses and defines the uneasy relationship between the liberal dimension of political liberalism and the liberal democratic demands of political liberalism and briefly looks at how America has dealt with this schism in general. The paper concludes by exploring the modern-day education system's efforts to privilege tolerance for others in a way that still permits individuals to exercise some autonomy - even if the traditional role of parent has increasingly fallen into the hands of the public school.

From the Paper:

"The relationship between liberalism and democracy is undeniably tense in modern American life and this is especially evident in the United States education system. Meira Levinson writes that the "liberal" dimension of political liberalism seeks to keep as much of the individual citizen's life in the private domain as possible; in short, the objective is to shield people from state interference. Conversely, the aforementioned political liberalism also has a democratic dimension wherein the maintenance of liberal democratic institutions is considered of the utmost importance. Consequently, there is a countervailing insistence that citizens identify with the political community and demonstrate the public virtues of critical reflection, mutual respect, and tolerance (Levinson, 333-334)."

Sample of Sources Used:

• diZerega, Gus. "Liberalism, Democracy, and the State: Reclaiming the Unity of Liberal Politics." Review of Politics, 63.4 (2001): 755-782.
• Goll, David. "Private Sector Accepts Affirmative Action." East Bay Business Times. 4 Jul. 2003. American City Business Journals, Inc. 7 Jul. 2007 <http://eastbay.bizjournals.com/eastbay/stories/2003/07/07/focus2.html>
• Levinson, Meira. "Liberalism versus Democracy? Schooling Private Citizens in the Public Square." British Journal of Political Science, 27, 333-360.
• McDonough, Kevin. "Can the Liberal State Support Cultural Identity?" American Journal of Education, 106.4 (1998): 463-499.

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