Conscience and School Choice

If anyone finds themselves in the Baltimore area tomorrow hankering for a good religion-in-public-schools discussion, stop by this symposium at the University of Maryland Law School, where I'll be presenting a paper titled "The Sanctity of Conscience in an Age of School Choice: Grounds for Skepticism."  An excerpt:

Teacher autonomy, and to a lesser extent student autonomy, are inconsistent with the level of school autonomy that is necessary to cultivate a system of public education that is accountable to its constituents and does not shirk from the task of value inculcation.  Under a one-size-fits-all approach to public education, conscience provides a voice to individuals who do not fit.  In the currently unfolding era where public education does not presume that one size will suffice, the role of conscience is considerably less clear.

For those who can't make the trek to Baltimore, I hope to post the paper and invite feedback in the next couple of weeks.

Rob