What should the aims of education be in a liberal society and who should exercise control over education? How can children be taught to become good citizens of a pluralistic state? The Demands of Liberal Education seeks to answer these questions by drawing upon political theory, philosophy of education, and empirical research to develop a liberal theory of children's education that is provocative and new. The book argues that contrary to the assumptions of many philosophers, educators, parents and politicians, the liberal state is obligated as a matter of justice to help all children develop the capacity for autonomy. Levinson argues that liberal governments should exercise much greater control over schools than they now do.

Autonomy and the Foundations of Contemporary Liberalism The Development of Autonomy Modifying the Liberal Educational Ideal Culture, choice, and Citizenship: Schooling Private Citizens in the Public Square Making Sense of it All: Transforming Political Theory into Educational Policy

Meira Levinson , Teacher, Boston Public Schools

"A ringing and important defense of a robust liberal educational ideal. Levinson moves surefootedly between theory and practice, and tackles the deepest problems facing the future of educational policymaking in modern liberal democracies." Professor Stephen Macedo, author of Diversity and Distrust: Civic Education in a Multicultural Democracy, and Laurance S. Rockefeller Professor of Politics and the University Center for Human Values at Princeton University, New Jersey