I am a huge fan, and now also a member, of Heterodox Academy, so it was a real treat that they recently carried my debate with Robert Pondiscio on the relationship between school choice and how K-12 schools handle “viewpoint diversity.” Where Pondiscio seems to fear school choice will create some sort of balkanization, I argue that it is actually an essential step to allow K-12 schools to teach kids to handle moral/cultural controversies in a constructive way:

Robert seems to think he is disagreeing with me when he says that “viewpoint diversity within schools, not merely between them, is indispensable,” but that is exactly what I said in my essay. My argument is that political conflict is undermining schools’ — especially public schools’ — ability to provide this. I support choice not only because it is necessary to serve students who have diverse needs and preserve a diverse society — because pushing all families into culturally homogenized schools, in obedience to what Charles Glenn calls “the myth of the common school,” entails the suppression of cultural minorities — but also because it is necessary even to preserve viewpoint diversity within the classroom. The attempt to force families that do not share one another’s beliefs and educational priorities to share culturally homogenized schools breaks the bond of trust between parents and schools, and forces parents into a permanent state of political war (such as the one we are now experiencing over critical race theory) for control of the schools that are forming their children. Teachers and schools will not feel safe allowing real viewpoint diversity to happen in their classrooms unless they know parents trust and support them. 

Part one of the exchange here, followed by part two.

I’m grateful for the exchange!