Defending liberalism in education theory

Educationists frequently either reject or neglect liberalism as a possible normative grounding for their evaluation of education reform. We argue that their reasons for doing so are usually grounded either in fundamental misunderstandings of liberalism, or misguided evaluations of some standard objections to liberalism. We show how five standard objections to liberalism fail, and display the richness of liberalism as a normative approach to education by applying it to issues of choice, equality, and religious schooling.