Secular Humanism vs. Religion? the Liberal Democratic Education Tradition and the Battle over Vouchers in the USA‪.‬

Introduction The purpose of this study is to explore what have been the historic tensions between public education and religion, not exhaustively, but strategically, as these tensions become polarizing debates which in turn relate to the politics of 'school choice' or what has literally been a publicized battle over 'vouchers'. I will argue that what is critical for educational policy decision makers around 'school choice' is to understand not only how the legal cases are understood, but how the story is told, and how the battle over 'vouchers' has been framed, mistakenly I believe, as one of secular humanism vs. religion. The historiography, or how the battle over vouchers has been written, is revealing for what it doesn't say, namely, that school choice has little to do with religion, wisdom, knowledge, or truth. But it does have something to do with faith in the free market and declining faith in public education. Current debates around educational reform focus on ownership, management, funding, participation and benefit. Pressured initially from an outside movement of private corporatism under the guise of religious reformation, public education faces new challenges in an age of competition, standards and accountability.