Movement versus counter-movement: The religious right and progressive education

The purpose of this dissertation is to examine the developing relationship between the religious conservative movement and the professional education establishment or what I call the progressive education movement, both in terms of substantive public policy and of motivating theoretical principles. In the contemporary context, issues of religious accommodation and secularization have replaced the once predominant Protestant-Catholic concerns in education. This dissertation traces the history of the century-old Protestant-Catholic accommodation that prevailed in American public education until recently, a history which reveals a traditionally high level of support for public education among conservative Protestants. I then identify three dynamic forces that arose, chiefly in the 1970s, to bring about a significant alteration in the environment of American public education. These three forces include a general secularization of the public square, constitutional and judicial pressures, and a substantial curricular reform effort within the education profession. Having shown that the American public education environment has changed significantly in the last thirty years, I investigate both the intellectual foundation of religious conservatism's objections to contemporary education and the practical mechanisms it uses to influence public education policy. Finally, I address the potential for reconciliation between American education's rival camps, analyzing school choice plans, and curricular and legal reforms aimed at appeasing both religious conservatism and progressive education advocates.