In Religious Liberty and Education, Jason Bedrick, Jay P. Greene, and I take a localized education policy issue as an occasion to explore a universal topic with far-reaching consequences.
This important new book brilliantly illuminates the intersection between education and religious liberty, and shows just why what happens there is crucial for the future of our society.
—Yuval Levin, editor, National Affairs
Praise for Religious Liberty and Education
“In this intriguing volume, Jason Bedrick, Jay Greene, and Matt Lee wrestle with the tensions that govern the relationship between faith and schooling. Their careful exploration of whether and how the state should regulate religious school is both timely and clarifying.”
—Frederick M. Hess, Director of Education Policy Studies at the American Enterprise Institute
“Religious Liberty & Education makes a seemingly local and parochial case the occasion for a brilliant and indispensable study of public policy on education in America.”
—Ruth Wisse, Professor Emerita, Harvard University
“Parents, religious leaders and policy leaders, who value religious freedom, would be well-advised to read this book as a means of preparing for the many challenges to come.”
—Jennifer Daniels, Associate Director for Public Policy, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
“This is an insightful, evenhanded treatment of these schools and their regulation that serves as a powerful counterweight to policy-makers’ unconsidered assumptions of normative education.”
—Moshe Krakowski, Director, Azrieli Masters Program
“The question it truly tackles is both universal and fundamental: When is government justified in overriding free people’s educational decisions?”
—Neal McCluskey, Director of the Center for Educational Freedom at the Cato Institute. Read his review for the Journal of School Choice.
“Parents value different approaches to education… Religious Liberty and Education makes a persuasive case that states should not favor one of these approaches over the others.”
—Mark David Hall, Herbert Hoover Distinguished Professor of Politics at George Fox University. Read his review at Law & Liberty.
“This brief collection achieves its goal of provoking thought on an important topic with facts and reasoned analysis, not the bombast that drives so many of our political debates.”
—Michael Astrue, former biotechnology CEO who served in senior roles in the Reagan, Bush I, Bush II, and Obama administrations. Read his review for the National Association of Scholars.
“If the goal was to call for levelheadedness in considering an incendiary topic, the book on the whole achieves it admirably.”
—Eugene Alper and Ciprian Barnutiu, Claremont Graduate University. Read their review for the Journal of Policy Analysis and Management.
Learn more about Religious Liberty and Education
Hear more about Religious Liberty and Education on The Learning Curve Podcast (Nov. 15, 2019; Sep. 9, 2020), the EdNext Podcast, and various EdChoice Chats (Sep. 29, 2020 with Rita Koganzon; Oct. 12, 2020 with Jibran Khan and Danish Shakeel; Dec. 1, 2020 with Kevin Vallier; Apr. 6, 2021 with Howard Slugh). Click here to watch a book forum sponsored by the Cato Institute’s Center for Educational Freedom. Click here to watch an event hosted by the Heritage Foundation.
Buy Religious Liberty and Education: A Case Study of Yeshivas vs. New York, available at Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, and Rowman & Littlefield.
Matthew H. Lee 