The Principles of Education Policy

Many of the most important policy decisions that a state can make relate to education. What kind of education should children receive? How far should parents be able to dictate that choice? Is it acceptable to have schools that instruct pupils in a particular religious faith? Should elite private schools be allowed to exist? Given that such schools do exist, can socially progressive parents send their children there with a clean conscience?Our guest today has been exploring these and many other related questions for decades. Adam Swift is Professor of Political Theory here in the UCL Department of Political Science. His books and papers includeEducational Goods: Values, Evidence and Decision-Making, written with Harry Brighouse, Helen F. Ladd, and Susanna LoebFamily Values: The Ethics of Parent-Child Relationships, with Harry BrighouseHow Not To Be A Hypocrite: School Choice for the Morally Perplexed Parent.How to Regulate Faith SchoolsHow Not to Defend Private SchoolsPandemic as Political TheoryHe starts with the basic principles of political theory. And from these he draws out key implications for policy-makers and for parents.