The Tarek ibn Ziyad Public School

Perhaps because I'm currently working on a chapter on education for my book on conscience -- focusing on the potential for schools to function as venues for conscience -- this story in our local paper caught my eye.  A public charter school that appears to function as an Islamic school will undoubtedly provoke a strong reaffirmation of our "religion-free" public school paradigm, but I think that reaction is misplaced.  I'm not ready (or able) to articulate exactly how we should react to the Tarek ibn Ziyad Academy, but I do know that we should not close down the expanding (at least in Minnesota) educational marketplace just because we're uncomfortable with some of its results. 

If you're interested in a broader exploration of my ideas on public education and conscience, you can read this paper.