Faith Schools and Society

Jo Cairns was a lecturer at Westminster College, Oxford, UK.

'Should plural societies operate pluralistic schools in which no one ideology prevails - other, of course, than the hidden ideology of assumed neutrality - or should they do justice to the idea of a plural society by allowing a range of faith schools to operate side by side? This is fast becoming a pressing but disputed question in many countries. To produce this book Jo Cairns has toured some unexpected parts of the world in search of answers.'  Jack Priestley, Research Fellow, School of Education and Lifelong Learning, University of Exeter, UK

• Part I: An intellectual framework to support a civic conversation about faith schools in plural societies; 1. A key question for civic society: Which types of school contribute most effectively to an enabling pluralism?; 2. How do plural societies currently assess the place of faith schools in their education systems?; 3. Can plural societies sustain a common schooling for all?; 4. Does faith have a place in the schools of civic societies?; 5. Can school cultures provide the key to answering disputed questions about education in civic society?; Part II: Conducting a principled and evidence-based conversation about faith schools in plural societies; 6. Towards developing procedures and protocols for a civic conversation; 7. Towards developing a common form of audit procedure across all faith schools with emphasis given to the student voice; 8. The value of empirial studies in civic conversations about faith schools; 9. Towards a reassessment of faith school cultures in civic societies through a principled and evidence-based conversation; Part III: Putting practice into policy: Profiling faith schools; 10. Four faith schools and their cultures; 11. The student voice and its significance in the study of school cultures; 12. What can civic society learn from a school profiles' database?; 13. Practice informing policy: Ways of deciding which types of school contribute most effectively to enabling plutal societies?