Charles L. Glenn examines the historical development of the idea that the State should sponsor popular education in order to mold common loyalties and vaules among its citizens in the interest of national unity. This idea had led inevitably to conflict with parents and groups who do not accept the values and beliefs inculcated by the State and its educators. Over the years, the issues around which such conflict has arisen have varied, but the underlying positions remain the same. He ends by reminding us that this continuing conflict over parallel education raises troubling questions in a democracy. Can government assure that each child is educated in the essentials required by the social, political, and economic order without seeking to impose uniformity? He concludes by offering workable and tested solutions to this perennial dilemma.