Class composition is about more than education, it's about democracy

As the dispute between the B.C. government and teachers continues, Daybreak is taking a look at the issues behind the picket line with a series of experts in the field of education.

To start, we speak with David Berliner, professor emeritus at Arizona State University, about class composition.

"The peer group is a very important consideration," he says, and that's why many parents will pull their children out of public and into private schools.

However, he says the best result for kids is a well-supported public school system.

"What's best for a democracy? Getting along with people of all social classes, of all racial kinds, of all ethnicities, and of all handicaps. They're part of the human condition."