Democracy, Education, and the Schools

Scores of democracy books have appeared in the last few years, but none so illuminating of the essential connections between democracy and education as this one. In a set of remarkably coherent and helpful essays, the authors offer powerful ideas and practical suggestions to theorists, practitioners, and policy makers alike.
?Gary D Fenstermacher, professor of education, University of Arizona Introduction: Schools and the American Democracy
1. The Meanings of Democracy(Nathan Tarcov)
2. Democracy, Nurturance, and Community(Donna H. Kerr)
3. Democracy, Ecology, and Participation(Mary Catherine Bateson)
4. Democracy, Education, and Community(John I. Goodlad)
5. Public Schooling and the American Democracy(Robert B. Westbrook)
6. Democracy and Access to Education(Linda Darling-Hammond, Jacqueline Ancess)
7. Curriculum for Democracy(Walter C. Parker)
8. Oratory, Democracy, and the Classroom(John Angus Campbell)
9. Teaching the Teachers of the People(Roger Soder) ROGER SODER is associate director of the Center for Educational Renewal at the University of Washington and vice president of the indepAndent Institute for Educational Inquiry. He is coeditor (with John I. Goodlad and Kenneth A. Sirotnik) of The Moral Dimensions of Teaching (Jossey-Bass, 1990) and Places Where Teachers Are Taught (Jossey-Bass, 1990). Democracy, Education, and the Schools argues that the most basic purpose of America's schools is to teach children the moral and intellectual responsibilities of living and working in a democracy. Leading scholars from the fields of education, history, political science, and anthropology explore what democracy is and what it means for preparing teachers and teaching students. They discuss critical questions about the relationship between the American democracy and a free public school system, including:* To what extent should the enculturation of the young into American democracy be a major function of the schools?* How can students best learn to understand and participate in American democracy?* What should the schools teach to convey to the young their rights and responsibilities as citizens?* What must teachers know in order to teach children their rights and responsibilities in an effective way?Roger Soder and his contributors ultimately show that there is a necessary relationship between democracy and the public school system--and privatization of the schools runs the risk of destroying the fundamental underpinnings of the American democracy. Argues that the most basic purpose of America's schools is to teach children the moral and intellectual responsibilities of living and working in a democracy. Leading scholars from the fields of education, history, political science, and anthropology explore what democracy is and what it means for preparing teachers and teaching students. Discusses critical questions about the relationship between the American democracy and a free public school system.