Background/Context: This research is framed by both the historical lineage of the New Civics and the legacy of educational and curricular debates in the United States. It contributes to the literature on mid-20th century education. Purpose and Research Questions: This study explores the relationship between religion, civics, and education through…

Background/Context: Research indicates that across democratic societies, teachers face numerous intellectual and emotional challenges when handling controversial topics in the classroom. Less attention, however, has been paid to how teachers' willingness to teach controversial topics intersects with political and other societal factors in…

All educational authority is not contained within the schoolyard fence. Education and re-education are processes in which the authority underlying not just knowledge of things, but value orientations and even self-identity, should be created by communities that are much more enclusive than the profession of education. (CB)

A strong conservative current underlies much of what is currently said about authority in schooling. Educational authority should be rooted in the ideal of democratic social transformation, a function it cannot have when conceived of more narrowly in terms of institutional heirarchy and stability. (CB)

Teachers are in the awkward position of exercising authority, yet have dubious control over the conditions within which they do so. The ideal teacher role is authority exercised in good faith and a commitment to the burdens and uncertainties of educational authority. (CB)

The problematic relationship of knowledge and social-political power, as it affects the standings and justification of educational authority, is probed. Ways in which knowledge claims may legitimately support some forms of authority in practice are discussed. (CB)

The "hard" use of authority to produce change confronts obstacles that transcend administrative strategies. This article presents a conceptual analysis of authority and its constraints and shows how current conceptions of democracy, evaluation, and authority are interdependent. (CB)

Leadership strategies that encourage voluntary compliance are compared with those that are more assertive and demanding. Specific problems and possibilities challenging those who would lead movements of institutional reform are outlined. (CB)

Ways in which institutions may either foster or frustrate the kinds of beliefs and attitudes conducive to self-respect and self-esteem are explored. Patterns of authority in the schools of a democratic society must be examined with this fact in mind and shaped in ways that most fully develop the self-respect and self-esteem of all students. (CB)

Ways in which the fragile nature of the authority to teach can be damaged or disturbed are explored. Teachers need to reflect on specific classroom practices and consider how patterns of expectation may condition their effective authority. (CB)

This article provides a brief overview of the Assertive Discipline classroom management approach and raises questions about its use in schools of a democratic society. Assertive Discipline is criticized as being based primarily on teachers' needs, characterized by authoritarian values and techniques, and lacking research-based evidence for claims…