Educational institutions in a liberal society must be rooted in a conception of justice that, if it is to respect neutrality, cannot be subservient to some particular view of "the good." Features of an educational environment that promotes civic education are discussed. (IAH)

Scarcity of school finances is a problem. Currently, the distribution of resources is politically driven, exacerbating conflicts between rich and poor school districts. The paper describes a new model promoting community, inclusion, and solidarity and based on the premise that democratic societies must articulate values of justice, fairness, and…

Schools need to identify the specific skills, knowledge, and attitudes which characterize an effective member of a democratic society and provide instruction for these qualities. Basic qualities of the effective democratic citizen include skills in clarifying personal values and knowledge of the available resources for learning. (JN)

This paper examines the notions of individualism and schooling, then articulates ideas and practices found in the Harmony School (Bloomington, Indiana), an independent, democratic school, that public schools have incorporated into their programs. (SM)

This article reviews the role of the courts as policy makers and the implications for school practice. (DS)

Examines how works of art can function as media of deep communication between individuals otherwise separated by walls. Highlights poetry reading and writing in a fourth-grade classroom to show how public school classrooms can become places where children exercise real choice over the disposition of their intellectual energies and where children…

Discusses four Romantic themes that are crucial to writing workshop practice (self-expression, liberation from convention, celebration of emotion, and a valuing of folk cultures), explaining how the writing workshop approach embodies these themes; summarizing criticisms of these approaches; sketching a conception of student voice that looks…

Discusses liberatory education in the mathematics classroom, focusing on one teacher's experiences and questioning what would be liberatory in a mathematics classroom when the teacher finds a conflict. The paper examines issues of relevance in education, how much mathematics is important, how culture affects education, what is liberatory when…

This article calls for the revitalization of civic education in schools. Obstacles which must be overcome to achieve this revitalization are discussed, as well as approaches to incorporating civic education into the curriculum. (IAH)

Examines liberatory pedagogy in the context of helping beginning teachers become open to liberatory ideas as they construct themselves as teachers and begin to develop their practice. The paper considers practice and prospective teachers as learners of practice, then examines what this suggests for the construction of opportunities for prospective…

Drawing on personal experiences with homeless urban children living in shelters, discusses liberatory science education (focusing on an after-school science program) and describes dilemmas inherent in such work, considering how an understanding of the complexity of the relationship between margin and center is necessary in moving toward liberatory…

This article suggests several lessons, exercises, and class projects that utilize the Iran-Contra affair as a theme. Designed to aid the development of abilities necessary for civic virtue, the activities focus on fact gathering, validating claims, reflecting on the source of opinions, and learning to ask questions. (IAH)

Explores the field of educational technology as a modern project that has capitalized classrooms, highlighting efforts to reclaim the field for student interests; discussing how formation of the field has constrained its practice, especially around race, gender, and power; examining the commodification of students and construction of subjectivity;…

Describes a hypothetical elementary school that is centered on social studies and social action, focusing on three practices at such a school: democratic education, education for social justice, and community service learning. Challenges to social action in U.S. schools include teachers' time limitations, curriculum standards, and emphasis on…

Explores qualities of diversity and sharing in the context of science education in light of larger societal goals around public school education. Argues that tensions between competing visions constructs a space in which children actualize fundamentals of a democracy. Presents two stories about children whose additions to elementary science…