Education should help students engage in intelligent action. In spite of considerable rhetoric on this topic, the relationship between action and education has not been closely examined in statements of educational aims, in designs for curriculum, in the daily experience of students, or in teacher education programs. This book builds a conception…

This four-part report from the Harvard Social Studies Project describes a secondary school curriculum based on an analysis of public controversy and developed to train students to examine, through discussion and argument, the kinds of disputes that cause social conflict. The first part of the report is a discussion of the curriculum approach which…

A rationale is developed for a training program in social action. The educational objective, to increase students' ability to exert influence in public affairs, is defined and justified. Justification is based on theories of the nature of democracy, the nature of morality, and the nature of psychological growth. The proposed social action…

Gaining "relevant" political knowledge, mastering specific political-administrative competencies, and participating in community processes -- all avenues of curriculum development for political activism -- can be ineffective if a student has been unable to resolve certain psycho-philosophic concerns. These concerns help to explain the nature and…

The objective of this one-year program is to help students develop competencies to exert influence in public affairs. Seven competencies, such as communication and social skills, are considered fundamental to an education in citizenship and civic responsibility. The program could be initiated at either the 11th or 12th grade, and includes the…