One of the primary goals of social studies education in the United States is to prepare students for civically active, politically informed, and socially engaged democratic citizenship. Too often, however, the curricula fall short of this goal. Textbooks and state curriculum standards tend to portray citizenship as a static concept rather than an…

In this paper, the authors discuss the influence of democracy and law on music education in Sweden and Finland, and the potential for music education as training in democracy. The latter consideration can be instructive regardless of the nation, or its laws and paradigms of music education. The theoretical background is based on Jurgen Habermas'…

The Kingdom Come School in Linefork is now a public school, but it began its life in 1924 as part of the settlement school movement that was all the rage at the beginning of the twentieth century. The school was founded by Hiram Frakes, a methodist minister who wanted to create a community that valued education, and promoted opportunities for its…

This article, based on an interpretive study, examines what happens when a team of teaching fellows and their supervisor attempt to address what they have identified as a "pedagogical crisis" in a social foundations of education course. Student proclivities had resulted in extreme polarization regarding contested social issues. By using a…

Over the past twenty years several topics covered in "New Directions for Evaluation" (NDE) are relevant to underrepresented groups, including cultural sensitivity; cultural competence; stakeholder-based, responsive, democratic deliberation; and participatory evaluation theories, methodologies, and practices. Also, the topic of social justice and…

Civic responsibility as an ideal of higher education is rarely considered through a cultural and theoretical lens. Swidler's (1986, "American Sociological Review", 51: 273-286) framework linking ideology, culture and action was used in this ethnographic study of a research university (a) to understand dominant institutional beliefs about civic…

The name of Zoltan P. Dienes (1916- ) stands with those of Jean Piaget, Jerome Bruner, Edward Begle, and Robert Davis as a legendary figure whose work left a lasting impression on the field of mathematics education. Dienes' name is synonymous with the multibase blocks that he invented for the teaching of place value. Among numerous other things,…

The increasing ethnic, racial, cultural, religious, and language diversity in nations throughout the world is forcing educators and policymakers to rethink existing notions of citizenship and nationality. To experience cultural democracy and freedom, a nation must be unified around a set of democratic values such as justice and equality that…

The National Network for Educational Renewal (NNER) was established in 1986 to put into practice the belief that the improvement of schooling and the renewal of teacher education must proceed simultaneously. This book contains a collection of papers presented at the NNER conference held in New York City in November 1995. The book also includes a…

Despite Dewey's influence on educational thought, those with progressive visions of democratic education are generally on the margins of educational policy and practice. One notable exception was the "Eight-Year Study," a landmark attempt to design, implement, and evaluate democratic secondary schools. The Eight-Year Study was begun in…

Folk and settlement schools have served predominantly Anglo-American constituents and have focused upon Anglo-American and western European traditions. The John C. Campbell Folk School (JCCFS) was founded in southwestern North Carolina in 1925. The school's founder, Olive Dame Campbell, was considered progressive in her time in desiring to serve…

This volume reports on a study undertaken to determine views of college students themselves on civic life and politics and also follows four related studies and action research projects on the relationship between citizens and the political process. The central study was a series of 10 campus discussions in the focus group format, with college…

Learning democratic principles is an important component of education. Ways in which to equip students with the necessary complex knowledge and skills for full participation in a democracy are explored in this report. The text focuses on the distinction between education for democracy and education as democracy, and it explores ways that the…

This booklet presents information on Education International, a group that promotes teacher rights, trade union rights (including teacher unions), fair teaching conditions, and equal education for all people. The booklet includes information on the following: the Education International executive board (name, address, telephone, fax, and e-mail);…

This book argues that rather than pursuing a debate defined by controversy over who should be taught, what should be taught, and how it should be paid for, Americans must address education for what it is: the well-spring of democracy in the United States. Education must emphasize democracy as much as it does the pursuit of excellence. By doing…