Fraser TEACH © 2011 McGraw- Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. Chapter 12 Public Education: What Is Its Purpose in a Democratic Society?

Fraser TEACH © 2011 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. What Does a Democratic Society Expect of Its Schools? Defining democracy –At basic level, democracy is a government based on the consent of the governed –At larger level, democracy should be more than “informed consent” and include active involvement of all citizens in constantly recreating the good society for all

Fraser TEACH © 2011 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. What Does a Democratic Society Expect of Its Schools? The school’s role in a democratic society –Expanding the notion of democracy is one of oldest and most important roles the U.S. has assigned to its schools Educated citizens make democracy a reality in the daily lives of the people –New notions of democracy argue for schools that foster empowerment in its students

Fraser TEACH © 2011 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. What About Me? What should a school’s role be in creating responsible citizens? What should schools accomplish?

Fraser TEACH © 2011 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. Historically Speaking: What is the Relationship Between a Universal Education and Democratic Citizenship? The educational philosophy of Thomas Jefferson –Believed even the best governments had the tendency to be “perverted into tyranny” Best protection against this was an educated citizenship (in this case, free white males) –Believed education and democracy were inextricably linked

Fraser TEACH © 2011 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. Historically Speaking: What is the Relationship Between a Universal Education and Democratic Citizenship? Structuring a democratic school system –In early 1800’s, efforts began for the inclusion of women, minorities, and poor into the public school systems –Horace Mann argued: For public funding of education for all (in this case, white males and females) Against students being separated into common and elite schools

Fraser TEACH © 2011 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. Historically Speaking: What is the Relationship Between a Universal Education and Democratic Citizenship? Education, slavery, and freedom –First education advocates ignored the education rights of African Americans –African American population had an active interest and passion to educate former slaves During slavery, literacy represented a skill that contradicted the status of slaves –Many gains were won after the Civil War but quickly lost thereafter

Fraser TEACH © 2011 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. Historically Speaking: What is the Relationship Between a Universal Education and Democratic Citizenship? Making democracy “come alive” in school –Progressive education was a means of engaging more students so they would stay in school longer –Progressive educators believed schools should be small-scale models of larger democratic societies

Fraser TEACH © 2011 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. Join the Dialogue Discuss your own “Pedagogic Creed” – a statement of your basic philosophical beliefs about education.

Fraser TEACH © 2011 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. Historically Speaking: What is the Relationship Between a Universal Education and Democratic Citizenship? Education is a civil right –Victories in desegregating schools were part of a much larger national civil rights movement Movement was dedicated to a more democratic system of education –Larger goal of movement was the creation of a society that allowed all citizens full participation in democracy at all levels

Fraser TEACH © 2011 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. Historically Speaking: What is the Relationship Between a Universal Education and Democratic Citizenship? Recent visions of democratic schooling –Ann Bastian: Called for quality and equality in schools –Rethinking Schools journal: Strong voice for social justice in education –Deborah Meier: Works to create democratic learning communities –Lisa Delpit: Argues for a multicultural approach to education

Fraser TEACH © 2011 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. How Can We Make Our Schools More Democratic? Schools are not all equal –Quality education for every child is far from realized Many schools have insufficient funding or resources, and under-qualified teachers Students are still excluded from school based on: –Gender –Race –Disability –Home language –Sexual orientation

Fraser TEACH © 2011 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. How Can We Make Our Schools More Democratic? Schools are not all equal –Jonathan Kozol found: Schools for poor children are not happy places Two sets of school exist, one for well-off, mostly white children, and another set for overwhelmingly poor students of color These two sets of students received profoundly different educations

Fraser TEACH © 2011 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. How Can We Make Our Schools More Democratic? The teacher’s role in a democratic society –Every teacher has a responsibility to make schools fairer for all –Those entering the profession need to be clear about their own beliefs, expectations, and role they can play in a democratic system of education

Fraser TEACH © 2011 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. Reading: “My Pedagogic Creed” by John Dewey Dewey’s personal beliefs about education, including: –“I believe that education…is a process of living and not a preparation for future living” –“I believe that education is the fundamental method of social progress and reform” –“I believe that the community’s duty to education is…its paramount moral duty” –“I believe, finally, that the teacher is engaged, not simply in the training of individuals, but in the formation of the proper social life”

Fraser TEACH © 2011 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. Reading: “The Meaning of Education” by W.E.B. DuBois Discusses two concepts of education –Training for mastery of technique (craft) –Training the man who is going to exercise the technique and for whom the technique exists (character) DuBois argues, “Technique without character is chaos and war. Character without technique is labor and want”

Fraser TEACH © 2011 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. Reading: From Exploring the Moral Heart of Teaching by David T. Hansen Hansen writes, “Conceptions of what teaching is, and what it is for, make a difference in educational thought and practice” Argues that teaching must be fueled from within, and teachers must work both in well- defined roles and as idealistic practitioners Educators should work towards the ideal of “tenacious humility” in their teaching

Fraser TEACH © 2011 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. Reading: “Rethinking Our Classrooms: Teaching for Equity and Justice” by the editors of Rethinking Schools Based on premise that schools “should be laboratories for a more just society than the one we live in now” School reform must be guided by democratic social goals and values Efforts to reform schools must be both visionary and practical in their approach