Democracy and Education

Complex Interplay

Along with the cultural, social, and economic factors shaping contemporary public education, specific goals and their programmatic implications are intertwined in three partially overlapping forms of American democracy: institutional republicanism, popular democracy, and deep democracy. Each embodies general American cultural values (e.g., liberty, equality, and justice; free expression and tolerance for competing ideas; and the rule of law). All three democratic forms support specific institutional arrangements (e.g., power sharing among legislative, executive, and judicial branches; free and frequent elections; majority rule with minority rights). All three promote universal education as necessary for effective citizenship. There are, however, important differences for both democracy and education in each form.

Institutional republicanism understands the Constitution as establishing a republic with a limited representative government. Public education is understood as necessary to support government-centered institutions. The focus is on preparing citizens for orderly civic participation centered on obeying the law and voting in national, state, and local elections. Public education's role is primarily one of promoting social stability to ensure political continuity and economic growth. Young people are to acquire the knowledge, skills, and dispositions necessary for informed and responsible consumption of material goods (economic productivity) and nonmaterial civic benefits (individual rights).

Popular democracy emphasizes broad and active involvement in civic life that goes beyond dutiful voting in periodic elections. Public education is needed to ground young citizens in democratic values (especially equality and social justice) and to inform them about central institutional structures and processes. But education must also include critical analysis of contemporary ideas, conditions, and events. Interwoven with instructional efforts to shape social stability are programs designed to promote social mobility to overcome persistent structural barriers to status and opportunity. Young people are prepared to move through critical awareness toward principled action.

...