One of the major arguments for a public education system is that society has a stake in instilling certain values in its citizens, and in particular, citizenship and democracy. But what does that mean? This page links to articles by Joel Westheimer, mostly with Joseph Kahne, that explore the subject. One issue that crops up repeatedly is the lack of agreement on what constitutes a democractic citizen; the authors, for example, identify three types - personally responsible citizens, participatory citizens, and justice oriented citizens - in Educating the "Good" Citizen: Political Choices and Pedagogical Goals. And in Reconnecting Education To Democracy: Democratic Dialogues the authors examine the role of patriotism and political opinions in learning, looking at, for example, how "Nebraska's State Board of Education did jump on its own version of American Bandstand, specifying that the high school social studies curriculum should "include instruction in . . . the benefits and advantages of our government, the dangers of . . . communism and similar ideologies, the duties of citizenship, and appropriate patriotic exercises." Democracy in education, sure, but at what point does it become propaganda? These essays are a great read; required for anyone working in this area.CRLFCRLF
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