Democratic participation in education suggests that communities will be served best when decision-making is decentralized and when people--teachers, parents, and students alike--are encouraged to participate directly in making decisions that affect them. In contrast, the notion of administrative leadership implies hierarchical elevation of chief…

Reviews theory and research on the relationship between classroom climate and citizenship outcomes in elementary settings. Compares democratic learning environments described by three studies. Suggests that free expression, peer interaction in cooperative activities, respect for diverse viewpoints, and student participation in decision making…

The critical need for school reform cannot be separated from social reform. It is necessary, therefore, to go beyond the limited scope of curriculum modification to the process of learning how to take every element of an educational experience, raise it to a conscious level, and relate it to a universal struggle around a system of democratic…