Contemplating the root of the word "idiocy" leads the author to explore the challenge that democratic societies face of developing public-minded citizens. The schools, he argues, are the most likely institutions to succeed in that task. Schools in societies that are trying in various ways to be democracies, such as the United States,…

Used Cultural Futures Delphi procedures to interview and survey a multinational panel of 182 scholars, practitioners, and policy leaders from 9 countries to develop a curriculum geared to the development of world citizens prepared to deal with global crises and trends identified by the panel. Outlines the curriculum. (SLD)