In this paper, I share the findings of my qualitative study of parental choice processes that reflected an intricate system of advantages and resulted in the creation and maintenance of increasingly segregated, like-minded school communities. Drawing on Dewey's conceptions of public and private and of democratic education, I argue that the…

This paper explores changes to the educational policy making arena through case study analysis of a Massachusetts law passed in 2012 that limits seniority-based job protections for public K-12 teachers. I use data from interviews with policy stakeholders, observations of public meetings, and policy artifacts to explore struggles over democratic…

The aim of this study is to find out the school administrators appointed in secondary education institutions about school council implementations and to develop suggestions for the school, council to function more properly. The study was carried out with 234 administrators appointed in secondary and high schools in Bahcelievler District of…

This self-study explores an educational policy-making project initiated, facilitated, and implemented by direct stake-holders through a deliberative, intentional process involving teacher educators, policy-makers, and state regulators. As such, it serves as an example of a high-stakes political change process using principles of deliberative…

By bringing together the national German sports game community and an international scientific community in a joint conference, the 6th International Teaching Games for Understanding Conference (TGfU) Meets the 10th German Sports Games Symposium of the German Association of Sport Science (DVS), held July 25-27, 2016, at the German Sport University…

A review of workplace democracy revealed that both practice and research need updating. The results are discussed in terms of history, theory, research and practice. Implications for human resource development research and practice are also included. (Contains 2 tables.)

An example of the way gaming can be used to bring attention to, and improve skills in, making democracy function better is presented. The game is played by seven people seated around two triangular playing boards; it involves making choices among least, intermediate, and most preferred alternatives, keeping the preferences of the majority in…

Richard Spady has identified 10 general theories through research in the field of administrative theory. Three of the theories are stressed in this paper. First, the theory of learning that uplifts the importance of the Socratic method is stressed, followed by a reflection on the research of Arthur W. Combs that defined the characteristics of good…

Argues that professional development for early childhood educators should address the challenge of diversity in order to produce an optimal child and truly realize a participatory democracy. Outlines four professional development opportunities that will help acknowledge diversity and create a realistic context from which teachers can teach. (SD)

Is the work of democracy too hard for schools to implement? This paper presents findings of a study that examined the dialectical relationship between the espoused values of democracy in schools and the actual practice of equity and inclusion in site-based decision making. Specifically, it examines the lived experience of the people inside schools…

This qualitative study examined how a methods class focusing on beliefs about teaching for democracy in a diverse society influences the beliefs and pedagogical decision making of a group of preservice teachers. This inquiry, a 2-year study of preservice social studies teachers, encompassed their social studies methods course, student teaching…

The meanings and roles of democracy and education, and the interaction of the two, are some of the most difficult questions society faces. The definition of democracy varies widely from a political mechanism to an ideal. Past efforts to infuse democracy into schools have generally been of two types. One is requiring a greater role for teachers in…

The implementation of a shared decision making (SDM) project in a large public secondary school was studied for three years. Factors that enhanced the SDM process were the confidence stakeholders had in themselves, resource availability, creation of democratic rules and procedures, early and concrete accomplishments, and the principal's support.…

British students at all levels are under increasing pressure to perform with respect to targets and objectives in which they have no say. The push to meet government-imposed educational standards has made school more undemocratic than ever. Outdoor education provides students the experience of making choices and facing the consequences, a way to…

This paper evaluates how civic education in the United States currently is impacted by the competing theories of individualism ("liberalism") and communitarianism. Each theory's intellectual history and meaning is explained briefly. The implications of the "debate between the defenders of liberalism and their communitarian critics…