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 highlights my experiences as World Citizenship teacher at a public school in the Netherlands, comprising a student population of second generation immigrants with a Turkish background. It shows how the concept and course of world citizenship has evolved since its inception three years ago. The paper also reflects what we, as teachers…

The rationale for public schools has been divergently articulated around various broad themes integrated with a democratic society: economic production, socialization, integration, stability, and equality. Though divergent with regard to purpose and function of schools, advocates of these different purposes generally agree on a civic purpose of…

Given the need for students with disabilities to acquire citizenship skills similar to those of their peers, this study explores and describes the understanding of selected civic competencies found in students of inclusive social studies classes and how they acquired this understanding. First, the study explores whether or not the level of…

A study examined two upper elementary classrooms efforts to incorporate experiential democratic citizenship into the life of each classroom. A major research question guiding the study was: what are the characteristics of an elementary classroom that values civic participation? The assertion generated from the findings and attentive to this…

In the tradition of critical ethnography, this study demonstrates the development and use of a structured approach to the qualitative study of an urban alternative public high school. It responds to the need for research that begins to connect the language of possibility in critical educational theory with an emerging language of possibility in…

The importance of teaching moral education in the public schools is emphasized in this report. Three topics are discussed. The first section includes a sketch of the present moral climate of the United States, including evidence drawn from a recent Gallup Poll of public attitudes toward education, recent magazine articles, results of educational…

Two clashing positions about the social responsibility of educators and the main purpose of public schools are presented. According to the traditional position, the main purpose of public schools is transmission of a society's essential knowledge, skills, and values, which enables students to develop their capabilities to the fullest and to…

With the decline in morality and values, character education is gaining considerable momentum. Public opinion polls show growing support for teaching it in schools. Evidence indicates that character education programs change the school culture for the better, allowing students to feel safe to concentrate on learning. In Colorado, character…

This paper thematizes the significance of postmodernism for the teaching of values in public schools. It elucidates the challenge of postmodernism and develops constructive proposals in response to its significance for teaching values. The operative contention is that a critical engagement with the challenge of postmodernism provides an…

This paper describes a philosophy and framework for classroom management and school discipline which represents a citizenship approach, based on the Bill of Rights, that teaches students about their rights and responsibilities for living and learning in a democratic society. The Judicious Discipline framework outlined in the paper could work well…

This research involves case studies of four public high school teachers handling and modeling the problem of inclusion in their social studies classrooms. In interpreting and implementing social studies curriculum, teachers represent to their students particular images of citizenship, leadership, and the political system in which these are…

In primary and secondary education in the Netherlands, 30% of the schools are public, and 70% are private. Both private and public schools are state funded and must follow the national curriculum. Within this context, schools can develop their own identities and teaching methods. With regard to the identity of public education in the Netherlands,…

Some educators and public officials view schooling for character and citizenship as a basic purpose of public education. However, education that touches on personal beliefs and behaviors has become a subject of legal controversy. This paper explores ways in which public schools might deliver instruction about character and citizenship that are…

This paper highlights trends in values education in public secondary schools, crucial issues in both religious and secular values education, and effective strategies for teaching values in formal and invisible curricula. A review of the history of values education in the public schools is accompanied by relevant research pertaining to the…