Care and education for young children is often understood primarily as a commodity to be provided in the marketplace, or as a kind of factory to produce human capital. But institutions for children and young people can also serve a very different role. They can be understood as forums for democratic political practice. This is a choice that we, as…

Communications technology that is or will soon be available can help create better opportunities for mass discussions about public issues. The hardware and software prerequisites for such discussions are: capacity to address participants, facilities for real-time dialogue between geographically dispersed groups, continuous feedback between…

New ways are needed for a citizen to participate actively in meaningful discussions of political issues. Telephone and cable television (CATV) facilities may help bring this about. For example a group of representatives could discuss some proposal for an hour and it could be broadcast over CATV or even radio several times during the day. Citizens…

Passage of the 26th Amendment gave young adults the right to vote. This study attempts to further student understanding of the electoral process by presenting a method for analyzing spatial voting patterns. The spatial emphasis adds another dimension to the temporal and behavioral-structural approaches in studying the American electoral system.…

A survey was conducted to examine the attitudes of school board members in Nebraska and Louisiana. It was found that in Nebraska school board members were more accepting of community involvement, while in Louisiana board members regard themselves and are regarded by the public as political actors. (AOS)

Discusses how President Clinton's view of citizenship is flawed, leading to his attempt to recast big-government programs, such as AmeriCorps, as instruments of individual and community empowerment. The debate over school lunch funding is offered as an example of Clinton's refusal to turn over power, responsibility, and resources to local control.…

In an "ideal" democratic society, publicly funded schools serve many purposes. Aside from its educational mandate, schools are places for neighbourhood integration, social capital formation and the fostering of civil society. For newly arrived immigrants, especially those with young children, schools are important sites of settlement…

Representative democracy is unlikely to persist for long in its present state of instability. Unless we move forward into a more participatory democracy we may find our government increasingly bland and manipulative, brutish and tyrannical. The fundamental question about television is how it can help the growth of participatory democracy. We need…

Inner city youth must be made aware of the problems confronting them on an individual level, the social factors which have brought these problems about, the facts about the constitutional relationships between citizen and government, and, finally, the uses of citizen power. (Author/JB)

Presents steps that communities can take to use politics for the benefit of curriculum development. (Author/MLF)

This volume reports on a study undertaken to determine views of college students themselves on civic life and politics and also follows four related studies and action research projects on the relationship between citizens and the political process. The central study was a series of 10 campus discussions in the focus group format, with college…

With the expansion of the technological revolution, the danger of dehumanization is ever present. Governmental domination of individual and social thought, coupled with economic manipulation, are areas of concern relating to basic educational philosophy. (RAO)

Briefly defines political education, discusses why it is necessary, and clarifies its basic aims. Suggests that a hierarchy of four levels of political education exists. Canvasses three options for education delivery and closes with recommendations for education providers. (Author/CH)

A growing number of educational programs seek to promote young people's participation in political and civic affairs. A common strategy for doing so is to provide students with opportunities to make a difference in their communities. Much research demonstrates a strong connection between a person's sense about making a difference efficacy and the…

By focusing on a narrow but dramatic issue--rural education in Latin America--this paper explores the more general theme of the relationship between schooling and political development. (Author)