Our democracy is in crisis. Both political trust and a shared standard of truth are broken. In this book, Walter Parker shows why and how civic education can help. Offering a centrist approach suitable for a polarized society, Parker focuses on two linked curriculum objectives: disciplinary knowledge and voice. He illustrates how classroom…

The study of current events can take several forms, and the right current event to study as a class depends on the educational purposes, the curricular standards the authors want to address, and the resources they have available to meet them, and what the needs and abilities are of the students present in the class. In this article, they focus on…

Background/Context: The literature on classroom discussion often undercuts itself by treating discussion only as an instructional method, confining its role to the instrumental. Although discussion does serve as an effective means to other curricular ends (teaching with discussion), the capable practice of discussion can also be considered a…

In light of Martin Rochester's questioning of his earlier article, in this article the author clarifies his positions and reiterates his belief in the essential connection between public education and the viability of democracy. He does thank Martin Rochester for his interest in "Teaching Against Idiocy." However, in this article, he addresses…

This paper suggests that the concept of "democratic citizenship education" must be expanded and deepened. The conventional conception excludes the key ideas of the social and cultural dimensions of citizenship and the central tension of social life--unity/difference. The paper features the following areas: (1) "Essentially Contested Concepts"; (2)…

This book contributes to the debate between proponents of multicultural education and those who favor a cultural literacy approach. The book demonstrates that educating for democratic citizenship in a multicultural society includes a fundamental respect for diversity. It bridges the widening gap between multicultural education and civic education;…

Argues that, with the increasing diversity of the U.S. population, education needs to respond by figuring out a meaningful way to embrace values of civic unity and cultural diversity at the same time. Discusses problems encountered in addressing diversity within civic education and means to bridge the gap. (DSK)

Though citizenship education is a popular mission for public schools, it rests on a feeble conception of democratic citizenship that skirts social and cultural diversity. The article outlines a conception of democratic citizenship that is appropriate to pluralistic societies, and it describes appropriate participation, path, and assimilation in…

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,…

Argues that the United States always has possessed a unified political culture (representative democracy defined by compromise and consensus) and a fragmented ethnic and social culture. Claims that concerns about the divisive effect of multicultural education confuse the two realms. Suggests some curriculum topics that address both ideas. (MJP)