Political education is a loaded expression, and even more so when it is suggested that state authorities should be in charge of it. The main claim from the author in this article is that, in contexts of sufficient political pluralism, political education should more firmly be taken in charge by primary and secondary schools. In the first section,…

The agenda for the Social Science Education Consortium conference at Woods Hole (Massachusetts) was designed to continue a tradition of examining scholarship relative to the social sciences in K-12 education. The content focus for this volume, is political science, economics, and sociology. Following a "Foreword" (Matthew T. Downey; Joseph P.…

Identifies the better known Anglo-American liberal political theories and critically analyzes the values that underlie these theories (i.e. individualism, proceduralism, tolerance, science, and objectivity). Provides an alternative to the present liberal pedagogy and suggests implications for future political education. (JDH)

Discusses the viability of participatory democracy and representative democracy for educational decision-making and argues that pure representative democracy would be preferable to the combination of participatory and representative democracy that now predominates. (Available from the Kansas Association of School Boards, 825 Western, Topeka, KS…

States that political education must represent the relationship between three entities: human being (liberty), citizenship (equality), and membership (unity). Analyzes Erich Weniger's theory of political education with respect to its peculiarities and its significance for a general theory of democracy. Relates Weniger's concept to fundamental…

Asserts that majority rule in a democratic society follows a cyclical pattern. Discusses the paradox between the concept of majority rule and protection of the rights of voting minorities. Compares the difficulty of achieving democracy to that of achieving justice through jury trials. (CFR)

This paper examines the research on students' and adults' knowledge of government and queries: "Will the civics and government standards (or any others) make any difference?" Contending that the present teacher education environment does little to promote active learning in the government classroom and that present government teachers have not…

This essay chronicles the move toward national standards in the content areas and examines the civics lessons to be learned from the debates. The paper notes the contradiction found in historically advocating local control and support of schools, moving toward the setting of national education goals and standards with little attention paid to…

This book defends the role of public education against its critics and throws light on such current issues as privatization, voucher systems, the role of public intellectuals, critical literacy, and educational reform. The volume offers a renewed vision of public schools as the locus of public knowledge and political democracy. Chapters include:…

This paper examines the U.S. educational system foundations, with particular emphasis on the state of Florida and contrasts that system with the Hungarian system, long under the communist control of the Soviet Union. Funding, educational initiative, and curriculum control are discussed. The paper concludes with accounts of personal experiences in…

Describes realities of "gutter education," the term applied to segregated education for blacks under apartheid in South Africa. Exposes efforts to control learning of students, including excessive use of rote learning methods and state-mandated content exams which promote the status quo. Notes lack of black students' cooperation with…

This article is a response to the reviews by Hogan and Ryan (see SO 516 080 and SO 516 081). The authors describe their book and defend its theory and major conclusions. (JDH)

This volume features 16 essays about educating young people for the amorphous state called democracy. The collections addresses the central questions: (1) How and what might children be taught so that they respond well and creatively to the demands of an increasingly diverse society that is organized under and struggling to realize the democratic…

The question of the relationship between capitalism and democracy is not new; scholars have produced a rich literature about it that includes virtually every considerable point of view. Yet the question is of more than historical interest; with the recent dramatic political and economic upheavals in Eastern Europe and the former USSR, it becomes…

This paper attempts to aid Vermont educators in re-examining traditional education practices designed to foster responsible citizenship behavior patterns in youth, and establishes basic directions for new programs and procedures. The paper outlines behavioral objectives and goals of a new citizenship program in Vermont. It is the position of this…