The Federal Election Commission (FEC) is considering a rule that would prohibit federal candidates from holding political events on private college campuses. Explains the proposal's origins and content, and argues against the measure, explaining both its redundancy and internal inconsistencies. Suggests a less intrusive method to accomplish FEC's…

Considers the tension between shared, constitutive values and the premises of liberal inclusiveness in school communities. Evaluates three candidates for school-community values (comprehensive doctrines, caring, and democracy). Concludes that constitutive values are inconsistent with liberal inclusiveness. Advocates a vaguer, thicker middle ground…

Explores the authoritarian model of education that has predominated historically and internationally, and argues that in recent years international political and educational developments have dramatically strengthened the position of democratic alternatives to such schooling. Concludes by discussing the correlation of educational effectiveness…

Design for America was a "reconstructionist" course conducted at the Floodwood (Minnesota) high school in 1944. Directed by Theodore Brameld, this one-semester curriculum demonstrated how young people could democratically consider dimensions of postwar American society. Implications for current educational reforms promoting social change…

Describes a project, Comparative Lessons for Democracy, to develop and publish lessons for high school students. Lessons compare institutions and processes of constitutional democracy in the United States and five post-communist countries involved in the Civitas international civic education programs: Latvia, Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary,…

Discusses the articles in this special issue on classrooms that are democratic communities. Outlines a democratic classroom model and then discusses that paradigm in practice. Offers a list of selected readings and resources, containing 53 professional readings, six professional resources, and 38 books suggested by members of the author team. (SR)

Explains the complexity of pedagogical factors that, despite tutor training and a writing center's commitment to liberatory pedagogy, contribute to tutorial "speech moments" that are antagonistic to democratic, dialogic intentions. Suggests practical ways tutors can resist imposing their views of culture or politics on their students and…

Creating and sustaining school programs that cultivate a wide range of human potential and simultaneously develop the abilities and dispositions required by a robust democratic society is obstructed by a supporting narrative that is weakly sustained in the surrounding environment. Stressing test scores, economic utility, and the "one best…

Character education thrives on an informed understanding of constitutional principles and an inclusive commitment-building process. U.S. Supreme Court opinions that clarify public school students' free speech rights have established values education as a constitutionally acceptable practice. Challenges might lie in possible violations of the First…

Examines the relationship between rhetorical traditions and philosophical inquiry about liberty. Argues that rhetoric matters: how people talk about the state sets the limits within which it works. (TB)

Student fees are a growing source of private funding for public education in revenue-limitation states like Wisconsin. Escalating public-school fees jeopardizes two principles: access to a free education and responsibility for publicly funding an enterprise to which all children are guaranteed access. (Contains 40 references.) (MLH)

Discusses the application of democratic and anti-racist educational principles in a college setting. Outlines an application of John Dewey's educational theory to college instruction. Applies Dewey's model to the teaching of anti-racism and readapts Deweyan principles to the task of reconstructing our classrooms as models of anti-racist…

After World War II, American scholars rewrote Italian school syllabi and textbooks to replace Fascist ideology with democratic ideas. John Dewey's progressive ideas were influential, until a restorative backlash of the Cold War almost eliminated them from policy documents. Since the sixties, however, Dewey's pedagogical thinking has regained…

Introduces this special theme issue on John Dewey's work at the University of Chicago (1894-1904). Maintains that Dewey's influence has been pervasive across distance, discipline, and time. Notes that the demise of the Department of Education at the University of Chicago, founded by Dewey, has been announced recently. Concludes that Dewey's ideas…

Describes the Whole Schooling Consortium (and invites participation in this growing network). Notes it draws from and builds on the experiences of progressive national school reform organizations. Discusses its five principles: empower citizens in a democracy; include all; provide authentic, multi-level teaching for diverse learners; build…