Ideals of Democratic Education Lecture Notes

Ideals of Democratic Education—Lecture Notes

Road Map for the Next Few Weeks

Political-Economy—Material basis of society or culture, includes things like social and cultural, economic, political, and demographic dimensions of a socity

Ideology—The ideas that explain and justify a political economy, social organization, the way things are. Often, we talk about dominant ideologies, those of dominant groups in society. Subordinate groups may develop competing ideologies

Schools—How is school reform related to changes in political economy and ideology

Democratic Education: Subject Matter v. Process

I. Equal Education—Van Doren

A. Reading VD

B. Classical Liberal View of Democracy

Natural Rights—rts given by nature (some say God)

Rationality—individual knows own interests

Atomism—rights located in the individual, each on has a complete packet of rights (white, property-owning male, that is)

Freedom—from restraint (negative view of freedom)

Intellectual—thought free of chaims of state and church

Political—free from dictates of monarchy or aristocracy, participate in law-making

Civil—free to live as one pleases, civil liberties

Economic—Laissez-faire = “free to act,” private property

Democracy—election of representatives

Equality—of individuals in relationship to the state

C. Jefferson’s view of the school

1. Education’s highest aim

2. Liberal Arts curriculum

3. Citizenship

II. Undemocratic aspects of classical liberal view and liberal arts curriculum

III. Democratic education as the development of individual students