| Despite many years of reforms and laws designed to improve public education, the fundamental purpose of public education in the United States has not been part of the national reform discussion. The lack of definitive objectives for public education has resulted in a variety of reforms that often address social, political, or economic issues, rather than educational goals. The purpose of this paper is to argue that the fundamental goal of public education should be to prepare students for full participation in democratic society.Full participation in a democracy requires that citizens have the fundamental knowledge required for meaningful participation and the skills needed to participate in the democratic process. This paper identifies three practices, which if implemented with fidelity, should result in fulfillment of this goal. The three practices are inclusive teaching practices, teaching for critical thinking, and democratic practices in schools. Not only will these practices result in students who are prepared for civic participation in democratic society, but they will also meet the implicit social and economic goals of public education.In this paper I advocate for the specific pedagogical practices listed above and describe examples of how these practices have been successfully implemented. I also describe ways in which schools can become more democratic institutions. |
