Developing Democratic Character in the Young

Reviews / Votes

"This is the one book on education to read now. Provocative essayslaunch critical issues that are widely ignored in the standard`education reform' and `character education' literatures. JohnGoodlad and his colleagues continue to push the boundaries of whatit can mean to have public schools in democracy. Ecologicalunderstanding is brought, at last, to the forefront of thinkingabout education such that democratic character and our tenuousdemocratic experiment cannot be comprehended without it." (WalterParker, professor of education, University of Washington) "Thoughtful and thought provoking, Developing Democratic Characterin the Young reminds us that one of the most important reasons forpublic education is to preserve and strengthen our democracy."(Anne L. Bryant, executive director, National School BoardsAssociation) "'Freedom can be won, but democracy must be learned' is anoften-heard lament among patriots in the newly independent formercommunist states in Eastern Europe. By the same logic, maintainingdemocracy also hinges on learning and our public schools.Developing Democratic Character in the Young points to promisingdirections for achieving the key mission of America's society andpublic schools." (Adam Urbanski, president, Rochester (N.Y.)Teachers Association, and a vice president of the AmericanFederation of Teachers)