Democracies Always in the Making: Historical and Current Philosophical Issues for Education

Democracies Always in the Making develops Barbara Thayer-Bacon’s relational and pluralistic democratic theory, as well as translates that socio-political philosophical theory into educational theory and recommendations for school reform in American public schools. John Dewey warned us long ago that a nation cannot hope to be a democracy someday without paying attention to how it educates its young future citizens. Democracy is a goal, an ideal which we must continually strive for that can guide us in our decision-making, as we continue to live in a world that is unpredictable, flawed, and limited in terms of its resources.

There are key political philosophers of education who we can turn to for help. They offer us important ideas that will help us re-check our assumptions and critique our daily practice. Existing school models also offer us important examples of how to structure schools as well as various methodologies and curriculum that we can elect to use to help us move closer to the ideal of a democracy.