Well, they ought to be …
In an op-ed for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer Walter Parker (an education professor at U of W) argues that schools should seize the opportunty to become hotbeds of democracy by (1) increasing the variety and frequency of interaction among students who are culturally, linguistically and racially different from one another; (2) orchestrate interactions among students so that they are involved in decision-making about common problems (deliberation); and (3) expect, teach, and model competent, inclusive deliberation in the classroom.
Sound advice. And, the first step in making these things happen is to consider the obstacles that keep these practices from being more widespread in public schools … perhaps the most significant obstacle is the narrowing of the curriculum that results from the pursuit of increased test scores.
Follow
