Description
The book argues for democratic education, showing how it can be realized in diverse settings. It advances a theory that emphasizes the roles of students, teachers, and societal structures, and especially, learning through democracy. Case studies reveal different aspects of what democratic education can be and its meaning in different contexts.
In Democratic Education, Bertram Bruce insists that democracy and education rise (and fall) together. He goes beyond the generally accepted formula of education of, by, and for democracy to articulate a commitment to education with democracy - through which "educators and students work to simultaneously transform both education and society to become more democratic." The spirit of both John Dewey (democracy) and Paulo Freire (hope) resonate in the concrete case studies he employs to make his argument.
Bertram C. Bruce is Professor Emeritus in Information Sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. He has a BA in biology from Rice University, and a PhD in computer sciences from the University of Texas at Austin. As a scholar focusing on democratic education, he asks how we can guide education by an ecological, humanistic, and ethical vision.
