Skip to content Skip to navigation

Connexions

You are here: Home » Content » Building a Learning Community: Democratic Values

Navigation

Content Actions
  • Download module PDF
  • Add to ...
    Add the module to:
    • My Favorites
    • A lens
    • An external social bookmarking service
    • My Favorites (What is 'My Favorites'?)
      'My Favorites' is a special kind of lens which you can use to bookmark modules and collections directly in Connexions. 'My Favorites' can only be seen by you, and collections saved in 'My Favorites' can remember the last module you were on. You need a Connexions account to use 'My Favorites'.
    • A lens (What is a lens?)

      Definition of a lens

      Lenses

      A lens is a custom view of Connexions content. You can think of it as a fancy kind of list that will let you see Connexions through the eyes of organizations and people you trust.

      What is in a lens?

      Lens makers point to Connexions materials (modules and collections), creating a guide that includes their own comments and descriptive tags about the content.

      Who can create a lens?

      Any individual Connexions member, a community, or a respected organization.

      What are tags? tag icon

      Tags are descriptors added by lens makers to help label content, attaching a vocabulary that is meaningful in the context of the lens.

    • External bookmarks
  • E-mail the authors
  • Rate this module (How does the rating system work?)

    Rating system

    Ratings

    Ratings allow you to judge the quality of modules. If other users have ranked the module then its average rating is displayed below. Ratings are calculated on a scale from one star (Poor) to five stars (Excellent).

    How to rate a module

    Hover over the star that corresponds to the rating you wish to assign. Click on the star to add your rating. Your rating should be based on the quality of the content. You must have an account and be logged in to rate content.

    		(0 ratings)

Lenses

What is a lens?

Definition of a lens

Lenses

A lens is a custom view of Connexions content. You can think of it as a fancy kind of list that will let you see Connexions through the eyes of organizations and people you trust.

What is in a lens?

Lens makers point to Connexions materials (modules and collections), creating a guide that includes their own comments and descriptive tags about the content.

Who can create a lens?

Any individual Connexions member, a community, or a respected organization.

What are tags? tag icon

Tags are descriptors added by lens makers to help label content, attaching a vocabulary that is meaningful in the context of the lens.

This content is ...

Endorsed by Endorsed (What does "Endorsed by" mean?)

This content has been endorsed by the organizations listed. Click each link for a list of all content endorsed by the organization.
  • NCPEA display tagshide tags

    This module is included inLens: National Council of Professors of Educational Administration
    By: National Council of Professors of Educational AdministrationAs a part of collection:"Introduction to School Leadership"

    Click the "NCPEA" link to see all content they endorse.

    Click the tag icon tag icon to display tags associated with this content.

Recently Viewed

This feature requires Javascript to be enabled.

Tags

(What is a tag?)

These tags come from the endorsement, affiliation, and other lenses that include this content.

Building a Learning Community: Democratic Values

Module by: Angus MacNeil, Valerie maclin

How do we create an environment where all members of a school community practice civic habits? How can we help school members learn to practice their First Amendment freedoms? Sergiovanni (2002) tells us that the primary aim of education is to enable an individual to function in society. Assuming a democratic society, the school should promote not only those qualities necessary for survival (employment, getting along with people, managing one's affairs, being a responsible family member, etc., but also those qualities necessary for a healthy democratic society (political involvement that seeks the common good, willingness to displace self-interest for a higher purpose, skills at community building and conflict resolution, an understanding of how the political process works and how to influence public policy. In order for schools to foster the type of environment where learning conditions help individuals develop social and political qualities, learning is best nurtured in a community context.

A Democratic School Community

In 2001, Fairview Elementary School in Modesto, California participated in a forum sponsored by the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD) and the Freedom Forum's First Amendment Center.These two groups joined forces to promote a First Amendment Schools: Educating for Freedom and Responsibility. This join venture was developed as a means of looking at how to change the way schools instruct the rights and responsibilities that frame our civic lives. (Beatty,2004)

The guiding principles associated with the democratic values of First Amendment Schools are:

  • Create schools that serve as laboratories of democratic freedom.
  • Develop in all members of the school community a commitment to inalienable rights and civic responsibility.
  • Engage all stakeholders in a shared commitment to work together for the common good of the school community.
  • Foster the knowledge, skills and virtues necessary for thoughtful and effective participation in the democratic life of the school community and beyond.

Based on the democratic values forum at Fairview Elementary School, students, teachers, administrators, parents, and community members established an abiding commitment to teach and model the rights and responsibilities that promote civic awareness and undergird the First Amendment. (FAS Founders, 2001)

Democratic Leadership

According to Richard DuFour, retired superintendent of the acclaimed Adlai Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire, Illinois, author and consultant, says, today's principals must focus on the future, but remain grounded in today. They must see the big picture, while maintaining a close eye on the details. Principals must be strong leaders who give away power to others. (DuFour, 1999)

This idea of shared responsibility is also echoed by the National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP). In 2001, the NAESP outlined six key elements that summarize what is expected of tomorrow's principals who are a creator of democratic values in their schools. These principals:

  1. Lead their schools in a way that places student and adult learning at the center.
  2. Set high expectations and standards for the academic and social development of all students and the performance of adults.
  3. Demand content and instruction that ensures student achievement of agreed upon academic standards.
  4. Create a culture of continuous learning for adults tied to student learning and other school goals.
  5. Use multiple sources of data as tools to assess, identify, and apply instructional improvement.
  6. Actively engage the community to create shared responsibility for student and school success.

Therefore, these 21st century pioneers must meet the following demands if they are to promote democratic values and build community schools:

  • Lead through shared vision and values.
  • Enlist faculty in the decision-making process and empower individuals to act.
  • Provide information, training, and parameters for staff to make good decisions.
  • Are results oriented.
  • Concentrate on posing the right questions rather than imposing solutions. (DuFour, 1999)

The principles modeled at schools like Fairview Elementary demonstrate that a culture based on democratic values is developed through reflective leadership practices. Additionally, implementing the democratic values also means that leaders must develop sensitivity towards the value of others in order to give meaning to students, teachers, parents and the community at large. Furthermore, by seeking to understand the values of others, leaders can gather enough information on how they can best utilize a shared decision making process. Hence, by developing an awareness of others, school leaders are able to gauge the influence that certain individuals, groups, and organizations can have on their schools. Therefore, the decision on how to create an environment where schools promote democratic values helps to built students who grow into responsible social and politically aware members of society, which understand the government process and are skilled in community building.

References

Barth, R. (1990). Improving schools from within. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers.

Beatty, E. (2004). Creating a laboratory for democracy. Educational Leadership, 61, (8), 75-78

DeFour, R. & Eaker, R. (1998). Professional learning communities at work: Best practices for enhancing student achievement. Bloomington, IN: National Education Service.

Lashway, L. (2003, July). Role of the school leader. Retrieved Feb 12, 2004, from http://eric.uoregon.edu/trends_issues/rolelead/index.html#providing

Lambert, L. (1998). Building leadership capacity in schools. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

Lieberman, A. (1997). The national writing project. Educational leadership, 59,(6), 40-43.

Schaps, E. (2001). The principal's life: Building community from within. Retrieved June 22, 2005, from http://www.naesp.org/ContentLoad.do?contentId=181

Sergiovanni, T. (2001). The Principalship: A reflective practice. 5th ed. San Antonio, TX: Trinity Press.

Sergiovanni, T., R. Starratt, (2002). Supervision a redefinition. 7th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill.

Comments, questions, feedback, criticisms?

Send feedback