ABSTRACT
How schools are governed is an important issue in a democratic society because of the potential influence of education on the future political decisions of children. The dilemma for democratic governments is that schools can create an informed electorate that freely makes choices at the ballot box or schools can instill values and ideas designed to control voter behavior. Democratic control or majority rule of government-operated schools creates the possibility that elected officials, special-interest groups, or the majority of voters might use schools to advance their own ideological agendas or, in other words, place wheels in students’ heads that will control their future actions as voters. Compulsory-education laws require children to attend schools in which the government mandates what will be taught to students. Can a democratic government be sustained if students are coerced into learning particular behaviors, knowledge, and values using a system of rewards and punishments that includes academic grades, grades for behavior, and the granting of credentials? Can democratically controlled schools undermine the basic premises of a democratic government?
