ABSTRACT
Why should educators responsible for the daily operations of classrooms concern themselves with something as seemingly remote as the problems of democracy? One reason is that we are losing our students, as indicated by our staggering national dropout rates. What if we created democratic school cultures where all students belonged? What if students believed that their ideas and their work really made a difference because they actually did make a difference? As the authors of this chapter know firsthand, democratic school cultures can help our young people find meaning and direction in a rapidly changing world. Another reason that educators should concern themselves with the problems of democracy is that our democracy is in danger. Widening economic and social divisions in America threaten our ability to understand each other and to govern our collective lives together. Now more than ever, we need to prepare young people for the responsibilities of citizenship.
