ABSTRACT

Can you imagine a society where most people are engaged in working for the good of society? Can you envision a place where students volunteer in social justice and equity projects because they want to rather than because it is a school requirement? Can you imagine having students who want you to explain a mathematics problem because it will help them to help others? In my view, this is the energy and outreach that democratic access to powerful mathematical ideas generates. An ideal education in which students have democratic access to powerful mathematical ideas can result in students having the mathematical skills, knowledge, and understanding to become educated citizens who use their political rights to shape their government and their personal futures. They see the power of mathematics and understand that they can use mathematical power to address ills in our society. Education of this sort addresses political aspects of democratic schooling, the social systems of nations, and often has as its focus the social betterment of nations and the world (Beyer, 1996). The crux of democratic access to mathematics is our understanding and researching new ways to think about mathematics teaching and learning that has a moral commitment to the common good, as well as to individual needs. This is democratic education. Democratic education is important for social justice and equity in our world where, at the present time, they do not always prevail. An additional benefit of such education is that it provides mathematical access to all students because it is inclusive of all cultures and students rather than exclusive to cultures and students who historically have had access. Democratic education is collective in its goals and individual in is opportunities for student participation. As a result, it is emancipatory for all students.