ABSTRACT
Democratic education' means many things to many people, but there are two clear directions. On the one hand are those who see mainstream school itself as a form of 'common', democratically and politically inclined education, with organisational and pedagogical aspirations to be free and accessible to all, on equal terms. On the other hand, 'democratic education' is a pedagogy and form of organisation in presently a few alternative education schools, where voice and choice for students at every level of their education matters and occurs. At the most basic level, democratic education is considered in two ways: the concern of parents for their children in terms of a type of equal-and-voice-led educational experience, and the business of the state for society. Those who see it as education linked to the socially political consider education's role to be extremely powerful: 'issues of democratic education raise general questions about democracy and democratic citizenship'.
