Spring 2000 What follows are excerpts from several recent publications that explore the expectations that our students will face in the 21 st century, as citizens and as workers. ASCD Infobrief . Student knowledge of how democracy works is also at what many political scientists consider low levels. Democratic disengagement is not exclusive to young people. Harvard University Professor Robert Putnam says overall participation has declined, from attending public meetings to working for a political party.
Educators acknowledge they are no substitute for lessons students learn outside school.
If political and community engagement are not encouraged at home, then it is little wonder young people have the attitudes the research indicates. The starting point of democratic education is discerning the traits, skills, and knowledge necessary for active citizenship. Although any list of this sort is sure to prompt some disagreement, interviews with educators and scholars committed to democratic education produced the following rough assessment of what is needed. These values provide a moral compass for democratic life. A Critical Assessment of Popular Views on Literacy and Work.