Social foundations of education and democracy: teacher education for the development of democratically oriented teachers

Drawing on his review of "eight great books on democratic education," Miller (1995) contends that democratic schools are characterized by: * Engaged, relevant, socially responsible learning; * Cooperation within a supportive and caring environment; * Accommodation to diverse learning styles; * Celebration of cultural [and other kinds of] diversity; and * A fair distribution of resources. Certain habits of the heart and mind are central to democratic education and able to be inculcated early on as well as expanded upon as one grows in knowledge, life experiences, and capabilities: informed skepticism, a willing suspension of prior belief; informed empathy, stepping into the shoes of others without judging and with a genuine desire to understand; and an interest in and ability to utilize imagination, envisioning how things could be different-and better (Greene, 1973; Meier, 1996).