In 1789, Benjamin Franklin wrote, “Nothing can more effectually contribute to the cultivation and improvement of a country, the wisdom, riches and strength, virtue and piety, the welfare and happiness of a people than a proper education of youth” (Brown & Moffett, 1999). In the early 1900s, John Dewey's progressive notions about education further strengthened the linkage between education and democracy. Today, however, proclamations about improving public education seem at odds with those sentiments. Despite the public pressure and scrutiny, educators today are uniquely positioned to change the world and make their marks on society.

Laboratories of Democracy

At ASCD, we believe a conscious effort is required by educators, policymakers, and the general public to create and sustain schools in which all members of the school community develop ethically, physically, emotionally, and civically—as well as academically. Further, we believe schools in a democracy should not be merely the training grounds for the workers of tomorrow; they should be laboratories of democracy that give students numerous opportunities to work out what it means to be a democratic citizen. Providing these experiences is vital to the growth and success of both the students and a democratic society.

The First Amendment Schools project seeks to do just that. Students at First Amendment Schools not only study history, civics, and democracy; they also actively experience the rights and responsibilities of citizenship. These schools cultivate the scholar activist that we as adults are often challenged to be. All members of a First Amendment School community understand that the First Amendment's five freedoms provide a civic framework within which to debate differences, understand one another, and serve the common good. Students who graduate from these schools embody this understanding by demonstrating the civic habits of heart, mind, voice, and work.

Recently, ASCD convened the Fourth Annual First Amendment Schools Leadership Conference. Four years ago, when we joined with the First Amendment Center to cosponsor this project, we could not have imagined its extraordinary success. We simply could not have predicted young people picketing against ice cream trucks that sold toy guns in Modesto, Calif., or early adolescents designing a breakfast program for their classmates in Salt Lake City, Utah, that would become a model for the entire school district.

We didn't know that parents would become empowered to advocate for their children's safety, and teachers and administrators would find renewal in engaging together to create laboratories of democracy.

Aligning Head and Heart

We did know, however, as Albert Hubbard reminds us, that “a school should not be a preparation for life. A school should be life” (Brown & Moffett, 1999). We knew that classroom instruction must be constructed with the students, as well as the course content, in mind.

We knew that we must align “the ‘head’ and the ‘heart’ in education, making an enduring commitment to ensuring that the total child (including his or her civic, emotional, physical, and spiritual needs) is at the heart of the school renewal process” (Brown & Moffett, 1999). That ethic must be at the heart of our work together.

“We are a much different school community than we were before being jolted into understanding the five freedoms and creating a laboratory in which to practice them,” says Rob Williams, principal of Fairview Elementary School in Modesto, Calif.

We believed when we began our work with the First Amendment Schools project—and believe now—that it is our collective responsibility to share in these schools' successes and struggles, to explore the implications of research and its application to both policy and practice, and to join in sharing what we know is most effective for learning, teaching, and leadership.

The visions advanced by democratic educators and progressive social movements over the past 200 years have offered the promise of encouraging and energizing children and youth to take control of their world and make it a better place. We cannot afford to let those visions dim.

Reference

Brown, J. L., & Moffett, C. A. (1999). The hero's journey: How educators can transform schools and improve learning. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.