Participating in Democracy: Creating a Culture of Citizenship in Primary (K–2) Classrooms

• In Event: Hilton Roundtable Session 3

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to explore development of civic participation in children in primary (K-2) classrooms. The research had two interrelated goals: (1) to examine how teachers and administrators create a culture of democratic participation in primary grade classrooms that nurtures and sustains young children’s developing civic competence and embodiment of the rules, rights and responsibilities of democratic citizenship; and (2) to document how young children come to understand and embody these rules, rights and responsibilities embedded within the daily functioning of the classroom. This study also explored the obstacles and challenges faced by these schools in their attempts to achieve these goals within the political and socioeconomic environment that frames education in the U.S.

Author

• Mindi Reich-Shapiro, Borough of Manhattan Community College