Democratic Education Beyond the Classroom: The Potential of Extracurricular Spaces

• In Event: Democratic Reimaginings: Education as a Site of Justice

Abstract

In this paper, we argue for the potential of rethinking extracurricular school spaces (such as theater, music, debate, clubs, school newspapers, sports, and service organizations), so that they are more intentional sites for fostering the development of democratic habits and dispositions. These spaces can certainly help students to sharpen academic, intellectual, and interpersonal skills; however, in this essay we foreground how they are a particularly promising way to help students learn to value using these skills to enrich their democratic community. This is because in these spaces, learning is purposeful and authentic, students have decision-making power and agency, and relationships are centered. By re-envisioning these spaces, educators and policymakers can create environments that promote student agency, foster meaningful community engagement, and ultimately build the habits and dispositions necessary for active democratic participation.

Authors

• Kathy Hytten, University of North Carolina at Greensboro

• Kurt Stemhagen, VIrginia Commonwealth University