The Morning Meeting: Fostering a Participatory Democracy Begins With Youth in Public Education

• In Event: Autonomy, Inclusion, and Fostering Participation: Voice and Agency in Curriculum Policy

Abstract

John Dewey (1916) proposed that schools should be a platform to actively engage students in authentic democratic experiences that will empower them to act beyond the walls of the school. The democratic schools that emerged during the Free School Movement of the 1960s embody Dewey’s philosophy, specifically with the shared governance occurring through their weekly School Meetings. Unfortunately, American public education’s preoccupation with standardization, proficiency scores, and accountability in the name of equality creates an authoritative, top-down approach that is far removed from the lived experience of democracy. This paper argues that the Morning Meeting, which has proliferated in 21st public education, has great potential to become a platform that fosters participatory, empowered democratic youth.

Author

• Rebecca Tilhou, Old Dominion University