Introduction to School Leadership

Building a Learning Community: Democratic Values

How do we create an environment where all members of a school community practice civic habits? How can we help school members learn to practice their First Amendment freedoms? Sergiovanni (2002) tells us that the primary aim of education is to enable an individual to function in society. Assuming a democratic society, the school should promote not only those qualities necessary for survival (employment, getting along with people, managing one’s affairs, being a responsible family member, etc., but also those qualities necessary for a healthy democratic society (political involvement that seeks the common good, willingness to displace self-interest for a higher purpose, skills at community building and conflict resolution, an understanding of how the political process works and how to influence public policy. In order for schools to foster the type of environment where learning conditions help individuals develop social and political qualities, learning is best nurtured in a community context.

A Democratic School Community

In 2001, Fairview Elementary School in Modesto, California participated in a forum sponsored by the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD) and the Freedom Forum’s First Amendment Center. These two groups joined forces to promote a First Amendment Schools: Educating for Freedom and Responsibility. This join venture was developed as a means of looking at how to change the way schools instruct the rights and responsibilities that frame our civic lives. (Beatty,2004)

The guiding principles associated with the democratic values of First Amendment Schools are:

• Create schools that serve as laboratories of democratic freedom.
• Develop in all members of the school community a commitment to inalienable rights and civic responsibility.
• Engage all stakeholders in a shared commitment to work together for the common good of the school community.
• Foster the knowledge, skills and virtues necessary for thoughtful and effective participation in the democratic life of the school community and beyond.

Based on the democratic values forum at Fairview Elementary School, students, teachers, administrators, parents, and community members established an abiding commitment to teach and model the rights and responsibilities that promote civic awareness and undergird the First Amendment. (FAS Founders, 2001)