This article explores the potential of digital technology to advance democratic citizenship. Drawing on critical theory and following a critical, comparative qualitative study which examined the relationships among digital technology, education, and democracy in the US and Israel, the authors explore epistemological assumptions of teaching and…

At current rates, almost all U.S. public universities could reach a point of zero state subsidy within the next fifty years. What is a public university without public funding? In this essay, Kathleen Knight Abowitz considers the future of public universities, drawing upon the analysis provided in John Dewey's "Democracy and Education."…

In this review essay, Kathleen Knight Abowitz discusses three recent books related to democratic public life and schooling: Susan H. Fuhrman and Marvin Lazerson's "The Public Schools," Walter C. Parker's "Teaching Democracy: Unity and Diversity in Public Life," and Kevin McDonough and Walter Feinberg's "Education and Citizenship in…

In the last decade, educational researchers and scholars have turned new attention to the theory and practice of community organizing as a method for addressing education injustices. While there are diverse traditions of community organizing work, by far the most influential model in US contexts is that of Saul Alinsky, whose "Rules for Radicals"…

Meanings of "citizenship," a concept that has informed teaching practices since nation-states first institutionalized schooling, are shaped over time and through cultural struggles. This article presents a conceptual framework for the discourses that currently construct the meanings of citizenship in contemporary Western cultures,…

In their article, "Is the Liberal Defense of Public Schools a Fantasy?" presented in this v58, 2017 issue of "Critical Studies in Education," Michael S. Merry and William S. New offer what they call a "leftist critique" of standard liberal defenses of the public school. In this response, Kathleen Knight Abowitz…

Societal stories about school do not just reflect our current views and values, they also shape our political preferences and the realities that result from them. In recent decades, stories of the traditional common school and its more collectivist, shared culture have given way to newer stories oriented around competition and choice. Sarah…

As the mixed achievements of charter schools come under more intense political inspection, the conceptual underpinnings of current charter school reform remain largely unexamined. This article focuses on one moral-political concept centrally related to school reform and policy, the concept of justice. Using examples from the state of Ohio, the…

Uses Nancy Fraser's theory to provide a rationale for charter schooling, introducing the social justice and democratic possibilities inherent in some charter school proposals. The article argues that Fraser's notion of multiple public spheres, combined with her strategies of economic redistribution and cultural recognition, provide a compelling…

Examines qualitative case study data of a partnership between corporate Cincinnati and an urban public secondary school, evaluating the partnership based on democratic criteria established by Deweyan pragmatism. The 10-year relationship did not always merit the label partnership, as business interests were at times the central focus. However, over…