This paper explores the varying definitions of civic education through time. The essay provides a framework through which to view the 1916 seminal report of the National Education Association's Committee on Social Studies by examining the competing visions of civic education during the 18 years prior to the report. The conceptualizations of civic…

Liberal democracies depend on the knowledge, character, and imagination of their citizens. Three assumptions underlie this collection of essays on democracy and education: (1) democracy is morally superior to autocracy, whether religious or secular, utopian or mundane; (2) democracies are rare historically and inherently fragile; and (3) there can…

The 2002 R. Freeman Butts Institute on Civic Learning in Teacher Education, which met in Indianapolis, Indiana, from May 17-21, 2002, was the source for this book. The central theme of the meeting was education for democratic citizenship in the college/university-based preparation of prospective teachers. Following an Introduction, twelve papers…