Students need democratic models operating in their daily lives and opportunities to exercise their democratic rights and responsibilities. From 1995-1997 an action research project studied the effect "Judicious Discipline," a democratic citizenship model for school and classroom management, had on students, educators, and parents. "Judicious Discipline" is the only model for school/classroom management that is based on principles of democracy and operates at the principled level of moral development. Students and educators in two southwest Minnesota schools, an elementary school with 425 students, and a middle school with 300 students participated in the project. Quantitative data were collected through a questionnaire administered to all students in both schools at three separate times throughout the 1995-96 school year. Instruction was by the school principal, counselors, and other resource staff. The importance of conducting democratic class meetings emerged from the action research project findings. A different questionnaire was used to determine stages of social development at which students in various home rooms operated. Two teachers in the middle school conducted democratic class meetings and 10 teachers did not. A comparison of survey results indicated that the two teachers who conducted democratic class meetings generated a class climate that was more aligned with autonomous social development than did the 10 teachers with no meetings. Democratic class meetings have certain key elements that the model calls for, such as determining who can call a meeting, setting ground rules, having the teacher lead the meetings, writing down goals, and not coercing student participation. (Contains 3 tables and 15 references.) (BT)