This non-affirmative, bridging research program sees education as deliberation-based activity. Non-affirmative education is critical regarding policies and cultural practices, yet being mindful that education preparing for life, work and agency in democratic societies must create spaces for growth that are not only socialization or transformation oriented, thus avoiding making education into an instrumental practice. German-Nordic education theory help us to see connections between Bildung, Deweyan pragmatism, and deliberative democracy and is used to continue toward comparative research on nation-state based education carried out between curriculum as a policy document and leadership practices at different levels as deliberative practices.