Educating for a Diverse Democracy in California: The Growing Challenges of Political Conflict and Hostile Behavior
by John Rogers and Joseph Kahne
There is widespread concern today regarding the health of American democracy. Deep partisan divisions fuel angry and hostile political rhetoric that demonizes the opposition. Disagreements over policy are adjudicated through arguments often unmoored from the truth. The nation continues to struggle with how to adequately address the legacy of racism and ensure all have access to equal opportunities and civil liberties. The possibility of Americans coming together to identify common needs and pursue shared goals often feels unattainable. Indeed, the precarious state of US democracy broadly understood is one of the few things members of both political parties agree on. Recent polling finds that sixty-nine percent of Democrats and Republicans believe that our democracy is in danger of collapse.
A longstanding central purpose of public education in the United States has been to strengthen our democracy by preparing students for informed engagement with civic and political life. Today, there is a pressing need to pre- pare all youth for what we term a diverse democracy. A diverse democracy brings together people from different communities with different partisan leanings, experiences, histories, identities, interests, and ways of thinking about critical policy issues to address common problems and build a shared future. This collective project is grounded in commitments to respectful and evidence-based dialogue, robust civil liberties, and the dignity of fellow citizens.