Teaching Democracy : Unity and Diversity in Public Life (Multicultural Education Series)

In Teaching Democracy, Walter Parker makes a unique and thoughtful contribution to the hot debate between proponents of multicultural education and those who favor a cultural literacy approach. Parker conclusively demonstrates that educating for democratic citizenship in a multicultural society includes a fundamental respect for diversity. This scholarly yet accessible work: Bridges the widening gap between multicultural education and civic education. Provides powerful teaching strategies that educators can use to draw children creatively and productively into a way of life that protects and nurtures cultural pluralism and racial equity. Explains the unity–diversity confusion that is found in popular media as well as in multicultural- and citizenship-education initiatives. Defines deliberative discussion and explores its promise as the centerpiece of democratic education in schools, both elementary and secondary.