Strong Schools for a Strong Democracy

The Forum for Education and Democracy is committed to the public, democratic role of public education – the preparation of engaged and thoughtful democratic citizens. We work to promote a public education system worthy of a democracy, one characterized by strong public schools, equity of educational resources, and supported by an involved citizenry.

Democracy at Risk: The Need for a New Federal Policy in Education

The report, Democracy at Risk: The Need for a New Federal Policy in Education, was released April 23rd, and was written by prominent educators and policy experts who have launched effective alternative schools, charter schools, and school improvement networks. It notes that the United States’ education system and democracy are even more at risk than at the release of A Nation at Risk. Click here to read the press release and the pdf of this report. Read More


The County Fair; A New School Year

Last week I spent a day at the county fair, seen here as the last event of the summer before school opens. I watched parents guide their children to spend a few minutes looking at the cows, sheep, pigs, chickens and goats before heading back to the mid-way. And I watched surreptitiously as the new high school and middle school romances paraded by hand-in-hand. But the biggest event of the day was the annual livestock sale, where kids sell at auction the livestock they had brought for judging after a year of feeding, grooming, and training. Read More


We work to reinvigorate America’s commitment to public education in the following areas:

  • Strong Schools
  • Equity of Educational Resources
  • Democratic Responsibility for Public Schools
  • Building Public Education Resources
  • The State of Childhood

Conveners of the Forum

Deborah Meier, Ted Sizer, Linda Darling-Hammond, John Goodlad, Pedro Noguera, Angela Valenzuela, Carl Glickman, George Wood, Gloria Ladson-Billings, Judith Browne, Larry Myatt, Nancy Sizer, and Wendy D. Puriefoy.
Renewing America's Commitment to Strong Public Schools

The Forum for Education and Democracy
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