DEMOCRACY AND DIALOGUE
Kramer 1
Democracy and Dialogue: Grades 6-12
Elise Kramer
Miami University
Democracy and Dialogue: Grades 6-12
In the Miamifield Public Schools, there are many issues that hinder the schools success.
A declining tax base, mayoral control of the Miamifield District School Committee (MDSC), a
disproportionate number of Caucasian teachers compared to the students demographics (with a
total lack of Hispanic or Asian American teachers), bullying of LGBTQ students, and a relatively
conservative education are all issues that need to be addressed. In order to create the best
possible education for [the students in Knight Middle School and Abowitz High School] to
enable them to grow up to be well-functioning adults both in their community and in the
workforce (Miami University, 2015, pp. 7), Mayor Populi should consider a more progressive
policy approach. In order to fully fund all the necessary programs in schools, corporate taxes
need to be increased. Additionally, I recommend the administrations of Knight Middle School
and Abowitz High School hire a more diverse faculty, including more teachers who identify as
male, transgender, non-heterosexual, and racial minorities. To further similar efforts, Knight
Middle School and Abowitz High School need to implement clubs, support groups, or both to
help spread acceptance for students who are seen as different by their peers, and may therefore
be targeted by bullies. These issues can be promoted by the MDSC, which would be much more
democratic if the eleven members were elected and not appointed. Lastly, there needs to be a
change in approach to high-stakes testing.
When Miamifield citizens elected Vox Populi mayor, he promised A Return to
Democracy. He never stated, however, in which definition of democracy he believes. It is
DEMOCRACY AND DIALOGUE
Kramer 2
possible that he believes democracy is simply an all-inclusive form of government; or, like John
Dewey, maybe Populi thinks democracy is an experience (Quantz, 2015, pp. 8); alternatively,
Mayor Populi might agree with Nancy Thomas that democracy needs to be specifically designed
to meet societys needs (Thomas, 2014). There are many views of democracy and even more
theories on how to achieve it. Every generation of Americans has been able to point to deep
challenges to democracy, as well as to social and political reforms to address those challenges
(Thomas, 2014, pp. 1). I, like Thomas Jefferson, believe that a main role of education is to
promote democratic citizenship, which is the particular set of knowledge, skills, and values
citizens need in order to participate in shaping their own government (Quantz, 2015, pp. 179).
As a public school district, the government requires Miamifield Public Schools to meet
the varying needs of all its students. The public is an entity that represents and affects general
society, while the private is something that only affects the small group of people directly
involved. Because the public affects so much of American society, it is generally government
regulated or supported: [w]hen indirect consequences are recognized and there is effort to
regulate them, something having the traits of a state comes into existence. When the
consequences of an action are confined, or are thought to be confined, mainly to the persons
directly engaged in it, the transaction is a private one (Dewey, 1946, pp. 12). Examples of
public entities are schools, parks, and roads, as they affect or are used by the general population.
Public schoolsbecause they are public, must always operate with the idea of democracy at
their centerThey are public because they serve the interests of the public to have an educated
populace in order for a democratic society to to continue to grow and develop democratically.
Their purpose is to serve as a mechanism for a democratic society to create and maintain its
democracy (Quantz, 2015, pp. 9).
DEMOCRACY AND DIALOGUE
Kramer 3
As a Progressive Democrat, I strongly support culturally liberal values. I favor laws that
allow gay marriage, abortion, and equal rights for all, no matter ethnicity, gender, sexuality, or
ability. The curriculums of schools adopting a democratic progressive perspective incorporate
the skills, promote the propensities, and provide time for participating in the governance of the
classroom and the school (Bartow, 2011, pp. 100). Although he is a social democrat, I agree
with Mark Naison (2011): I see government as a powerful force for good in peoples lives if it
is deployed properly, and is imbued with a democratic spirit (pp.1). To create good in [all]
peoples lives, minority interests need to be represented in public schools. The Cultural
Pluralism narrative argues: [b]y having a nation in which people are free to dress, worship, and
work within their own groups, we have forged a nation of many voices, which strengthens our
public sphere and allows us to adjust to new situations better than other countries trapped in their
traditional ways (Quantz, 2015, 49-50).
Additionally, because I believe in progressive philosophy, I do not like common core
curriculum or high stakes testing. Rather, students must learn through experience and problem
solving. Schools need to be as democratic as possible so that there can be a strong relationship
between students and their curriculum. Children learn with and from one another in a caring
community, and thats true of moral as well as academic learning (Kohn, 2008, pp. 2). Because
Progressivists believe that knowledge comes from society solving problems together, I created
policies that I believe Miamifield can use as a compromise to build stronger schools.
To combat monetary struggles from a declining tax base, businesses need to be taxed at
higher rates. This includes the law firms, hospitals, and corporations that make up most of the
existing tax base, as well as new businesses. Even though many companies may dislike the
higher tax at first, they must realize that many homeowners purchase property based on the
DEMOCRACY AND DIALOGUE
Kramer 4
school district; if Miamifield does not want to lose its reputation as a district that provides quality
education, it needs to update textbooks and technology. When new families move into the
Miamifield area because of its schools, most of the businesses will see an increase in number of
customers. Many of the tax dollars will be put towards teachers salaries as incentive for current
teachers to stay in the district, as well as for new, quality teachers to come to the district.
With the new tax dollars, administration can focus on the quality of teachers; one way to
do this is to hire teachers who connect well with students, as students learn best when a personal
connection is involved. Resultantly, the schools should hire more diverse faculty to create
greater unification between students and teachers. An increase in teachers who are not female,
Caucasian, nor heterosexual will allow more students to have mentors with whom they can have
a natural caring relationship, not just simply an ethical caring relationship, in which we rely on
a repertoire of caring behaviors built up through years of caring and being cared for (Noddings,
2013, pp. 119). Additionally, if there are more LGBTQ teachers, there will most likely be a
decrease in bullying of LGBTQ students, as other students will be used to a non-heteronormative
environment.
Furthermore, if fewer students are bullied, there will be greater chances for success later
in life. Some youth face prejudice and discrimination and may see fewer opportunities for
successor at least the road to success is more difficult for them (Sherrod, 2006, pp. 292).
There will also be more tolerance of African Americans, who are twice as likely to be
suspended or expelled from school as White students (Miami University, 2015, pp. 6). Similar
to the reasons behind hiring more LGBTQ teachers, if there are more non-Caucasian teachers,
Miamifields students and administration will have more tolerance of minorities in school and
society. Also, if there are more minority teachers, there will probably be more people willing to
DEMOCRACY AND DIALOGUE
Kramer 5
teach English and Social Studies classes that address racial minorities; this will begin to resolve
the year-long protest about this matter.
A gender diversity of teachers is also necessary. Male teachers allow boys to feel
comfortable in the classroom setting, especially given the two Feminization of the Classroom
Narratives. Nationally, boys have lower GPAs, higher drop out rates, more detentions and
suspensions, high numbers identified as learning disabled, and greater perpetrators of and victims
of violence (Quantz, 2015, pp. 246). Miamifield Public Schools experience the truth behind
most, if not all, of this data. However, many people think these boy problemsoccur because
cultural feminists have convinced schools to focus on the needs of girls and not boys (Quantz,
2015, pp. 246). Although little evidence supports this narrative, more men in classrooms would
refute this anti-feminist narrative. Another narrative exists that blames the feminization on girls,
not on feminists: [a]ccording to the Boys Dont Want to be Treated Like Girls narrative, we
need more men teachingschools need to be more boy friendly by doing things such as having
more frequent breaks, more active learning and room for rough play (Quantz, 2015, pp. 246247). Male teachers understand how boys learn, so they can help schools be more boy
friendly. Maybe more boys will show up to school, and the achievement gap between boys and
girls will close if boys do not think schools are places for girls.
As retention rates for both students and teachers are of concern, tax dollars need to go
towards the creation of a positive educational climate in which both teachers and students feel
comfortable. Mentorship programs that unite students and teachers in Miamifield need to exist
so more students and teachers are likely to stay in the district. If students and teachers have
strong connections with each other, both will want to stay to support the other. If students are
paired with a teacher in sixth grade who mentors and tutors the student throughout middle
DEMOCRACY AND DIALOGUE
Kramer 6
school, they will form true, natural caring relationships: a decent, respectful way of meeting and
treating one another that is maintained by inclination, not by rulesIt is the main task of
teachersall teachersto help students develop this repertoire of caring and being cared for
(Noddings, 2013, pp. 119). If a parallel mentorship program continued for freshmen at Abowitz
High School, there would be a strong unification between students and teachers in Miamifield
Public Schools; these mutual support systems would help retention among faculty and students.
In addition to hiring a more diverse faculty to help minority students better fit in, Mayor
Populi needs to push the schools to create more support groups and awareness clubs for LGBTQ
and racial minority students. These groups can support students who may not receive full
inclusion at home, in school, or in extracurriculars; they can also spread such narratives as The
Gender Diversity is Normal narrative and the Model Minority narrative around school. The
schools need to advance these narratives so the Gay Agenda narrative does not spread among
students. The irony is that if the MDSC does not allow a Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education
Network (GLSEN) chapter because of the Gay Agenda narrative, there will be few groups to
combat homophobes, and bullying will continue. On page 5 of her article, Laurie Essig (2010)
says, the queer youth of todayout in middle school, showing up at their local queer youth
center, making fabulous lives outside of heteronormativityare not a tragedy. Theyre a
triumph. These students would be more triumphant if they had strong networks with teachers
and other peers created through extracurricular organizations such as GLSEN.
The most effective way for schools to create GLSEN and other student organizations
would be with the backing of the Miamifield District School Committee (MDSC). Parents and
guardians need the power to vote these eleven officials into office so Miamifield Public Schools
can promote the most basic right of democracy and citizenshipvoting. When less-conservative
DEMOCRACY AND DIALOGUE
Kramer 7
MDSC representatives allow schools to sponsor more progressive organizations, there will be a
more accepting student climate. Although I am not a social democrat, I do believe in one major
social democrat sentiment: corporations only exist through the peoples will. Without the
people represented by the government providing the charter to incorporate a company with some
of the rights of individuals, no corporations would exist (Quantz, 2015, pp. 160). Miamifield
Public Schools need to apply this logic; replace the words corporations and company with
school, and this statement perfectly describes why it is so important to remove mayoral
appointment of the MDSC. If these eleven individuals are elected, guardians will have more say
about their students education, and policy can become more student-based.
One additional way the MDSC may influence the school system is through the creation of
policy that alleviates a testing focus in schools. If teachers do not have to teach to the test,
they will have more freedom in their curriculum. Additionally, they should spread anti-testing
rhetoric that causes parents to opt their children out from state and national testing. Ohio [s]tate
law requires schools to administer these tests, but theres no state law that requires parents to
have their students take them (Poetter, Weeda, & United Opt Out Administrator [MM], 2013,
pp. 4). Mayor Populi and the MDSC should use Finland as a case study in order to advance antihigh stakes testing rhetoric to parents: Finland has no standardized tests Instead, the public
school system's teachers are trained to assess children in classrooms using independent tests they
create themselves (Partanen, 2011, pp. 5). Yet, despite the lack of testing, Finland has ranked
at or near the top in the world in reading, math, and science (Partanen, 2011, pp. 2). Among
Miamifield teachers, there is an increased demoralization resulting from an aggressive
evaluation policy based on student test scores, less and less control over how they teach their
own classes, and little to no raises in the last 10 years (Miami University, 2015, pp. 5). To
DEMOCRACY AND DIALOGUE
Kramer 8
remove pressure from teachers and lower the nearly 20% faculty turnover rate, parents should
opt their children out of testing. If more teachers stay in the district rather than leaving for
suburban schools, there will be greater consistency in the schools, and teachers will better know
the curriculum, thus increasing effectiveness.
In conclusion, Mayor Populi needs to focus on progressive democrat philosophy and
progressive ideology in order to allow the students of Knight Middle School and Abowitz High
School the best possible education. An all-inclusive democracy needs to be upheld that allows
students to learn productive citizenship through experience. Because narratives about sexuality
and gender have such prominent roles in schools, the specific narratives need to change. More
progressive narratives will allow students more freedom in their social lives, which will benefit
academia. It is worth remembering that the reason we first established public education was to
advance the common good of the community (Ravitch, 2011, pp. 7).
I feel my group employed a very democratic approach when we discussed this case study.
We used each other as sounding boards for ideas in person, over text, and in the Google
Document. We analyzed data from multiple different perspectives, which shed light on certain
issues that I did not notice on my own. Additionally, although I did not specifically address
intersectionality, the in-class discussion as well as my groups individual analysis allowed me to
see Miamifield schools as a microcosm in society. My group brought up many points that I feel
passionate about and wish I could have addressed in this paper, such as sexual education, student
government, hands-on business involvement in schools, and socioeconomic status of students.
Because every issue cannot be addressed in such a short paper, I focused on the issues that are
the most important to address first. However, in a real school with ever changing needs, the list
will always be longer than just a handful of issues.
DEMOCRACY AND DIALOGUE
Kramer 9
References
Bartow, S. L. (2011). Central Academy: Living a democratic framework. In T. S. Poetter
(Ed.), Great curricula: Lived conversations of progressive, democratic curricula in
school and society (pp. 99-113). Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing.
Dewey, J. (1946). The Search for the Public. In The public and its problems: An essay in
political inquiry (pp. 12-16). Chicago: Gateway Books.
Essig, L. (2010, October 3). Queer youth not a tragedy. Retrieved December 7, 2015, from
http://chronicle.com/blogs/brainstorm/queer-youth-not-a-tragedy/27380
Kohn, A. (2008, March 02). Progressive education: Why its hard to beat, but also hard to find.
Retrieved December 8, 2015, from http://www.alfiekohn.org/article/progressiveeducation/
Miami University, Educational Leadership. (2015). Miamifield and the new mayor: a case
study [Case study]. Oxford, OH: EDL 204: Author.
Naison, M. (2011, December 31). How I benefited from growing up under socialism: Reflections
on a Brooklyn childhood. Retrieved December 8, 2011, from
http://withabrooklynaccent.blogspot.com/2011/12/how-i-benefited-from-growing-upunder.html
Noddings, N. (2013). A better way. In Education and democracy in the 21st century (pp. 119124). New York, NY: Teachers College Press.
Partanen, A. (2011, December 29). What Americans keep ignoring about Finland's school
success. Retrieved December 6, 2015, from
http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2011/12/what-americans-keep-ignoringabout-finlands-school-success/250564/
DEMOCRACY AND DIALOGUE
Kramer 10
Poetter, T., Weeda, J., & United Opt Out Administrator (MM). (2013). Testing opt-out/refusal
guide for Ohio. Testing Opt-out/refusal Guide for OHIO. Retrieved December 6, 2015,
from http://unitedoptout.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Ohio-Opt-Out-Guide-for2014-2015.pdf
Quantz, R. A. (2015). Sociocultural studies in education: Critical thinking for democracy.
Boulder, CO: Paradigm.
Ravitch, D. (2011, September/October). American schools in crisis. Retrieved December 8,
2015, from http://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/2011/08/16/in-the-magazine/trendsand-opinions/american-schools-crisis.html
Sherrod, L. R. (2006). Promoting citizenship and activism in today's youth. In P. Noguera, S. A.
Ginwright, & J. Cammarota (Authors), Beyond resistance!: Youth activism and
community change: New democratic possibilities for practice and policy for America's
youth (pp. 287-297). New York, NY: Routledge.
Thomas, Nancy L. (2014) "Democracy by Design," Journal of Public Deliberation: Vol. 10: Iss.
1, Article 17. Available at: http://www.publicdeliberation.net/jpd/vol10/iss1/art17
