Rethinking Civic Education. A Review of Education for Liberal Democracy: Using Classroom Discussion to Build Knowledge and Voice

Authors

Jordan Garner, University of CincinnatiFollow
Colton Morton, University of CincinnatiFollow
Palak Shah, University of CincinnatiFollow

Abstract

In his book Education for Liberal Democracy: Using Classroom Discussion to Build Knowledge and Voice, Walter Parker (2023) takes a centrist approach to redesigning civic education. Throughout the book, Parker provides valuable strategies teachers can implement into the K–12 social studies classroom to teach for democracy. While we believe Parker's instructional strategies lay the groundwork for reshaping civic education, we contend that the book does not adequately address issues of inequality and inequity. We would also challenge Parker to think about how teachers can educate for democracy outside of the social studies curriculum in the United States and globally. With that, however, we believe that Education for Liberal Democracy is a great start for educators to implement democracy education into the classroom.

Recommended Citation

Garner, J. , Morton, C. , Shah, P. (2025). Rethinking Civic Education. A Review of Education for Liberal Democracy: Using Classroom Discussion to Build Knowledge and Voice. Democracy & Education, 33 (2), Article 10.
Available at: https://democracyeducationjournal.org/home/vol33/iss2/10