It is difficult to create a free society but even more difficult to sustain that free society over time. We want to sustain the esssential elements of a free society, but at the same time, we must recognize that the world is always changing. How, then, to adjust to changes and to improve what we have, without loosing sight of core values, is our focus in Sustaining A Free Society. The book first outlines in practical real-world terms fifteen conditions that must be in place to sustain a free society. One critical condition given extended consideration is the need for a long-term time perspective. Conditions do not exist in the abstract: they are created by people and the choices we make. Thus we need to consider the roles and responsibilities of those involved in a free a society: citizens and those they choose as leaders. We are not born knowing our responsibilities as citizens and leaders: these matters have to be learned. Sustaining a Free Society moves to a consideration of the role schools must play in ensuring that future generations know and value a free society and are prepared to in turn assume their responsibilities.

It is difficult to create a free society but even more difficult to sustain that free society over time. We want to sustain the esssential elements of a free society, but at the same time, we must recognize that the world is always changing. How, then, to adjust to changes and to improve what we have, without loosing sight of core values, is our focus in Sustaining A Free Society. The book first outlines in practical real-world terms fifteen conditions that must be in place to sustain a free society. One critical condition given extended consideration is the need for a long-term time perspective. Conditions do not exist in the abstract: they are created by people and the choices we make. Thus we need to consider the roles and responsibilities of those involved in a free a society: citizens and those they choose as leaders. We are not born knowing our responsibilities as citizens and leaders: these matters have to be learned. Sustaining a Free Society moves to a consideration of the role schools must play in ensuring that future generations know and value a free society and are prepared to in turn assume their responsibilities.

Unfortunately, civic values such as equity and justice that constitute the moral grounding of American democracy are losing their place in public affairs. The promise of this democracy is inclusive: no one is to be left out. Yet many people are."Education and the Making of a Democratic People" regards the challenge of inclusiveness as a fundamental and non-negotiable educational agenda. America 's public schools are one of the main public forums in which people can learn to preserve and actively protect our democratic process. The value of our schools as a democratic forum extends beyond the classroom to parents and other members of local communities. By engaging in conversations and actions that support the democratic purpose of schools, local communities can ensure that the United States will become a healthy, robust democracy that represents all of its citizens.

Unfortunately, civic values such as equity and justice that constitute the moral grounding of American democracy are losing their place in public affairs. The promise of this democracy is inclusive: no one is to be left out. Yet many people are."Education and the Making of a Democratic People" regards the challenge of inclusiveness as a fundamental and non-negotiable educational agenda. America 's public schools are one of the main public forums in which people can learn to preserve and actively protect our democratic process. The value of our schools as a democratic forum extends beyond the classroom to parents and other members of local communities. By engaging in conversations and actions that support the democratic purpose of schools, local communities can ensure that the United States will become a healthy, robust democracy that represents all of its citizens.

The Beat of a Different Drummer: Essays on Educational Renewal in Honor of John I. Goodlad is a collection of essays by friends, colleagues, and scholars who have been profoundly influenced by Goodlad's seminal thinking and half century of research and scholarship on educational change and school improvement. With diversity in styles and topics, these writers contribute to this festschrift by focusing on one or more key ideas in Goodlad's work, while extending and complementing them in the context of their own research and scholarship. Although the primary purpose of this volume is to celebrate the work of one of America's preeminent educators, readers will find a series of provocative essays that will help to keep alive the essential conversation about the problems of, and hopes for, educational renewal in our democratic society.