PL
Democratic movements and networks across borders are sharing programs and strategies that are helping the development of a set of ‘universals’: values and beliefs that define what can be called a democratic education. Such universals are contested, but work to help classrooms emerge that link schools with communities and build contextual relationships with students, families and members of the broader society. Key to these democratic classrooms are tools and strategies of communication, deliberation and decision-making that provide for the sharing of multiple perspectives and work towards the construction of new knowledge. A recent study found that Polish students gained from their participation in such a program. Such studies help emphasize the roles schools and teachers can play in the development of democratic citizens.