The democratic way of life is based upon the assumption of respect for human personality....
On file physical side the democratic way of life means proper nourishment, shelter, clothing, medical care, and conditions of Work that are conducive to normal growth and development. Oil the mental side it means freedom to plan one's life and to carry out these plans with due consideration for the consequences to oneself and others; to utilize the cultural contributions of the race I-or the purpose of enriching life; and to utilize intelligence in reconciling conflicts, understanding self and society, and in determining conduct.
A distinctive personality cannot be developed in isolation. It develops only when there is free interplay with other personalities. Full and free participation within a given group, and among groups, is the best way of promoting desirable individual development in a complex, interdependent society. While wholesome individual development is the basic goal, associated living is the better means of achieving it. The test of associated living every social and Political organization is the effect which it has upon the individuals who are touched by it. If it enhances and enriches human personality it is desirable; if it tends to destroy or narrow opportunities for development, it is undesirable, to the ideal.
The development and enrichment of human personality, through living and working together for common purposes and ends, implies the use of intelligence as a method; for only as individuals and groups are free to formulate plans and to carry out programs of action upon the basis of reflective thinking, can human institutions be progressively refined.1
This school's report then shows by illustration how the work of that school evolves from its philosophy of life and education.
In a city school system the necessity of finding central purpose is equally insistent. Here is a frank statement from a city in which ten junior and five senior high schools are participating in the Eight-Year Study.
It was not until the experiment had been under way for four years that the need for a clearer relationship between the purposes of-the Study and the curriculum to be provided became apparent. . . .
. . . . The following statement of the philosophy of the Denver schools as a whole is the outgrowth of the Eight-Year Study and was planned by a committee representative of the elementary schools and the junior and senior high schools of the city.
"In formulating its philosophy, a school must determine its own beliefs concerning the nature of the individuals with whom it works and the character of the society which it serves. The Denver Public Schools regard human beings as dynamic and purposive, with a capacity for growth and the ability to develop through experience. The schools of Deliver believe that a democratic society is the society most congenial to the optimum development of such individuals. Democracy, so conceived, is a way of life. This includes at all times (1) the free play of intelligence, (2) respect for the worth of individuals, that is, placing human values first, and (3) the participation of all individuals in social living, which is broadly interpreted to include all human relationships.
"The chief function of the schools in a democracy is to conserve and improve the democratic way of life. The Denver Public Schools maintain that they can best undertake such a responsibility by
- Making the life concerns of pupils the central theme of the curriculum;
- Recognizing that individual concerns and social concerns are interdependent;
- Making functional guidance all integral part of all educational activities;
- Evaluating the school program in terms of the personal and social growth of pupils;
- Organizing the school program to reveal the relationships of learning;
- Providing a close, direct, working relationship with the community
This philosophy has guided the Denver schools in setting tip the objectives of their program . . . 2
The chief developments in general school life in the Eight-Year Study grew out of this emerging concept of democratic life and educational. It gave direction to changes in school administration, in home-school relations, in the teacher's role in the school, and in the student's part in the life of the school-society.
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8 Year Web Project
Introduction
II Schools Choose
Schools-Start
