Education for Democracy 1987

Education for Democracy: A Statement of Principles, is a signatory statement released by the American Federation of Teachers, The Educational Excellence Network and Freedom House in 1987. It provides guidelines for strengthening the teaching of democratic values.

It was endorsed by a wide range of prominent citizens, scholars and educators—including former Presidents Jimmy Carter and Gerald Ford; former Vice President Walter Mondale; current or former Senators Brock Adams, Bill Bradley, Orin Hatch, Ed Muskie, Claiborne Pell, Paul Simon; former or current Representatives Dante Fascell, Millicent Fenwick, William D. Ford, William Goodling, Tony Hall, Augustus Hawkins, James Jeffords, Barbara Jordan; current or former Governors Joes Harris, Jim Hunt, Wiilliam Milliken, James R. Thompson; civil rights leaders Marion Wright Edelman, Christopher Edley, Dorothy Height, Benjamin Hooks, Bayard Rusin; current or former Cabinet Secretaries Terrell Bell, William Bennett, Joseph A. Califano Jr., Shirley Hufstedler; labor leaders Morton Bahr, Frank Drozak, Mary Harwood Futrell, Robert Georgine, John T. Joyce, Lane Kirkland, Lenore Miller, Frederick O'Neal, Jack Otero, Albert Shanker, John Sweeney, Gene Upshaw, Lynn R. Williams, William Wynn; actor Liv Ullman; Writer/Producer Norman Lear; Tennis Champions Arthur Ashe and Martina Navratilova. Funding for the Education for Democracy Project was provided by the U.S. Department of Education, the California Department of Education and private foundations.

Documents

Issues Areas

Strengthening Democracy

Publications

Recent Blog Posts

Publications

Reading Reform Across America
This is a project led by Susan B. Neuman (New York University), in collaboration with Esther Quintero (Albert Shanker Institute), and Kayla Reist (University of Virginia). The project examines reading-related state legislation enacted since 2019.
The Adequacy and Fairness of State School Finance Systems (Sixth Edition)
A national evaluation of the K-12 school finance systems of all 50 states and D.C., published by researchers from the Albert Shanker Institute, University of Miami, and Rutgers Graduate School of Education.
Reading Reform Across America: A Survey of State Legislation
This report authored by Susan B. Neuman (New York University), Esther Quintero (Albert Shanker Institute), and Kayla Reist (University of Virginia), examines reading-related state legislation enacted between 2019 and 2022.

Blog Archives

Our Mission

The Albert Shanker Institute, endowed by the American Federation of Teachers and named in honor of its late president, is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to three themes - excellence in public education, unions as advocates for quality, and freedom of association in the public life of democracies. With an independent Board of Directors (composed of educators, business representatives, labor leaders, academics, and public policy analysts), its mission is to generate ideas, foster candid exchanges, and promote constructive policy proposals related to these issues.

This blog offers informal commentary on the research, news, and controversies related to the work of the Institute.