This article outlines an analytical framework that enables analysis of degrees of democracy in a school or other organizational setting. It is founded in a holistic conception of democracy, which is a model of working together that aspires to truth, goodness, and meaning and the participation of all. We suggest that the analytical framework can be used not only for research purposes but also to help enhance democratic professional participation. It is a resource for collaborative professional development by practitioners, offering a vehicle for school communities to reflect together on where they are as a school and where they would like to be.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
CaseyC. (2002). Critical analysis of organizations: Theory, practice, revitalization.London: Sage.
2.
ChaltainS. (2010). American schools: The art of creating a democratic community.Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield.
3.
ClokeK., & GoldsmithJ. (2002). The end of management.San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
4.
FieldingM. (2006). Leadership, radical student engagement and the necessity of person-centred education. International Journal of Leadership in Education, 9(4), 299–313.
5.
FieldingM. (2009). Public space and educational leadership: Reclaiming and renewing our radical traditions. Educational Management Administration Leadership, 37(4), 497–521.
6.
Franks-DaviesC. (1989). The evidential force of religious experience.Oxford, UK: Clarendon Press.
7.
GribbleD. (1998). Real education: Varieties of freedom.Bristol, UK: Libertarian Education.
8.
GrortnP. (2003). The new work of educational leaders.London: Sage.
9.
HargreavesA., & ShirleyD. (2009). The fourth way: The inspiring future for educational change.Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
10.
HayD. (1987). Exploring inner space (2nd ed.). Harmondsworth, UK: Penguin.
11.
HayD. (with Nye, R.). (2006). The spirit of the child.London: Fount.
12.
HopeM. A. (2012). The importance of belonging: Learning from the student experience of democratic education. Journal of School Leadership, 22(4), 733–750.
13.
JamesW. (1985). The varieties of religious experience.Harmondsworth, UK: Penguin Books. (Originally published 1902)
14.
KenslerL. A. W., CaskieG. I. L., BarberM. E., & WhiteG. P. (2009). The ecology of democratic learning communities: Faculty trust and continuous learning in public middle schools. Journal of School Leadership, 19(6), 697–734.
15.
ManvilleB., & OberJ. (2003). A company of citizens.Boston: Harvard Business School Press.
16.
O'HairM. J., WilliamsL. A., WilsonS., & ApplegateP. J. (2009). The K20 model for systemic educational change and sustainability: Addressing social justice in rural schools and implications for educators in all contexts. In WoodsP. A., & WoodsG. J. (Eds.), Alternative education for the 21st century: Philosophies, approaches, visions (pp. 15–30). New York: Palgrave.
17.
RawsonM., & RichterT. (2000). The educational tasks and content of the Steiner Waldorf curriculum.Forest Row, UK: Steiner Waldorf Schools Fellowship.
18.
ShieldsC. (2010). Transformative leadership: Working for equity in diverse contexts. Educational Administration Quarterly, 46, 558–590.
19.
WesternS. (2008). Leadership: A critical text.London: Sage.
20.
WoodsG. J. (2003). Spirituality, educational policy and leadership: A study of headteachers. Doctoral thesis, Open University, Milton Keynes, UK.
21.
WoodsG. J. (2007). The “bigger feeling”: The importance of spiritual experience in educational leadership, Educational Management, Administration, and Leadership, 35(1), 135–155.
22.
WoodsG. J., & WoodsP. A. (2008). Democracy and spiritual awareness: Interconnections and implications for educational leadership. International Journal of Children's Spirituality, 13(2), 101–116.
23.
WoodsP. A. (2004). Democratic leadership: Drawing distinctions with distributed leadership. International Journal of Leadership in Education: Theory and Practice, 7(1), 3–26.
24.
WoodsP. A. (2005). Democratic leadership in education.London: Sage.
25.
WoodsP. A. (2006). A democracy of all learners: Ethical rationality and the affective roots of democratic leadership. School Leadership and Management, 26(4), 321–337.
26.
WoodsP. A. (2007). Authenticity in the bureau-enterprise culture: The struggle for authentic meaning. Educational Management, Administration, and Leadership, 35(2), 297–322.
27.
WoodsP. A. (2008, February). Investigating developmental democracy: Early data from an academy in England. Paper presented at the New DEEL Conference, Temple University, Philadelphia.
28.
WoodsP. A. (2011). Transforming education policy: Shaping a democratic future.Bristol, UK: Policy Press.
29.
WoodsP. A., AshleyM., & WoodsG. J. (2005). Steiner schools in England (Ref. No. RR645). London: Department for Education and Skills. Retrieved from http://www.dfes.go.uk/research
30.
WoodsP. A., & WoodsG. J. (2006). Feedback report (Michael Hall Steiner School): Collegial leadership in action.Aberdeen, UK: University of Aberdeen, School of Education.
31.
WoodsP. A., & WoodsG. J. (Eds.). (2009a). Alternative education for the 21st century: Philosophies, approaches, visions.New York: Palgrave.
32.
WoodsP. A., & WoodsG. J. (2009b). Testing a typology of entrepreneurialism: Emerging findings from an academy with an enterprise specialism. Management in Education, 23(3), 125–129.
33.
WoodsP. A., & WoodsG. J. (2010). The geography of reflective leadership: The inner life of democratic learning communities. Philosophy of Management, 9(2), 81–97.
34.
WoodsP. A., & WoodsG. J. (2011). Lighting the fires of entrepreneurialism? Constructions of meaning in an English inner city academy. International Journal of Technology and Educational Marketing, 1(1), 1–24.
35.
ZoharD., & MarshallI. (2000). Spiritual intelligence: The ultimate intelligence.London: Bloomsbury.
