Democratic Education at 30: An interview with Dr. Amy Gutmann

Abstract

In this interview, Dr. Amy Gutmann discusses the legacy of her book Democratic Education after 30 years since it was first published. After presenting some of the main ideas from Democratic Education, Dr. Gutmann emphasises the importance of both democratic education and democratic deliberation as central elements of public education in a plurally diverse polity. She then discusses a range of other educational issues including access to education as key to individual opportunity and social development (from both personal and scholarly perspectives) and the civic minimum goals of education in a democracy. Throughout the interview, Dr. Gutmann also presents a number of examples of how ideas and ideals central to her teaching and scholarship have been put into practice during her tenure as President of the University of Pennsylvania. The interview concludes with a reflection on some of the most pressing challenges facing education today.