Possibilities and Pitfalls: A Comparative Analysis of Student Empowerment

Abstract

Although U.S. schools typically express commitment to preparing students for the responsibilities of democratic citizenship, most American youth are socialized for adult civic life by an institution that defines them as passive and subordinate and treats them in ways that are anything but democratic. In contrast to such counterproductive practices, the author offers a comparative analysis of two schools’ efforts at student empowerment. He first outlines why schools should help empower students and then proposes a conception of student empowerment founded on three dimensions: the academic, political, and social. To explore the “possibilities and pitfalls” of empowerment in practice, the author presents case studies of two schools’ student empowerment efforts. Each examines how the schools sought to help empower students, what power students gained, and how students and faculty responded to these efforts. Drawing on insights derived from these studies, he discusses some practical implications for schools hoping to promote student empowerment.