DEMOCRACY IN EDUCATION THROUGH COMMUNITY-BASED POLICY DIALOGUES

Résumé

In 2008, People for Education, an Ontario-based parent-led organization, hosted eight policy dialogues with citizens about possibilities for the province‟s public schools. Policy dialogues are conversations about policy issues, ideas, processes, and outcomes where participants share their knowledge, perspectives, and experiences. In small groups dialogue participants were asked to share their ideas about the ideal school of the future. Participants‟ ideas were recorded by a facilitator. Following each dialogue participants were asked to complete a short survey about their experience. Fifteen sets of facilitators‟ notes and 46 participant surveys were analyzed in this study. The data show that participants‟ ideal school emphasizes variety, flexibility, caring relationships, individualized programs, and community connections. Importantly, policy dialogues promote participants‟ cognitive, affective, and behavioural engagement with education policy. Finally, policy dialogues enhance democracy in education by providing opportunities for critical examination of public policy by ordinary citizens who are viewed as important policy actors.