Democracy education, or education for democracy, is currently in high demand. It is frequently presented as a response to the multiple crises facing politics and society, as well as to the visible erosion of trust in constitutional liberal democracy. This assigns the education system a fundamental responsibility. However, the task is not so simple. Schools and educational institutions alone cannot resolve broader political or societal problems. Rather, they must engage, with continuity and professional expertise, in the sustained work of education for democracy. A central challenge lies in addressing the comparatively undemocratic institutional structures of schooling, which are difficult to alter at a fundamental level. 

This involves reconsidering the specific relationships between teachers, parents, and students, and especially mitigating the asymmetries of power inherent in the assessment of learning. As a whole, educational institutions must commit to a long-term process of democratic school development.

 Such a process depends on clarifying key concepts: What is meant by “democracy”? How are “education,” “learning,” and “upbringing” to be understood? Is it possible to establish a shared conceptual framework? Can a school system that is often organized around notions of homogeneity in age groups, learning cohorts, and academic disciplines open itself to the diversity, plurality, and individualization associated with democratic life? Do teachers welcome independent and critically engaged students who participate in decisions about curricular content and its evaluation? And what specific opportunities for democratically grounded learning emerge within music education?

This keynote lecture offers an introduction to the central concepts and traces the development of the discourse on democratic school development to date.