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The article profiles several U.S. charter schools noted for empowering teachers, integrating students, and collaborating with public schools and discusses the potential impact on the charter school movement as well as public education. Charter school networks covered in the article include Green Dot Public School in California, DSST (Denver School of Science and Technology) Public Schools in Denver, Colorado, and City Neighbors Charter School in Baltimore, Maryland.

The essay states that the most important job of schools is to teach democratic participation. It notes that democracy historically favored upper class white males, that in this elitist system much of the education for democracy occurred informally, and that this remains true in the 21st century. It suggests teaching democratic participation to all by creating democratic school communities where students and teachers meet regularly to discuss and review school issues.

Discusses the role played by students in renewing their own educational structure, as seen in the case of South Brunswick High School in central New Jersey. Survey conducted by students on roles of teachers and school administration; Students' views on the most critical issues facing their school; Technical difficulties; Overcrowded conditions as a contributing factor to violence.

The article examines the many faces of community participation in the field of education and how the prevailing concern for school reform emphasizes them. While there appears to be a general shift in community participation from a school-dominated activity to one controlled by the educational consumer, there nevertheless exists a range of efforts under the rubric "community participation." It may be useful to categorize these efforts according to participation for public relations, participation for instructional support, participation for community service and participation for accountability and school governance. Different modes of connecting the community in school and educational decision making have emerged as well. These are the consultative, advisory, shared, community control and individual or family control modes.

The article suggests that students should be allowed to participate in determining their own destiny. An analysis of the protest movement indicates that many of the demands and concerns of students are legitimate. The author claims that to deny a student the right to participate in his own destiny is an infringement of his constitutional rights. Students must become partners in the process of education. Findings of a study conducted for "Life" magazine showed that more than half of the students in one hundred schools across the country disclosed that they were unhappy with their limited participation in school policy making. The author concludes that students must choose ways and opportunities to use their talents, interest and feelings if they are to participate in their own destiny in school related matters.

This article illustrates how Daniel Webster High School worked together in promoting better school living. When a school program provides all the direction for children and teachers, and when, from a central source, the directions are such that no thinking is necessary on the part of members of that particular society, no corresponding responsibilities need to be accepted by the individuals. In such social orders little opportunity is provided for individuals to learn to assume responsibility. In order to implement such assumption of responsibility, it has been the practice at Daniel Webster High School to provide as many "opportunities as possible for students to participate in actual planning and carrying out of projects that involve their own living. Such a program at times seems to operate more slowly, and to some with more confusion, but the end results are more satisfactory. Probably the leading organization in the school that provides opportunities for many educational experiences in democratic living is the Student Government Body. The policy in this high school is that the Student Council is charged with the concern of the health and welfare of its members, the advisement of the principal and faculty on policies, and the representation of the student body as a whole.

To some people, teacher-pupil planning is just a lot of ‘pretty talk.’ And group planners—in their enthusiasm for cooperative effort—sometimes lose sight of well-meant criticism of their methods. H. H. Giles of West Georgia College, Carrollton, brings together in this article arguments both for and against student participation in planning and, through careful analysis of the strongholds of both sides, leads us logically to the conclusion that group planning is fundamental to education in a democracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses feedback given to school administrators by students, and offers advice to school principals to consider the views of students as "customers" of the services offered by the school. Settings for gaining feedback from students including monthly meetings with students, sit-downs with classes, and exit interviews with graduating students are examined, and examples of feedback collected from elementary school students related to test-taking, recesses, and field trips are presented.

Argues that students who help make plans and decisions in school will be better citizens in the society. Information on the educational rationale for student participation; Examples of students participation; Recommendation for teacher who want to institute student participation activities in schools.

The article presents education news stories as of September 2018. The Bryant Opportunity Academy in Wichita, Kansas will use counselors to address student behavior issues rather than involving the principal. The Tracking Appropriate Behaviors (TABS) system was created by two educators that tracks student behaviors and helps assess interventions. Holyoke High School in Holyoke, Massachusetts has created "Pa'lante," a student-led discipline program.

The article discusses how school superintendent Sheldon Berman increased self-efficacy of students in the Hudson Public School district in Massachusetts and the Jefferson County Public School district in Kentucky. The author discusses a service learning program Berman implemented in the Hudson Public School district that requires students participate in community service and encourages student involvement in school management and decision making. He discusses the adaptation of the program to urban schools in the Jefferson County Public School district and the use of inquiry-based mathematics instruction, reading interventions and a different history curriculum.

The article offers quotations from blogs written in response to articles in the summer 2008 online issue of the journal, including "Thinking Below the Surface in Summer," and "When Students Design Their Own Learning."