Analysis Of Our Declaration By Danielle Allen

In her book “Our Declaration”, Danielle Allen argues for changes in teaching style in the classroom in order to promote democratic participation and civic responsibility amongst other things. While Allen's approach to teaching democracy in classrooms seems to be superior to current methods, it may also have its limitations and create other issues. Authors such as Simone Chambers, Deva Woodley, and Susan McWilliams, along with court cases can provide insight that supports or challenges Allen's unique perspective on the role of political education in classrooms.

Simone Chambers' article, "Citizenship in Times of Crisis," contributes to Allen's argument in Our Declaration by providing an analysis of the role of citizenship in modern day politics.

By combining Allen’s and Chamber’s ideas we can strengthen the way in which political education can promote these values. However, Chambers also raises important critiques of the current system of citizenship and democracy, which may limit the effectiveness of Allen's approach. One of Chambers' main critiques is that citizenship currently has exclusionary and unequal bounds. She argues that citizenship is often exclusive to certain demographics, which results in the exclusion of some groups from political participation and influence. So Allen’s reformation of political education which emphasizes democratic participation may strengthen these inequalities rather than challenge them. A solution to the issue would be to take ideas from both and combine them. A reformation in education which both promotes active participation in government paired with concepts that weaken the barrier between demographics of people would be the ultimate solution. If political education addresses these exclusionary practices and promotes a more inclusive and democratic vision of citizenship both authors' desires would be answered. This critique of the current system of citizenship is an important addition to Allen's argument, as it highlights the need to address the structural inequalities that

Barndt explains how Allen's work on political education is not only focused on classroom learning but also real-life political participation. In doing so, Allen emphasizes the idea that political education must be lived, not just learned. This aligns with Allen's vision of teaching democracy in the classroom as she emphasizes the importance of being an active participant in the democratic process. However, this also raises an important critique of Allen's approach, it is overly optimistic and may not be enough to address the structural inequalities that exist in society. Despite this, Barndt recognizes that Allen's vision of political education is important and necessary for promoting civic responsibility and democratic participation. As such, it can be argued that Allen's approach is valuable in promoting a more engaged and responsible citizenry. However, as Barndt suggests, there is a need to address the systemic issues that exist in our society to ensure that all individuals have equal access to the democratic process. Overall, Allen's vision of political education is an important step towards promoting democratic participation and civic responsibility, but it must be accompanied by efforts to address the structural inequalities that exist in our