Democracy in the Classroom: How Political Should Schools Be?

Homeschooling instead of compulsory schooling, an end to inclusion, more imperial history in the classroom: the AfD's platform for Saxony-Anhalt shows how deeply the party wants to change the role schools play in society. At the same time, it keeps invoking a supposed duty of neutrality to denounce criticism from teachers as partisan. But how neutral can schools be when the basic values of democracy are called into question?

At this Publix Thursday, we turn our attention to the classroom:

• How does political polarisation affect everyday life at school?
• How much of a stance are teachers allowed to take, and how much are they required to?
• And what is needed now to keep schools a place where participation and democracy are lived?

Discussing these and other questions: education law scholar Prof. Dr. Michael Wrase, education journalist Bent Freiwald, and a teacher, in conversation with Annette Kuhn.

The Publix Thursday is part of the Nina Grunenberg Fellowship for Education Journalism.