Liberatory Public Education: A Framework for Centering Community and Democracy in Public Education

Overview & Synopsis

In this conceptual article, the authors argue that diversity is an invitation to educators, youth, families, and community members to work together--a goal accomplished only by centering the local community rather than the local school--to educate youth and create a more just society. Based upon liberatory and emancipatory education, liberatory public education, an intersectional conceptual framework, brings together recent and current justice-oriented scholarship focused on youth development, curriculum and pedagogy, schooling, and community liberation, making a parallel case for justice-oriented family engagement in public schooling. The authors conclude with implications for teacher education, education policy, and family engagement scholarship.