Democracy in Action: How a Public School Operationalizes Liberation Through Structure, Pedagogy, and Shared Power

This conversation presents H-B Woodlawn, a 50-year public democratic school outside Washington, D.C., as a case study in Democratic Education for Action and Liberation. The session will examine how daily practices such as freedom of movement, first-name culture, student-led hiring committees, and shared governance through Town Meeting redistribute power and cultivate trust. Participants will explore how democratic structures across the school enable student-centered pedagogy and reciprocal teacher student symmetry. The session invites reflection across contexts while offering concrete examples of how democratic values are enacted through structures, language, and everyday school life.