Why Critical-Democratic Engagement?
As an alternative to either conservative or liberal conceptions of student engagement, this paper provides the groundwork for a conception of student engagement that is consistent with critical democratic ideologies of schooling which we refer to as 'critical-democratic engagement.' More specifically, the purpose of this paper is to further the discussion of critical- democratic engagement by clarifying the meaning of critical engagement, its importance and significance, and its implications for education. The paper proposes a conception of student engagement based on critical-democratic practice that entails the enactment of a curriculum of life.