Participation in education as an expression of democratic quality

This paper is written in the context of the research project La democràcia i la participació als centres d’educació secundària: impacte del programa 3D i creació d’un sistema d’indicadors apte pels centres de secundària (‘Democracy and participation in secondary schools: evaluating the impact of the 3D program and creating a system of indicators for secondary education centres’) prepared by the research group Demoskole. The paper analyzes the documents produced and approved by international networks like the United Nations Development Programme, the International Organisation of Employers and Eurydice, and by Spanish and Catalan organizations like the Spanish Council of State for Schools (Consejo Escolar del Estado), the School Council of Catalonia (Consell Escolar de Catalunya) and the Federation of School Parents Associations of Catalonia (Federació d’Associacions de Mares i Pares d’Alumnes de Catalunya). These organizations play an active role in the ongoing debate on education and make recommendations for fair and democratic educational models. The paper concludes with a series of conclusions and guidelines offered to favour the democratic quality of education in schools.