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Beyond Neutrality and Consensus: The Case for Partisan Teaching

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Title: Beyond Neutrality and Consensus: The Case for Partisan Teaching
Language: English
Authors: Quentin Wheeler-Bell (ORCID 0000-0002-5091-4471)
Source: Educational Theory. 2026 76(1):100-116.
Availability: Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www.wiley.com/en-us
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 17
Publication Date: 2026
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Evaluative
Descriptors: Civics, Citizenship Education, Political Attitudes, Activism, Politics of Education, Controversial Issues (Course Content), Justice, Democracy, Inquiry, Diversity Equity and Inclusion, Classroom Communication, Persuasive Discourse
DOI: 10.1111/edth.70074
ISSN: 0013-2004
1741-5446
Abstract: This article challenges the prevailing binary in civic education that pits teacher neutrality against political activism. I argue that the real tension is not whether partisanship belongs in the classroom--it always does--but how it is engaged. Drawing on the concept of partisan justification, I define "partisanship" as reasoning from within a contestable normative framework that shapes what issues are foregrounded, how they are framed, and which disagreements are possible. I critique two dominant models: the Controversial Issues approach, which relies on the illusion of neutrality by concealing partisan framing, and the Activist approach, which risks the illusion of consensus by treating a single vision of justice as settled. Against both, I advocate for an educational partisanship as a democratic design: a practice that acknowledges the inevitability of partisan commitments and structures classroom inquiry to make them visible, discussable, and open to challenge. Using a classroom example focused on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), I show how teachers can disclose their commitments without imposing them, expanding democratic understanding through genuine contestation. I conclude that democratic education depends not on evading partisanship but on practicing it transparently and with care--designing classrooms where disagreement is expected, plurality is preserved, and no view, including the teacher's, is above scrutiny.
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2026
Accession Number: EJ1495082
Database: ERIC
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  Data: Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www.wiley.com/en-us
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  Data: This article challenges the prevailing binary in civic education that pits teacher neutrality against political activism. I argue that the real tension is not whether partisanship belongs in the classroom--it always does--but how it is engaged. Drawing on the concept of partisan justification, I define "partisanship" as reasoning from within a contestable normative framework that shapes what issues are foregrounded, how they are framed, and which disagreements are possible. I critique two dominant models: the Controversial Issues approach, which relies on the illusion of neutrality by concealing partisan framing, and the Activist approach, which risks the illusion of consensus by treating a single vision of justice as settled. Against both, I advocate for an educational partisanship as a democratic design: a practice that acknowledges the inevitability of partisan commitments and structures classroom inquiry to make them visible, discussable, and open to challenge. Using a classroom example focused on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), I show how teachers can disclose their commitments without imposing them, expanding democratic understanding through genuine contestation. I conclude that democratic education depends not on evading partisanship but on practicing it transparently and with care--designing classrooms where disagreement is expected, plurality is preserved, and no view, including the teacher's, is above scrutiny.
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      – SubjectFull: Political Attitudes
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      – SubjectFull: Activism
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      – SubjectFull: Persuasive Discourse
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