Democratic citizenship requires the ability to critically evaluate public norms and institutions, to engage in deliberation and collaborative problem solving. But is education fulfilling its democratic mission or is it failing to build the key qualities for democratic citizenship?

What is role of different education actors – teachers, learners, families, civil society organisations, public authorities, and the media? Is it necessary to reform the organisation and functioning of educational institutions in order to better respond to the requirements of democracy? Can schools and other educational environments become spaces for democratic experimentation, including new forms of democracy in the digital age? Are there new, alternative forms of learning and practicing democracy in educational institutions and how to analyse them? How can democracy be transformed towards more inclusive and participatory methods which give a voice to all citizens and not only the educated elites? These questions are at the centre of the labs under this theme.