TRENDS IN SECONDARY EDUCATION 3


portunities, adults' disappointment at its results, and certain
new requirements of post-war living. The five most significant
trends seem to be the following:
 1. Using the school to develop democratic living. The ideal
of democracy is the recognition of the personal worth and dig-
nity of every individual. The obligation of every individual is
to further the general welfare of the group. The school has a
direct responsibility to teach the meaning and the values of
democracy to every youth.
 This instruction involves careful planning and guidance both
in and out of the classroom. Certain procedures are helpful:
(a) delegating responsibility to individuals and committees;
(b) permitting the minority always to be heard, but accepting
the decisions of the majority; (c) encouraging youths to decide
what they will study on a basis of future usefulness to a com-
munity.
 Such activities, however, may result in chaos in the name
of "freedom and democracy"-a sort of "mob rule" in school
life. They will train for true democratic living only if there is
actual experience in intelligent social action, in which every
student has a share.